Chicken Tikka Masala

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 medium sweet onion, diced finely
4 cloves of garlic minced
1 1/2 tbsp ginger grated
1 tbsp garam masala
1 1/2 tsp turmeric
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
16 oz tomato sauce
3 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 cups jasmine or basmati rice, cooked

In a large skillet combine the oil, chicken and onion. Cook until golden.
Add the ginger, garlic, garam masala, turmeric, and chili powder. Cook until fragrant (about 1 minute).
Add the soy sauce, tomato paste, tomato sauce and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until the liquid is reduced and the sauce thickens.
Add the heavy cream, and heat through (about a minute).
Serve over rice.

Honey and Peanut Butter treats

Ingredients:

4 cups whole wheat flour **
2 cups peanut butter melted (chunky or smooth)
1 cup oatmeal
2 eggs
1 cup honey
1 cup water

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Mix ingredients in a large bowl until well blended. Resulting mixture should be firm and slightly sticky.

Lightly grease a baking sheet with oil (I like to use spray olive oil). Roll dough into a ball and place in the middle of the sheet. Using your hands flatten the dough to an even thickness across the baking sheet. (This doesn't always work the way it's supposed to... just do the best you can.)


Bake for 20 minutes or until the edges of the dough begin to brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes.


Using a large knife or a cleaver cut the dough into squares of appropriate size. 
Store in an airtight container.

If you only have one dog, you can portion out about 1/4 of the resulting cookies and freeze the rest in a vacuum freezer bag.

** (whole grain rice flour can be substituted for wheat if your dog is sensitive, but you'll need to add 5 minutes to the cooking time.)

Pork and Mushroom Pie

The Pug Hollow Humans realized that neither of us really like turkey, so this holiday season we're going a different route

Cream Cheese Pie crust: Make 1 day in advance

2 2/3 cups of all purpose flour (if you have Celiac substitute arrowroot flour)
16 tbsp salted sweet cream butter, cubed and frozen
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
8 oz cream cheese cut into 4 pieces
3  tbsp cold water
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar

 Using a food processor blend the flour, and baking powder, for 10 seconds. Add the cream cheese and process until the flour looks mealy. Add the vanilla, cold water and vinegar. Process again to mix. Add the butter. Process until the butter has been rendered to pea size at largest.

Remove the mixture from the food processor and knead until becomes a homogeneous single ball and is slightly stretchy.  Divide in half and form into a ball. Form each ball into a disk and refrigerate overnight.


Lay the first ball out onto a flat floured surface and use a rolling pin to roll the disk into a large enough circle to slightly more than cover the inside of your pie tin.
Place the lower crust into the pie tin and trim, leaving a 1 inch overhang.
Roll a second disk large enough to cover your pie, and set it aside.

Pork and mushroom pie

2 lbs ground pork (or sausage)
1 1/2 cups stock (chicken, beef or vegetable)
1 package mushrooms - chopped
1 cup onion - finely chopped
1/2cup green onion- chopped
1/2 cup parsley - chopped
1/2 cup crumbled goat's cheese
1 tsp. ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup barley

In a large heavy skillet combine the pork and water.  Add onions, mushrooms, parsley, and spices. Bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat until most of the moisture is gone. Add salt to taste.  Cool well. Stir in goat's cheese and barley.
Fill your pie crusts, cover with upper crust and bake at 425℉ for 15 minutes. Reduce to 375℉ and bake for another 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 15 to 20 minutes.