Joe and I have four, yes four, dogs. They’re our kids. Perry, Bella, & Gatsby sleep in the bed with us. Or, more accurately, they allow us to squeeze in between them. Patch sleeps on his dog bed – it’s his own personal preference.

Every morning I walk them – first Patch & Bella then Gatsby & Perry. Next comes breakfast, then it’s off to my home office where they sleep as I write. When I’m cooking they lay by the fireplace or in the kitchen doorway so they can see me. And, if anyone happens to walk in front of our home all four of them let me know, howling in unison.

Yea, there’s a lot of vacuuming and lots of toys strewn around the house that I can’t seem to get them to pick up. When it rains we have 16 wet paws to wipe and, more often than I like to admit, they dart in and leave a trail of muddy prints across the floor.  Baths are an ordeal – Joe and I are always just as wet as the dogs. Our vet loves us because we’re at their office once a month, if not more often. But I can’t imagine one day without waking up to them wanting to play, seeing their tails wag at meal time, or listening to them snore as I put together a blog post.

I sometimes forget that joy in life isn’t always about the next big thing, whatever that might be. Instead, my real joy comes from those quiet moments when can look around and know that everything in my life is ok just as it is.  My dogs always remind me of that.

When I saw that Marilyn at simmer till done made pumpkin dog biscuits, everything else on my list got pushed down a so I could bake for my kids – and gluten-free treats at that!  Her recipe uses brown rice flour, an excellent option as many dogs have food allergies and don’t tolerate wheat.

Like Marilyn’s vet, our vet recommends pumpkin for upset tummies.  My Bella gets a nervous stomach once in a while. Gatsby has very dry skin and our vet recommended adding flax meal to his food so I modified her recipe to include flax. These biscuits are definitely a treat I feel good about giving my kids.

And, my kids love them. I hope your 4-legged babies love them, too.

A couple of hints:

• I buy whole flax seeds in bulk and grind it in my food processor to make flax meal.  Because of it’s high fat content, flax meal can go rancid quickly.  It’s much more cost effective to buy the seeds and grind it yourself.  Check out my tutorial here.  Refrigerate or freeze ground flax meal in an airtight container depending on when you plan on using it.
• If your waxed paper moves about the counter while you’re rolling the dough out, pull part of it over the edge of the counter and lean on the paper to hold it in place.
• I made these biscuits with both freshly cooked pumpkin and canned pumpkin puree.  The fresh pumpkin didn’t have a bright orange color but both worked equally well.

And a side note – if you haven’t been to Marilyn’s blog, simmer till done, it’s a must.  She is a true artist – and her blog always calms me right down.  It’s as if I’m sitting in her kitchen with a warm cup of really good coffee, just watching her cook and soaking up everything she knows.

This is my submission to October’s “Pumpkin Treats” Go Ahead Honey, It’s Gluten-Free hosted by Heather Collins of Life, Gluten-Free.

Find more great food at What Can I Eat That’s Gluten-Free? at The Gluten-Free Homemaker and Real Food Wednesdays hosted by Cheeseslave.

Also – Kim from The Food Allergy Coach started the Gluten-Free Lifestyle Blog Carnival.  Anything gluten-free goes.  Add your post for the November Edition here.  All of the posts will be shared next month at Sustaining Health Holistically.  The deadline for the November Edition is October 28th.  I’m going to submit my post today.

Printer-friendly recipe

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Dog Biscuits
makes 36 large biscuits

2 1/2 cups brown rice flour
2 tablespoons flax meal
2 extra large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/4 cup cold water or enough to make dough stick

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Combine brown rice flour and flax meal in a large bowl. Mix eggs and pumpkin together in a separate bowl until smooth. Add pumpkin mixture to brown rice mixture in two parts, stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula. Dough will be shaggy. Add water, a teaspoon or two at a time until the dough comes together – by this time you’ll need to use your hands to pull the dough together.

Roll dough out between two pieces of waxed or parchment paper to desired thickness. (I rolled mine 1/4 inch thick.) Remove top piece of waxed/parchment paper, flip dough onto brown rice floured counter, remove top piece, and then cut biscuits using desired cookie cutter. Re-roll and cut scraps until you’ve used every possible bit of dough.

Place biscuits on parchment lined baking sheets. If using a dog bone shaped cutter, you cam make a pattern in the middle using the tines of a fork. Gently press down, wiggle a little, then lift out.

Bake for 20 – 25 minutes, until the top of the biscuit has dried out completely. Remove tray from oven and flip biscuits over. Return to oven, rotating cookie sheet, and bake for another 20 – 25 minutes until biscuits are completely dry. Let biscuits cool on wire racks. Store in an airtight container.

Enjoy!

© Amy for Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free, 2009. | Permalink | 62 comments | Add to del.icio.us