Karen Allen of Holly Springs placed first and took home the $500 prize with her Bella’s Bark Board
charcuterie board in today’s Bella’s Birthday Bash Challenge at the N.C. State Fair.
Second place and a $300 prize went to Gail Fuller of Raleigh for her Mini Dog Birthday Cake. Third place and $200 went to Julie Cook of Raleigh for her Howling Harvest Cake.
The winning recipe follows:
Contents of Bark Board
• Fresh Cucumber
• Dehydrated banana chips
• Dehydrated apple peelings
• Carrot and peanut butter on the cob
• Parsnip and strawberry bones
• Fresh strawberries
• Low-fat mozzarella
• Pumpkin donuts with frosting and rosemary
• Oat and apple pretzels for dogs
• Dehydrated sweet potato chips
• Bone broth with cooked chicken livers
Dehydrated banana chips
Slice bananas into 1/4 inch slices and place on dehydrator racks. Dehydrate at 145 degrees for 4-5 hours.
Dehydrated apple peels
Peel apples with an apple peel corer and take the peels and lay them on dehydrator rack. Dehydrate at 145 degrees for 2-3 hours, checking after 1.5 hours and lifting them from the rack.
Pumpkin donuts with frosting
Ingredients
• Whole wheat flour
• 2 cooked carrots
• 3 tablespoons pumpkin puree
• 1 egg
• 2 medium sprigs fresh rosemary
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons water
• 1/4 cup cream cheese
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Strip the rosemary from its stems.
In a medium mixing bowl or food processor, combine the flour, egg and half of the rosemary. Mix well. Add enough wheat flour to make a solid dough ball that comes clean from the sides of the bowl.
Roll out dough in clean area (with flour on surface). Cut into doughnuts with cutter or glass. Bake for 13 minutes. Let cool completely on cooling rack.
Place the cream cheese in a small bowl and microwave for 20 seconds then stir well. Add the two tablespoons of water and stir until combined.
Dip the top of your doughnuts in the cream cheese and sprinkle with leftover rosemary. Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to a week.
Bone broth
Roast the bones. This is only necessary if you are using raw beef bones to improve the flavor of beef bone broth. Chicken carcasses have likely already been roasted by the time you remove the meat. Roast at 425 degrees F for 30 minutes, turning bones over halfway.
Prepare veggies. Coarsely chop carrots, celery and onions. Slice a head of garlic in half. Grab any fresh herbs you might have.
Combine all ingredients and use Instant Pot to cook for two hours on high pressure with a natural pressure release.
Remove solids using tongs and a sieve.
Keep in refrigerator for no longer than five days. Freeze for up to a year.
Oat and apple pretzels for dogs
Ingredients:
• 1 egg
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 cups oat flour
• 3/4 cup old-fashioned oats
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Using a hand whisk, beat the egg and set aside.
Combine the applesauce, oat flour and rolled oats in a large bowl. Pour all but one tablespoon of the egg over the mixture and set aside the remaining tablespoon of egg.
Using a wooden spoon, stir the mixture until a dough forms. The dough should be tacky but not overly sticky. Add a bit more or less flour if necessary.
Take a 2-tablespoon-sized piece of dough (approximate) and roll it into a tube. It should be about 10 inches long and about the width of a pencil.
Take each tube and make it into a U shape, then twist the ends together and fold back to the top into a pretzel shape. Pinch the ends in to make sure they are secure.
Place the pretzels onto the baking tray. Brush the top of each pretzel with the remaining egg.
Bake for about 25-30 minutes until they’re slightly browned and become crispy. The pretzels should be pretty hard, just like pups love them. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for serving.
Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
Carrot and peanut butter on the cob treats
Ingredients:
• 2 cooked carrots
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons of peanut butter
• Whole wheat flour
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine the cooked carrots with the egg and puree. Add in peanut butter and blend well.
Begin adding in the whole wheat flour until mixture becomes a clean ball of dough and there is no dough on the sides of the bowl.
Using cyclone corn cob molds, press the dough evenly into the molds, filling them completely. Lay the molds on a baking pan and bake at 350 degrees F for 12-15 minutes.
Remove and let cool completely. Remove from molds and store in a sealed container for 3-4 days or freeze.
Parsnip and strawberry bones
Ingredients:
• 2 cooked parsnips (medium to large)
• 1-2 fresh strawberries hulled, sliced and chopped
• 1 egg
• Whole wheat flour
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a food processor, combine two cooked parsnips and one egg and puree. Add in wheat flour until the mixture forms a solid dough ball and the sides of the bowl come clean.
Carefully add in the chopped strawberry, mixing with hands to try not to break up the strawberry pieces.
Put flour on a clean surface and roll out the dough so that it is 1/4 inch thick. Cut out dog bones treats with cookie cutter.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 8-10 minutes or until cooked through. Let cool completely.
Dehydrated sweet potato chips
Wash sweet potato and slice 3/16 in thick. Place slices on food dehydrator racks.
Set dehydrator to 135 degrees F. Dehydrate for 6-7 hours, depending on preferred crunchiness.
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