MAKING MOCHI's "ICE CREAM" FROZEN TREATS FOR YOUR DOG

By Tom Karloon



Our dog, Mochi, loves ice cream but it's really not healthy for him to eat his own serving of it -- it's just too rich for him and too sugary. As an alternative, here's the recipe I used o make frozen "ice cream" treats with a yogurt base for him. He loves them, they're cheaper than pre-made frozen dog treats, and they're really easy to make.

The ingredients:

32 oz of plain, lowfat yogurt (yes, I get the cheapest kind I can find)
1 ripe banana, peeled
2 tablespoons (or one big dollop) of creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons of honey
a handful of Milk-Bone puppy treats or small dog biscuits

Mix together everything but the Milk Bone treats in a blender, running until smooth and mixed. Pour into a standard ice cream maker -- if you just freeeze the mixture, you'll end up with ice cubes and not ice cream. (If you don't have one, I highly recommend making the investment for your kitchen at about $50. I've used the basic Cuisinart model for years, but they're all probably fine.)

While the mixer is running, crush the Milk-Bones down into half-inch
chunks using either a food processor (if you're lazy, like me) or by putting them in a bag and hitting them with a rolling pin.



When the mix starts to look a little thicker, gradually add the crushed dog biscuits into the mixture. When the mix gets thick enough that the ice cream maker starts to strain (or, if it simply comes to a stop), it should look like this:



It will also smell good enough to eat. Don't. Remember the dog treats you put in there. (About this time, I generally regret that I'm making dog treats and not ice cream for myself.)

Portion out into paper muffin cups supported by a muffin tin, stick on some dog treats so nobody mistakes them for people food, and put in the freezer.



That's it... don't forget to remove the paper before serving.

A LOT OF INTERESTING STAFF: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO YOUR DOG NUTRITION