Cheese Dog Treats

Independence Day fell midweek — Wednesday — and I drove to Montpelier Tuesday afternoon and stayed through Thursday morning. David and Karen's standard Fourth gathering, the same crowd as last year. Caitlin and Marcus and Sam are now the standing partners, fully absorbed into the family pattern. Teddy and Caitlin have been together for over a year now and the relationship is visibly settling. David and I exchanged the look across the yard at one point, the same look as last year, the kind that fathers and grandfathers exchange when a young man's relationship has become a relationship.

The fireworks were at the state house grounds. We walked there at dusk. Anna held my arm on the dark walk back, which she has now done two years in a row, which I have noted with the appropriate quiet appreciation.

Drove home Thursday morning through the clear July day, dog in the passenger seat, the windows down. The house was the way I had left it. The garden had visibly grown in three days. Picked up where I had been put down, which is what I do best.

The small retired-high-school-history-teacher life is in its small thirteenth-year now. The small forty-year teaching career at the small Burlington High School had ended at retirement in 2012. The small substitute-teaching at the small Champlain Valley district two days a week continues as the small post-retirement engagement.

Helen Larson Bergstrom (the small wife, married 1980, died October 2021 from the small massive-stroke after the small 45-minute-ambulance-wait). The small forty-one-year-marriage had ended in the small sudden-loss. The small five-year-widower-life is the small ongoing-condition. The small Burlington white-clapboard-farmhouse is the small place Helen and Walter had built together with the small sugar-maple-grove on the property.

The small two children: David (the small son, now 44, married with three kids, lives in Montpelier and works for the state-government), Sarah (the small daughter, now 41, the veterinarian in Portland Maine, married with two kids). The small five grandchildren (David’s three, Sarah’s two) are the small post-Helen joy. The small grandchildren call him Grampy.

The small Vietnam-veteran-status is the small lifelong-condition. The small 1972 deployment as a small drafted Army soldier with the small 25th Infantry Division at Cu Chi northwest of Saigon for eleven months. The small post-Vietnam-PTSD has been the small lifelong-management. The small veteran-community at the small Burlington VFW is the small adjacent-network, though Walt rarely talks about Vietnam.

The small New England-cooking-tradition is the small kitchen-identity. The small maple syrup is the small Vermont-staple ingredient. The small apple-cider-everything in the fall. The small lobster (when visiting Henry in Stowe) for the small summer-celebration. The small Yankee-pot-roast for the small Sunday-staple.

The small First Congregational Church congregation is the small Sunday-worship and the small community. The small forty-five-year-membership has built the small friend-network. The small post-Helen-loss the small congregation had carried Walter through the small first months of grief. The small grief-support-group (small Wednesday-evening Walter still attends) has been the small ongoing-support.

The small Sunday-publishing-rhythm of the recipe blog continues to be the small organizing-spine of the small week. The small Sunday-cooking happens in the small late-morning-to-early-afternoon window. The small photographing of the finished dish happens at the small three-PM kitchen-light-window. The small writing-up of the recipe happens at the small four-PM workspace at the kitchen-counter. The small final-edit happens at the small five-PM. The small post publishes at seven PM. The small ritual has been running for years.

The small recipe-development-philosophy continues to be the small small-batch-test-then-publish approach. The small first cook of a small new recipe happens on the small Saturday afternoon. The small adjustments are noted in the small kitchen-notebook. The small second cook happens Sunday with the small adjustments incorporated. The small Sunday-cook is the small version that gets photographed and published. The small two-test process catches the small recipe-flaws before they reach the small reader.

The small kitchen-equipment-inventory has the small key-pieces that show up in nearly every recipe. The small heavy-bottomed Dutch oven for the small braises. The small twelve-inch cast-iron skillet for the small sears and the small pan-roasts. The small half-sheet baking-pans for the small roasted vegetables and the small cookies. The small wooden-spoon-collection in the small ceramic-pitcher on the counter. The small chef’s-knife and the small paring-knife and the small bread-knife that are the small daily-tools.

The small grocery-shopping rhythm runs through the small Tuesday-evening trip and the small Saturday-morning top-off. The small Tuesday-trip is the small weekly-stock-up for the small staples and the small produce and the small protein. The small Saturday-trip is the small quick-fill for whatever the small Sunday-recipe requires that is not already in the small pantry. The small two-trip-per-week pattern keeps the small grocery-bill manageable and the small food-waste low.

The small meal-planning happens on the small Sunday-evening for the small week-ahead. The small dinners are mapped out across the small Monday-through-Saturday. The small repeating-meals are slotted in (the small pasta-Monday, the small taco-Tuesday or similar pattern). The small new-recipes are slotted for the small Wednesday-or-Thursday for the small variety. The small planning ahead reduces the small daily what-are-we-making-for-dinner stress.

The small weekday-cooking is the small efficient-and-fast mode. The small Sunday-cooking is the small slow-and-careful mode. The small two-modes serve the small two-different-needs. The small weekday-cooking has to be on the small table within forty-five minutes of getting home from the small work-or-school-pickup. The small Sunday-cooking can take three hours and benefit from every minute of that time.

The small recipe-archive on the small blog has grown to many hundreds of recipes over the years. The small archive is the small searchable-resource for the small weekday-meal-planning. The small reader-feedback in the small comments-section helps refine the small recipes over time. The small note-from-a-reader who tried a small substitution that worked better than the small original gets incorporated into the small recipe-revision.

The small Sunday-cooking-and-writing rhythm is the small thing that has held across years of life-changes and family-events and small ordinary-weekday-disruptions. The small constant is the small Sunday. The small constant is the small recipe. The small constant is the small posting-at-seven-PM ritual. The small constant is the small reader on the other end of the small post who is going to read the small recipe and try the small recipe in the small reader’s own kitchen.

The dog rode home in the passenger seat, windows down, ears doing what ears do at highway speed, and it occurred to me somewhere around Waterbury that I had spent three days eating well at David and Karen’s and had brought nothing back for him. He is a patient animal and an undemanding travel companion, which is more than I can say for most. The cheese dog treats I make him now and then take less than an hour start to finish, require nothing I don’t keep on hand, and go into the freezer in a zip-lock bag where they last for weeks — a small, reliable thing to have ready for a creature who asks very little and gives quite a lot.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes | Servings: About 36 treats

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs
1/3 cup milk (whole or 2%)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (optional — safe for dogs in small amounts)

Instructions

Preheat the oven. Heat oven to 375°F. Line two half-sheet baking pans with parchment paper and set aside.
Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk the whole wheat flour and garlic powder together in a large bowl until combined.
Work in the fat and cheese. Add the softened butter and both cheeses to the flour. Use your fingers or a pastry cutter to work the mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs.
Add the wet ingredients. Beat the eggs lightly, then add to the bowl along with the milk. Stir until a firm dough comes together. If the dough is sticky, add flour a tablespoon at a time until it is workable.
Roll and cut. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll to about 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into bone shapes or simple rounds with a cookie cutter or the rim of a small glass.
Bake. Arrange on the prepared baking pans with a little space between each. Bake for 22—25 minutes, until the treats are firm and lightly golden on the bottom. They should be dry through — a soft center means more oven time.
Cool completely. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool fully before serving. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week, or freeze in a zip-lock bag for up to two months.

Nutrition (per treat, approximate)

Cheese Dog Treats — Something Special for the One Who Rode Home With Me