Trying to please the pups with some Cinnamon-Rye Snaps

Jeff went to pull out the treats for the pups yesterday once they did their business outside and I heard an "uh oh" that he muddled under his breath. I knew at that point I was going to hear whining from the doggies all the time until I got something together for them - are they spoiled or what? Yes, we even try to keep their treats new and different (although they could probably care less as long as they get it when they want it!), so today I got these Cinnamon-Rye Snaps baked for them.

I tossed together a variety of dry ingredients for these treats - I used whole wheat, all-purpose and rye flour that I mixed with wheat bran, wheat germ and a dash of cinnamon. To help them crisp up and tempt their doggie palates, a few tablespoons of molasses make up part of the liquid ingredients that moisten the dough. When you combine all of the ingredients, the dough may still be a little sticky and lumpy - treat this kind of like a bread dough, scoop it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it just until it becomes smooth. It won't take nearly as long as bread dough though, you just want everything completely mixed - you will probably need to add a little bit of flour to keep it from sticking while you work with it. I do think I need to get some new cookie cutters for the sake of variety - I have a good selection of large cutters, but not many of the small kind that would be a good size for them. It may be kind of tough to tell when they have taken on enough color, but they should be fairly firm when they are ready - just remember they will continue to crisp as they cool. Spike even let out a couple excited yelps (this coming from the dog that rarely makes a sound, other than snoring...) after devouring his first one this afternoon, so this one will certainly be filed away to make again.

Sloppy joes are something my Mom made fairly often, but I don't ever remember eating them - I was so picky when I was younger that if I couldn't spot exactly what was in it, I would probably not be eating it. Weird to think about now with the types of food we quite enjoy these days!

Tonight we made this hearty comfort food dish, however, the recipe for these Turkey Sloppy Joes added or swapped out a few ingredients to make it a bit lighter than the traditional version. A couple cups of shredded carrots bulk up the dish allowing you to use a little less meat without the mixture looking too lean. By the time the carrots have softened and you add the crushed tomatoes, I really don't think you would even know they were ever there - Jeff was quite surprised when I asked him how the carrots tasted! He just looked at me with a puzzled face and said "Huh? I didn't get any carrots on my plate!". Good sign I think as he picks through everything to see what I tried to put in his food now. I didn't know if the couple tablespoons of dark-brown sugar would make this sandwich too sweet, but we quite liked the rich depth it gave to the sauce - it also did a good job of hiding any tinned flavors the tomatoes might give. The finished dish was saucy enough for us, but not so much that it wouldn't sit nicely on our favorite homemade hamburger buns. Don't get me wrong though, have a napkin handy as the name does not lie... these are sloppy to eat!

Recipes
Cinnamon-Rye Snaps
Turkey Sloppy Joes