Gingerbread Doggie Biscuits & New Holiday Centerpiece

Since the kids have gotten older, there is no longer the need to make dozens of cookies at Christmas.  They just don't get eaten.  So to fulfill my baking wants, I am once again making Doggie treats.  Gingerbread seemed fitting for the holiday season and Pierre really likes any sort of molasses.  I like the way these biscuits roll out.  With that bit of yeast, it's a bit more like bread dough than cookie dough and they bake up really well.  (The house smelled great too!)

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup white flour
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons INSTANT dry yeast
• 2 Tablespoons molasses
• 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 2 Tablespoons rice flour
• 2 Tablespoons wheat germ
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
I threw everything together into my stand mixer with the dough hook attachment and turned it on low for about 6 minutes until the dough came together on the hook.  Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface about 1/3 inch thick.  I let them rest about 10 minutes until puffy.  (If you are using active dry yeast, you may need to let them rise up to an hour.)  Bake 60 minutes, turn off oven and let biscuits cool several hours.

 
I made 3 different sizes of gingerbread men and bones and tiny hearts for all.  I used a variety of sprinkles for a festive look, but you can omit if you don't want your dogs eating additional sugar!

We are going to bag these up and tie with some satin red ribbon.  We will be handing out the doggie bags at The Market this week, so that should make for some interesting conversation! 

Because of the unusually warm and wet fall/winter we are experiencing in Michigan, my osage oranges did not last for the holidays, as expected.  Funky does not begin to describe what they looked like....ick.  So I scavenged some greens, grabbed a few fresh pomegranates and "borrowed" a few pieces of beaded fruit from The Boulevard Market's christmas tree! 

I think it looks very festive and kitchen-y and I have enjoyed these battery operated bulbs like crazy!  Thinking about how I can use them after the holidays...

Holiday Table Display

I'm not good at floral design.  Ever.  In fact, most bouquets that come into my house look the best just plopped into a vase.  I've really taken to the idea of using an abundance of one element in design, that way I can't screw it up!

So this is my newest attempt to be "crafty", and if all else fails, I'll have my mom come over and fix it!  (She is great at floral design!)

I have a thing for Osage Oranges, my "thing" is that they repel spiders!  Double "YAY"!  I also like their chartreuse color and nubby exterior.  I picked up a beautifully simple mahogany tray and piled them on.

I happened upon these nifty, battery operated lights at Target.  I like the combination of shiny bulbs with natural elements and I don't have a convenient spot to plug in on my kitchen table, so the battery feature is great.

I gathered up some boxwood sprigs from my shrubs and a few stubby pine cones from our trees.  I chose the boxwood for it's glossy leaves and I don't think it's poisonous to the animals. (I know they party on my table as soon as I leave for work!)  I think holly would look fantastic too!

I piled all the Osage Oranges up and tucked in my light string so you couldn't see the cord.  I then added my other elements in spots that were uneven/bare and tried to even the whole thing up!
 

I love this mellow glow and rustic look!  I think a few old mercury bulbs would look great too!