You think I could get Biscuit in a Halloween costume?
Yeah, I didn’t think so either…
Hey gang!
Thanks for all the great comments in our dog food discussion from Tuesday. Here are the collected links that were shared in case you missed it – a lot of good information was exchanged both here and on Facebook:
- Consumer Search – Best Dry Foods
- Dog Food Analysis
- How to Read a Dog Food Label (.doc)
- What’s Really in Pet Food? (.pdf)
- How to Grade Your Pet’s Food (.doc)
- Why Feed Your Pet Good Nutrition? (.doc)
I decided on Chicken Soup for the Puppy Lover’s Soul – Large Breed. The ratings I found for it were consistently strong. Consumer Search ranks it as one of the top four best foods and dog food analysis gives it a thoughtful four star rating. It’s also very reasonably priced – I just bought a 35 lb. bag last night for $38 including tax.
Once we decided that we liked the food, then it had to pass Biscuit’s test. Thankfully, Biscuit loves it. We did a taste test where I held the Chicken Soup chow in one hand and Purina in another. I repeated the test, and also did one where I held Chicken Soup and Science Diet in another hand. Chicken Soup won every time.
Unfortunately it can be a little difficult to find in stores. The only store in Charlottesville that sells it is Pet Supplies Plus, and they were out of stock earlier in the week. Ordering online is an option, but I shudder to think of what the shipping costs would be for such a heavy item. Hopefully our 35 pounder will last us a little while!
Even though our vet recommended Science Diet, after reading the above links I feel confident that the food we decided on is healthy and nutritious for our pup. I’m sure I’ll be visiting this topic again in a few months when he moves to adult food!
Have a great weekend!
Hey DC readers!
So we’re trying to decide what brand of puppy food to keep Biscuit on, and I was hoping some of you fellow foodies could help!
We did some online research and found that Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul has good quality ingredients and is reasonably priced, so we’ve been trying to change him on to that food. But at our first vet appointment yesterday, the vet suggested that Iams and Science Diet are good brands that have a lot of long term research under their belts. When we pushed back a little he said that Iams were the people who broke the story about melamine in pet food a few years ago but that they didn’t get any credit.
I like science and data… so I appreciate that companies like Iams put a lot of money and research in to their product. I also understand that millions of dogs have been on Iams for years and done extremely well. I also understand the philosophical argument that better quality foods (without things like corn gluten meal and meat byproducts) should be more nutritious. We know that a fast food cheeseburger isn’t good for a person everyday, so we’re likely to think it’s not good for dogs either. But aside from passionate debate and outcry on the message boards, I haven’t seen much actual data about what’s better.
Have any of you run across data about what is actually healthier for dogs in the long run? What does your vet recommend?
to bring you something adorable!
Meet Biscuit. Morgan and I brought him home yesterday. He is a big sweetheart. He also enjoys kibble, his cow and constant attention! Today is our first full day with him – please wish us luck!
Most summers, my family tries to sneak in at least a brief vacation to Nags Heads, NC. Though Nags Head is gradually becoming more built up, luckily some things haven’t changed.
Our favorite and most consistent restaurant is Kelly’s Restaurant and Tavern in the Outer Banks; if you haven’t been then you’re really missing something special. It’s a nicer establishment than most (ie, expensive), but it’s well worth the expense. Usually when we go I always order the flounder, but it’s incredibly difficult to restrain myself from filling up on their signature Sweet Potato Biscuits.
These biscuits aren’t beauty pageant winners – they stay fairly flat and don’t rise in the oven. They aren’t the light, flaky, buttery kind, in fact they’re quite dense and heavy. What makes them so great? They smell heavenly, they’re very unique, they’re filled with sweet potatoes which are actually good for you and they stick to the roof of your mouth. Yum!
Kelly’s will give you the Sweet Potato Biscuit recipe if you ask for it, but you’ll be surprised to learn that they’re made using Bisquick. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, I prefer making it all from scratch – which really isn’t much more difficult and you’ll likely have all of the ingredients already on hand.
I read a few different biscuit recipes to come up with a combination of ingredients that I thought could replace the Bisquick while maintaining the great taste I’m used to. I made these Friday night, just in time for the series finale of Battlestar Galactica (if you happened to watch this, what did you think? my husband joked, “the moral of 4 seasons: robots will probably kill you”). We scarfed a few of these down until our stomaches hurt (hey, I warned you they were dense). These are best enjoyed warm.
Sweet Potato Biscuits
1 pound sweet potatoes (approximately 2 sweet potatoes)
1 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup milk (I used skim)
2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Peel sweet potatoes, then cut into 2 inch pieces and boil until there is very little resistance when pierced with a fork. Mash sweet potatoes using a masher or the back of a fork. Add all remaining ingredients and mix well.
Using two spoons, drop biscuit mixture onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet; biscuits should be approximately 2 1/2 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick.
Bake for 16-18 minutes. The moistness of the mixture makes it so that these biscuits do not rise much. Keep an eye on them so that they don’t overcook. Biscuits are ready when they have set and they are slightly firm to the touch.
Makes about 1 1/2 dozen biscuits.
Note: Be sure that these are completely cooled before putting them away, if there are any left. Do not store in an airtight container because the tops will get “sticky.”
