Sunday Dinner

I'm ready....let me taste.....are you sure you know what you're doing.....

Mom took a break from cooking during the month of August. She claims it was due to the heat – sounded like a pretty lame excuse to me. Now it’s September, the weather is already cooler – and that means Mom is cooking again. And by that I mean Mom (with my supervision of course) is cooking FOR ME. She tends to order in for herself – we are Manhattan girls after all, although I don't think those lamp chops she bought today were for me. Hmmm. I digress.

A few years ago, after my bout with cancer – the vet recommended “Dr. Harvey’s Canine Health”. I had a Stage 2 Mast Cell tumor on my front left leg. Had surgery to remove it - then 16 rounds of radiation. Not a good time - I think Mom was a little more stressed over it all than me. Of course she kept calling me, "Paris", because she said I was running up credit card bills like an out of control hotel heiress. BOTTOM LINE - I had cancer. I got treated...and then I met Due and fell in love....so in other words...LIFE IS GOOD. Back to today's topic....DR. HARVEY'S....

It’s a dry mix of organic grains and vegetables that you cook up into an oatmeal-type base, then add a protein, mix together, divide into serving sizes and voila! It only takes about 20 minutes start to finish, and she has to do it twice a week. When she knows she’s going to be away – she makes a few batches and freezes them. (Honestly - it tastes the same to me whether it's freshly made or frozen)

It’s easy –

Brown up 3 lbs of your favorite protein (chicken, turkey, beef). Mom claims my favorite is which ever one is on sale. For special occasions (Christmas, Birthday – I get Bison!)

Add a little oil to the pan. (Canola, Sunflower, Olive). It is important to rotate the oils and proteins.

In a large pot, bring 9 cups of water to a boil, add 4 cups of the Dr. Harvey’s mix. Reduce heat, stir, continue to cook for 8:00. (Mom turns the heat off when there's 4:00 left on the timer)

Combine the meat with the “oatmeal”, mix well, divide into individual serving. Mom uses Ziploc 14oz round containers. One batch makes 7-8 servings depending on how much taste testing I insist upon. (And you know I insist)

A ten pound bag of the mix lasts a little over 2 months. It runs around $70 and it available online or at specialty pet stores. Between the mix and the protein, I know it’s expensive, but it’s been over 2 years since my episode with cancer – and I am running around the neighborhood and Central Park like a pup half my age.

I heard Mom talking earlier and it sounded like plans were being made for Due to stay with us Wednesday night....I can't wait!

Hope you had a lovely weekend.....until our next adventure....