For Murphy’s birthday I wanted to make him a special treat. I know there are places you can buy dog birthday cakes and such, but I didn’t need that much food. So I started thinking about ice cream.
Murph loves this doggie ice cream called Dogsters that I used to be able to find at the Publix in Florida but haven’t found in Tennessee. He was nuts about the carrot-flavored one in particular.
Making My Own Doggie Ice Delights
I got to thinking, “How hard would it be to just freeze some carrot juice in ice cube trays and see if he likes that?”
Hard? Nope. Messy? Very. At least for me.
Easy Project Turns Into Major Clean Up
I’m not the most graceful person. If something’s spillable, I’ll spill it. Which is what I did with the Bolthouse Carrot Juice I bought to try this experiment with.
I spilled a smidge as I filled the trays. Which I think is where I went wrong. I was proud of myself that I had not spilled more. Well, I made up for it when I went to put it in the freezer.
I made it there fine, but as I went to put the tray on the shelf I accidentally tilted it slightly and out poured a good deal of carrot juice. It dripped all over the shelves, down the walls, and then pooled at the bottom.
I had to take everything, and I do mean everything–shelves, frozen veggies, boxes of frozen foods–out to wipe it all down. The worst was the bottom drawer. I tugged and pulled and fussed and fought with that darn thing and could still only get it so far. So I had to do some fancy yoga to try and wipe under it. Trouble was, the carrot juice hitting those frosty shelves and bottom created a weird kind of slush that was actually hard to wipe up. After a while I gave up and let it freeze so I could chipped it off later.
The End Result: Iced Carrot Cubes
After the carrot juice froze in the tray, I popped a couple out and put them in a bowl, sang Murph “Happy Birthday,” and let him eat them in the backyard. He enjoyed them as much as he ever enjoyed the Dogsters, and when I asked if he’d want a third he answered with big eyes and a hearty tail wag. Then he followed me inside and stayed right on my heels until I served him again.
Good for Humans, Good for Dogs
Dogsters adds ground flaxseed into their yogurt cups. The flaxseed contains Omega 3 and 6, the yogurt contains probiotics. Both are beneficial for humans and canines. In canines it gives them healthy coats and digestive tracts.
Variations on the Theme
• Next time around I might try deeper ice cube trays. (One bottle of carrot juice filled up the tray and then some –enough to make a mess in the freezer with!) Or maybe a fun-shaped tray. (Bones would be cool if I could find such a thing.)
• I might try to mix in some plain yogurt and flaxseed oil and then freeze.
If I do, I’ll let you know how my taste tester enjoyed it.
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