Meatloaf-cake Fit for a King

Oscar eats a 100% home-prepared RAW diet, but there are occassions when I cook for him. That's right, I'm that crazy person who bakes my dog a birthday cake... though I assure you there are at least a few other crazy people out there because I've been asked what goes into this meat-cake masterpiece, and how to make it. In response to inquiry, and for a little fun, I'd like to make this the first in a series of illustrated recipe posts (the first, and decidedly the most complicated - next up will be something like "Sliced Cantaloupe"... no joke, one of Oscar's all-time faves).

Meatloaf may have an intimidating number of ingredients, but the delicious thing about it is how versatile and forgiving it is - especially when you're making it for a dog. In honesty, I don't even really follow a recipe when I make this - it's different every time, but my trusty Joy of Cooking is always close at hand for basic reference. What's most important *to eyeball* is the ratio of meat to all the other ingredients (meat should make up 1/2 to 2/3 of mixture), and the amount of egg needed to bind it all up into a pleasing loaf shape (start one egg at a time till you're happy with the consistency). Please use the below quantities as a guide, substituting ingredients* if you like, or amounts as you see fit. I know fruit is a hair untraditional, but Oscar quite likes a good apple slice or blueberry, and to be honest, I think it makes a tasty addition. If you're feeling especially lazy, baking a straight-up ball of ground beef will probably make your dog just as happy as spending an extra arm and a leg to whip up this bad boy (it certainly won't garner the same photographic effect, however...). With that said, here we go...

*Keep in mind that there are some foods that are either not healthy, or downright dangerous to dogs - consult this list if you're not already familiar with them. Some dogs have specific sensitivities or allergies as well, so know your pup before chucking in flavors she doesn't tolerate or hasn't had before.


1 Mix in a big bowl: about 2lbs of ground meat (I typically mix ground beef, ground turkey, and a little ground lamb), 1 carrot - shredded, 1 pear or apple - shredded (discard the core), 1c rough chopped spinach, 1/2c chopped parsely, 1c dry quick-cook oats, and 2 or 3 eggs (you want the mixture to just hold together, without being too wet). *No seasoning!

2. Form your mixture into 2 or 3 loaves and place in a baking dish (you'll want a dish, not a cookie sheet, as there will be a fair amount of juice released during cooking). Bake at 350˚ for an hour to an hour and 1/4, or until loaves are firm, neatly browned, and pulling away from the edges of the baking dish.

3. Cool and cut a few slices from one of the loaves.

4. Boil potatos: Chop 2 potatos into 1/2" cubes - no need to peel them, but make sure there is NO green on them. Cook until tender (15 to 20 min) and drain.

5. Smash potatos with a potato masher or food processor.

6. Assemble your pup-cake*! Place one slice of meatloaf on a plate, "frost" with 1/2" or so of potato mash, place another meat slice on top, then frost again with potatos (choose your slice thickness and general size of dish based on your dog's size and weight). As a finishing touch, since salmon oil is a staple of Oscar's regular RAW diet, I'll drizzle a bit of that on top - and it never hurts to cut number's out of bacon for garnish... because that's how we roll...


*This recipe is intended for a special occassion meal - it does NOT contain all the nutirients necessary for optimum canine health, and so shouldn't become your dog's new stand alone-diet (it can be a staring point, but you'll need to finesse the recipe and include more). If you're interested in feeding your dog a home-prepared or home-cooked diet, there are plentiful great resources on the web. Stay tuned for future posts on this subject, but check out this excellent site to get your research started.

Comments

[Holly]

Craziness is relative Natalya, said the woman who has her dog's birthday partys catered! Oscar is one lucky dude for sure!

[Natalya]

I thought of you when I posted that intro, Holly! But if bein crazy is wrong, I don't wanna be right. ;)

[Kit Feldman]

You, my friend, need a copy of our book, The Culinary Canine, which includes a recipe for "Muttloaf" to rival yours! Contact me on our Facebook page and let me know where to send your book!