Top chefs' yummy home-cooked meals - for dogs

(CBS NEWS) NEW YORK -- Want to be sure your dog's food is delicious, good for him or her, and safe?

You can find the recipes for the favorite dishes chefs make for their own pooches in the "The Culinary Canine: Great Chefs Cook for Their Dogs - And So Can You!," by Kathryn Levy Feldman and Sabina Louise Pierce.

Three of the chefs featured in the book shared their recipes on "CBS This Morning: Saturday." All are executive chefs. They also brought along their four-legged friends.

They are Kerry Heffernan, with his Labradoodle, Benny, Matt Levin, with Howie a Boston terrier, and Quillermo Tellez, with Milee, his Maltese/Yorkshire terrier mix.

RECIPES

All of these recipes are from "The Culinary Canine."

KERRY HEFFERNAN:

Bacon Bites

Chef Kerry says, "Who doesn't love bacon? Benny is no exception, and he loves these biscuits, which he gets as special treats-sometimes just for being adorable!"

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 pound bacon, cut into small, thin strips
• 2 cups organic whole-wheat flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup water

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Render the bacon in a small sauce pot until crisp; remove bits and reserve fat. In a small bowl, combine the bacon bits, flour, and eggs, then add 1/4 cup of the water and mix. Add water as needed until the mixture is pliable and moist.

Roll the mixture out to a 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out shapes with desired cutter (we use a bone shape) and place the biscuits on a greased baking sheet, about 1/2 inch apart, making sure that they do not touch.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until light brown. Let cool. If desired, brush a little reserved bacon fat, warmed, on top of each biscuit for special appeal.

Cool, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. These biscuits keep in the refrigerator for about two weeks.

Dog "Broth"

Chef Kerry says, "Benny is approximately 25 pounds, so we give him about one cup of this vegetable/meat mix. Sometimes we substitute cooked brown rice for his kibble. Either way, he loves it!"

This recipe can be made in much larger batches and then frozen in plastic bags for up to two months.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 large chicken legs (or breasts, if you prefer) with skin and bone
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into »-inch chunks
• 1 quart water
• 1 cup peas

DIRECTIONS

Place the chicken in a 3-quart saucepot with the carrot and 1 quart of water. Bring to a simmer; skim off any fat and foam that accumulates.

Simmer for 4 minutes (1 minute if using breasts), then add the peas and simmer for 5 more minutes.

Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.

Take the chicken out of the mixture. Remove the fat, the skin, all bones, and all cartilage. Work the chicken into large, nuggetlike pieces and add these pieces back to the broth.

Add 1/2 cup warm broth (for best rehydration) to 1 cup dry dog food to moisten kibble. Mix in the vegetables and meat as appropriate for your dog.

To see Matt Levin's recipes, go to Page 2.

MATT LEVIN:

Arthur's Lamb Fricassee

Chef Matt says, "I developed this recipe for my late dog, Arthur, but Sadie, Clyde, and Howie love it, as well. This recipe makes six servings for large dogs; I give Howie half the amount I give to Sadie and Clyde. Right before I serve this to my dogs, I add a tablespoon each of flax seeds and bone meal. If you add the flax seeds and bone meal too early, the mixture can spoil quickly."

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups cooked brown rice
• 2 pounds lean ground lamb (can substitute ground chicken, beef, or turkey)
• 1 bag frozen peas
• 6 carrots, peeled and diced
• 4 Yukon Gold potatoes, blanched and diced
• 2 red apples, cored, with seeds removed, and diced
• 4 Tbsp safflower oil
• 5 cups chicken stock
• 6 Tbsp flax seeds, divided
• 1 Tbsp bee pollen, finely ground
• 6 Tbsp bone meal, divided
• Sea salt to taste (Yes, taste your dog's food!)

DIRECTIONS

In a heavy-bottomed sauce pot, add the oil and heat it until it smokes. Add the lamb (or whatever meat you are using) and brown it well. Add the potatoes to the pot and continue cooking for 5 minutes. Add the apples, chicken stock, and peas to the pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer; cook for 10 minutes. Season with sea salt to taste.

Remove the mixture from the heat and add the carrots. (I add them at the end because I've found that my dogs like the crunch that they add.)

Let the mixture cool, then mix in the brown rice and bee pollen. The food can be stored in the refrigerator in a covered container for two days or frozen for up to two months.

Sadie & Clyde's Cookies

Chef Matt says, "These cookies don't spread because of the lack of fat, so it's best to press them down before baking. My dogs love these cookies! They are a bit dry (although quite good) for humans to eat, so it's best to leave them for the pups."

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups whole-wheat flour
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup Grape Nuts cereal
• 1 cup natural peanut butter
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 cup smoked honey (regular honey will do)
• 1 cup water
• 1 beef bouillon cube

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl until well combined.

Drop the mixture by teaspoons onto a nonstick cookie sheet and press each spoonful with your palm or the bottom of a glass to flatten.

Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes or until browned. Let cool before serving.

These cookies store well in a tightly covered container. They will last for about two weeks, but will probably be devoured long before then.

For a recipe from Quillermo Tellez, go to Page 3.

QUILLERMO TELLEZ

Milee's Mexican Treats

Chef Guillermo says, "Maybe it is the chorizo in these treats that gives Milee her energy, or maybe she is just one happy puppy! Either way, the Spanish sausage gives these snacks a nice kick."

INGREDIENTS

• 2 ounces hard Spanish chorizo
• 2 1/3 cups flour (all-purpose or whole-wheat)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 1/2 cup grated cheese (such as Parmesan)
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 cup nonfat powdered milk

DIRECTIONS

Mince the chorizo, then saute it in a hot frying pan until crispy-about 4 minutes. Transfer it to paper towels to remove the excess fat. Blot and cool.

When the chorizo is cool, combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well to create a dough.

Roll the dough out to about 9 inches by 13 inches, then pat the dough onto a lightly greased 9- by 13-inch cookie sheet, bringing it to the edges. Use a sharp knife or a pizza cutter to score the dough (do not cut all the way through) into pieces of the desired size. (If you are going to use the cookies as training treats, score the dough into small pieces.) Sprinkle a little more cheese onto the dough for extra flavor.

Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Turn off the oven and let the treats cool for a few hours. The longer you leave them, the more they will harden.

Break the treats apart and store them either tightly covered or in the freezer.