Thursday, October 28, 2021

Pumpkin-peanut butter Halloween dog treats #Halloween #Hallo-wiener


GUEST POST BY PENNY AND IVY MAFFINI


Penny and Ivy here.  You may know us from the covers of the Charlotte Adams books.  We haven't written any books ourselves but when we figure out how to use the keyboard, look out.  In the meantime, we are glad to be here guest posting about our favorite subject: TREATS!  

 

Treats do not get enough attention in this world. We would have staged a major protest but lately we have had a lot of squirrels to keep an eye on.  So we asked mom to make us these pumpkin and cinnamon treats with Halloween shapes.  We knew she had Halloween cookie cutters and why shouldn’t we get the benefit? Also that way we could get in on the theme week at Mystery Lovers Kitchen. If there’s ever a steak theme week, we volunteer to take part in that.  Anyway, these are supposed to be super easy but how would we know? We’re not allowed on the kitchen counter and there’s no way to get around that.

In our house, everyone likes Halloween.  We love parts of it and we like our new costumes.  It's so much fun answering the door on the spooky night and barking at the little creatures outside.  We would like it better if we could eat the chocolate treats, but never mind, these pumpkin-peanut butter ones might be even better and they are all for us.  I hope Mom doesn’t plan to give any to that big yellow lab, Hugo, next door.  That would be a game-changer.   We are supposed to engage with our readers and so, at this point, we’d like to know: how do YOUR pets like Halloween and do you make treats for them?   And even more important, how to you like us?

Oops! Almost forgot: here's the recipe!

 PUMPKIN-PEANUT BUTTER HALLOWEEN DOG TREATS



INGREDIENTS

2/3 cup of pumpkin purée

¼ cup smooth peanut butter

2 extra-large eggs

2 ½ cups of whole wheat flour

½ tsp cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

Preheat your oven to 350

Line three baking sheets with parchment paper

Place pumpkin purée, eggs, peanut butter and cinnamon in a mixing bowl. 



If your dog reacts to cinnamon, just give it a miss.  Use a paddle attachment in a stand mixer if you have one.  Mix well.  



Add two cups whole wheat flour in batches and mix well.  Slowly add the last ½ cup, making sure it doesn’t get too stiff and isn’t sticky.  Whole wheat flour can have a mind of its own so go slow.  Form into a ball.

                                                                        

Flour a surface and work the ball of dough. roll it out with a floured rolling pin.  


 Cut into three batches.  Roll out on surface until ¼ inch thick and cut with Halloween cookie cutters. We used ghosts, bats and coffins. Yum.

  

Place cookies on the lined sheets and bake about 20 minutes until brown. They might need longer.  We like them on the soft side, but you do you.  They look pretty much the same when they are cooked.  Here are our scary bats.



Cool and then turn over to your dogs!     * Note from ‘Mom’: Um, this is not advisable.  Keep the biscuits in a cookie jar for a day or two or freeze to keep Halloween fun going much longer. Also each cookie makes about eight treats for small dogs, so don't be fooled by other interpretations.



Mary Jane Maffini is the award-winning author of three and a half mystery series: the Camilla Maffini mysteries, the Fiona Silk capers and the Charlotte Adams organizer mysteries – number six coming soon! With her daughter Victoria Maffini, MJ collaborated on The Book Collector Mysteries as Victoria Abbott. Victoria Abbott spent several happy years on Mystery Lovers Kitchen. MJ  is very glad to be back and Victoria is waving at you all!

The first five Charlotte Adams are being reissued by Beyond the Page Publishing. Recipes have been added and of course, the organizing tips continue! The Charlotte Adams books have recently been optioned for television films.  The pooches on the covers look a lot like guest posters Penny and Ivy.

Organize Your Corpses was re-released as an e-book and a trade paper on May 18. There's a great deal for the e-book.   You can order it HERE!

The Cluttered Corpse was reissued on June 15th and Death Loves a Messy Desk arrived on July 13th. 

Closet Confidential was out in August.


AVAILABLE NOW!


THE BOOK COLLECTOR MYSTERIES BY VICTORIA ABBOTT aka MJ and Victoria Maffini

Jordan Bingham has a tough time: she's the first person in her large family to go straight. She has learned some useful skills from her crooked relatives but she's trying to hang on to a legit job working for a curmudgeonly book collector. But of course, the bodies keep piling up.  There's lots of fun in the book collector series from Victoria Abbott.

Don't forget to check out MJ's Canadian books:  Camilla MacPhee features a fortyish widowed lawyer who runs an advocacy agency for victims of violent crime, in Ottawa, Canada's capital city. Life would be easier if she didn't have the world's worst office assistant, the world's bossiest sisters and, arguably, the world's greatest stubborn streak. If you like your mysteries a bit edgy with a side order of humor, these could be for you.  


Keep up on the news!  You can sign up for updates about MJ and Victoria plus fun and prizes through our newsletter HERE 



11 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness MJ, the girls outdid themselves! Lottie is down in the kitchen rattling pots and pans and waiting for those biscuits...

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    1. LOL! I knew they would stir up trouble in every sense. Hugs to you and good luck to Lottie. MJ

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  2. My cat would enjoy these too. She loves pumpkin.

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    1. I hope she does, Alicia! Penny and Ivy might not approve but I do. Hugs.

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  3. Oh, Penny and Ivy, this is wonderful! I now have two dog grandchildren, both boys, as are my grandchildren. The boys and I will have so much fun making these treats for the pooch boys. Thank you!

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  4. That would make us very happy, Molly and boys. It's all about the fun. Hugs. MJ

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  5. The photo of their majesties in costume is a a royal hoot! Love it.
    These treats sound like winners.

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    1. Thank you, Libby! I have conveyed your compliments to their royal poochinesses. XO

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  6. Penny and Ivy are so cute! Thanks for sharing this recipe, I'm sure my dogs will love it as well.

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    1. Penny and Ivy really love the little dachshund in your books, Mia! So do I. Hugs.

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  7. Our furbabies love homemade treats. Thank you for the recipe. I'll let our Charlie, Jasmine & Annie Mae know Penny & Ivy like treats too. They look so cute in their costumes!

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