Dining outdoors (or at home) with your dog can be entertaining (+ recipes)

Ah, the sunny South... where the weather is warmer and conducive to outdoor dining... and hanging out with man’s best friend, your dog.

I know folks, my Dad included, who don’t think twice about loading up their pups for a ride to the park or to a picnic. I’ve even gotten my Lab to the point of walking easily through a pet store without tugging or grabbing a biscuit out of the bins.

But for those of you who would like to actually dine with your dog, there are options ...

▪ If your favorite restaurant has outdoor seating, call ahead and see if your pup would be allowed to sit with you outside while you dine. Carry your own water bowl and treats to keep your pup occupied.

▪ Jake’s in Five Points celebrates the human-canine bond with Yappy Hour on the back deck Tuesdays and Thursdays 4-8 p.m. The area is enclosed, so there’s no worry about losing your best friend, and the best part is that you can sip a local craft beer (or your favorite beverage) while watching your dog tire him/herself out.

▪ Pupcakes Pet Boutique pairs with Mr. Friendly’s and Solstice restaurants to offer Dining with Dogs evenings (6 p.m. Wednesday night at Friendly’s, 6 p.m. Thursday at Solstice) where your pup gets a three-course meal from Pupcakes while you order from the restaurant’s menu.

▪ Libby’s, in Lexington, is a dog-friendly establishment – the restaurant was named after the owner’s family’s pet Lab and welomes well-behaved pooches at the porch’s outdoor dining tables.

▪ And, once or twice a year, Fleur de Lys Home Culinary Institute hosts a doggie dinner where Chef Francois Fisera prepares healthy food that dogs and their owners can share (in separate bowls, of course). Fine dining indeed!

If your pup is like mine, however, and still frisky at 9 years of age, you can always create canine-friendly cuisine in your own home (and no, I don’t mean that last slice of pizza that no one wants after three days). I’ve made dog biscuits from scratch and Honey loves raw/steamed/or roasted carrots and brussells sprouts, which is great because those are healthy and relatively inexpensive. Although I did find out the hard way that I need to guard any bowl of boiled seafood (shrimp and crab are evidently worth growling over), who knew dogs liked fish!

Try these recipes and see if they’re something to shake for

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease two baking sheets. Whisk together the flour, corn flour and cornmeal in a mixing bowl.

Place peanut butter in a microwave safe dish and cook a few seconds at a time until peanut butter is liquified. Stir in melted peanut butter, water, vegetable oil and egg into the flour mixture until a stiff dough forms. Roll out dough on to a floured surface and cut into treat shapes with a cookie cutter or knife. Place treats onto prepared baking sheets.

Bake in preheated oven until golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Allow treats to cool and store in an airtight container.

Allrecipes.com

Place water, ground turkey, rice and rosemary into a large Dutch oven. Stir until the turkey is broken up and evenly distributed throughout the mixture; bring to a boil over high heat then reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Add frozen vegetables and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Allrecipes.com

Melt peanut butter in a microwave safe bowl. Combine melted peanut butter with yogurt. Pour mixture into paper-lined cupcake tins and freeze.

Cesar Millan, cesarsway.com