Spoiling the pups...

As I was going through the refrigerator this morning, I noticed that we had some extra cream cheese that I needed to get used up. I also noticed we were again very low on the last kind of doggy snacks I made, so I went looking through the piles to find a recipe for them that would use up about 4 ounces of cream cheese.

Whole Wheat Cream Cheese Danish Dog Biscuits had the pups going in circles while they were in the oven baking. If you choose to make these, make sure you have no plans to use the oven for awhile after you are done baking them. After just 20 minutes, the oven is turned off and the biscuits are allowed to slowly cool in the oven which allows them to get quite firm and crisp. With only 5 ingredients, it is quick to make and can be easily done with just a wooden spoon and a bowl. The dough is quite soft, yet I found it not to be sticky at all. It was very easy to roll out and held the shape from the cookie cutters nicely. If you find you are having troubles rolling it out, allow it to rest for about 5 minutes and then continue. The doggies are so spoiled!

Baked pasta dishes are really becoming a favorite of ours. When I think about how many times growing up I would not touch pasta with a 10 foot pole, I wonder what I missed out on. As I have said before, it has only been the last couple of years since I first tried pasta and why I waited I just don't know. Tonight's dinner, Baked Penne with Fire Roasted Tomatoes, also includes a vegetable I never used to eat either - Zucchini. Smokiness from the fire roasted tomatoes adds a depth of flavor that really enhances the sauce. Fresh zucchini slices bring a good texture difference against the tender pasta. After a quick 20 minutes in the oven, a nice helping of mozzarella cheese is sprinkled on and left to melt to finish off the dish. I let this sit for just over 5 minutes and each piece was easy to get out without it falling apart.

Recipes

Baked Penne with Fire Roasted Tomatoes
Whole Wheat Cream Cheese Danish Dog Biscuits