I'm trying to get ahead on her food...mostly because in three, very short weeks, we're going to be a little preoccupied and I don't think it's very fair to ask my Mother to cook food for the dog! So, I started this week's food by boiling 12 pounds of Chicken leg quarters and 2 pounds of Chicken Gizzards (and hearts). To the larger pot, I added some Parsley, Nutmeg, and Black Pepper...to season the chicken a little but also to help with the smell of the cooking chicken (which smells horrible by the way). Once the chicken was done (Tuesday...I bought it on Monday), I poured the liquid into three containers, cooled it and put it in the fridge to help separate the fat from the broth. The next day, I skimmed the fat and filtered the "bits" from the broth (I got enough filtered broth to use it to make 20 cups of rice and fill a 2-Quart pitcher along with half of another pitcher). After I filtered the broth, I warmed up the fat and ran it through a paper towel to get the particulates out of it. I ended up with 2 cups of purified fat! Which, I plan to warm it up and pour it over the mix when I add the yogurt, gravy, and such. But, once I got the broth filtered, I started the rice in the big cooker (I had 10 cups of rice, so I just made all of it). Yesterday, I cooked up five large bags of veggies (Cauliflower/Broccoli mix, French cut Green Beans, Broccoli Cuts, Carrot Coins, and a bag of Peas and Diced Carrots). But, by the time they cooled enough to mix, I was exhausted! So, today after shopping, I made up 3 cups of Brown Gravy (not exactly "healthy" I'm sure) and added about one-third of a jar of Creamy Peanut Butter while the gravy was hot. The PB really thickened the gravy, so I also added about a cup of Chicken Broth to thin it back out. Then, I tossed the whole thing in the fridge to cool for an hour before mixing it into 64-ounces of Plain Yogurt (I buy Nancy's Organic for her...).
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| Rice & Veggies! |
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| Brown Gravy & Peanut Butter! |
And since I have now mixed everything together...the dog is currently chowing down on a serving of this new batch! To mix this huge batch of food, I broke out my big Turkey Roasting Pan (pictured on the left with the Rice and Vegetables in it)! With everything in it, this batch filled it to the brim! Of course, 14 pounds of meat (without the bones) filled one and two-thirds gallon-sized Ziplocs, 5 pounds of Veggies filled another, and roughly 20 cups of Rice filled one and a half bags! Top it off with 3 cups of Gravy, half a jar of Peanut Butter, and 64-ounces of Plain yogurt...and there's a lot of dog food that's been made! My hope is to put half of it in the freezer for after the baby's born!
Actual "recipe":
- 10 cups of Rice (as measured by the scoop that comes with your cooker)
- Chicken Broth to fill Rice Cooker to the fill line (if cooking rice without a cooker, it's 1 cup rice to 2 cups liquid)
- 12 pounds Chicken Leg Quarters
- 2 pounds Chicken Gizzards & Hearts
- 5 pounds Frozen Vegetables (I used Carrot Coins, a Broccoli/Cauliflower Mix, French-cut Green Beans, Cut Broccoli, and a Peas/Diced Carrot Mix)
- 3 cups prepared Brown Gravy (which is 9 tablespoons dry mix & 3 cups Water)
- 1/3 to 1/2 Jar Creamy Peanut Butter
- 64-ounces Plain Yogurt
- 2 cups Chicken Fat (microwaved to liquify)
- 4 to 6 cups Chicken Broth
Optional Additions:
- Hard-Boiled Eggs
- Scraps (Meat & Veggie)
- Leftover Pasta
On the dog front...Rosie just turned 11 years old yesterday! She was born September 12, 2001 and was given to me in mid October of 2001 (when she was 7 to 8 weeks old, I forget the exact date I got her). She didn't have a name until close to Christmas though! My childhood Lab was named Licorice (as in Black Licorice...), so I had wanted to keep the "color-theme" in naming this new puppy, but nothing I came up with really "fit". She was almost named "Shady", but it reminded my partner at the time of Shady Pines (the retirement home on Golden Girls). Which is how Rosie got her name! She was named after Betty White's character on that show!
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