DIY Homemade Dog Food

Tue 20 Oct. Butternut squash on sale, and a value pak of boneless skinless chicken breasts, and the next thing you know I'm breaking out the crockpot and dumping brown rice, diced carrots, lentils, cut green beans, that whole mess of diced butternut squash, and three chicken breasts in it. After four hours it was all cooked through and ready to be scooped in full-mush measure into waiting bowls. Those house pups were so very excited the next day when these came out of the fridge at mealtime. Here they are in waiting mode:

To stretch it out, I did add some of their dry dog food into it. And Scarlett is a true Hoover, making every bit of hers disappear in about 10 seconds flat.

These pups made sure that they tackled the preferred part of each of these meals last week, and then they'd move on to the storebought crunchy bits.

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Based on "DIY Homemade Dog Food," by Chungah Rhee of the Damn Delicious blog. [Published 27 April 2015 /Updated 19 September 2025]

Based on "Easy Crockpot Dog Food," by Chungah Rhee of the Damn Delicious blog. [Published 13 May 2015 / Updated 08 July 2024]

The Hurricane Isaias System Seizes a Saturday

One of the latest first-of-the-season hurricanes on record worked itself into a named-storm frenzy while churning over the Gulf of Mexico in early October, coming ashore near Destin, Florida, last weekend with a Category 2 rating. After that, it sort of sauntered.

It managed to cause quite a bit of destruction and inconvenience, and sadly also a handful of deaths, in the Sunshine State and neighboring Alabama. But we’ve all seen much worse and can be grateful for what it didn’t become or do.

Still, it packed an enduring punch once it shattered into a disorganized mess, putting a damper on most of the eastern United States as its pieces and parts fanned out and brought plenty of rain.

It showed itself capable not only of settling in but also in drawing in enough enduring moisture that kept the rains a-coming, albeit often more drizzly than drenchy.

Bands nonetheless passed over with a more pronounced intent, and we were glad that this was not one of the occasions where the house showed itself as not impervious to precipitation.

This is a house with pooches, of course, and we still had to head outside to take care of pooch business. Fortunately, sometimes it was just sort of spitting or sprinkling in between all those windy drenching downpours.

I still got out and did an evening stroll...

...enough to get me across the finish line on my daily move and exercise goals as mandated by my Apple Watch.

By Sunday morning, we were still getting the effects here in Winston-Salem:

That was the day I got wind of why, which was a clash of weather systems that stalled out the movement:

And then (and it seemed at long last!), the clouds parted and blue sky returned and the warming rays of an October sun finally burst through:

Meal No. 4211: Brunswick Stew

Dateline: Sat 26 Sept. The end of September is a mixed bag for me: we have moved officially into Fall and sometimes the cooler weather gets an early start. But the final weekend of the month was so glorious and mild and sunny that we could not have asked for the annual Bookmarks Festival of Books and Authors to be any more perfectly timed. And that’s what brings the yearly joy of visiting festival-goers Margaret and Tathy, who use the Roediger House as their homebase while they fully immerse themselves in writers and what those authors have to say about the words they’ve written and the thoughts they have thunk.

We revel in the chance to supper with them, and the change of seasons put me right back into a mood for Brunswick stew. It was hearty and soul-satisfying, and well-accompanied with sweet skillet cornbread.

That was the afternoon when Scarlett made her 4th rat kill, as this little bugger tried to dash for safety across the rear property line and she was on him in a flash.

Meanwhile, Sumner was keen to cling to me at various times of the day, such as this pre-dinner moment when he let me know our papa-son solitude was to be a centered on a fully-invested belly rub.

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Brunswick Stew derived some inspiration from the following:

• "Get a Husband Brunswick Stew," by RAKESTRAW on AllRecipes.com.
• "Amelia's Slow Cooker Brunswick Stew," by Peach822 on AllRecipes.com.

Sweet Southern Cornbread adapted from "Golden Sweet Cornbread," from bluegirl on AllRecipes.com.

Meal No. 4207: Bacon Gruyère and Caramelized Onion Quiche

Dateline: Sat 19 Sept. It was a second night in a row for a reunion of UNC Tar Heels around the table, back on Saturday the 19th. Fellow alum and fellow Golden Fleece argonaut Chris was amenable to a return journey over to the Triad for a delightful evening of visiting and hanging out and, of course, some suitable grub. Without heading to the grocery store, I realized early in the day that I could pull this off with a bacon Swiss Gruyère quiche, with a base of caramelized onions, along with sliced tomatoes as a cool and refreshing side. It was all helped along, methinks, with a harbinger of the coming fall: apple cider doughnut loaf cake. This sweet side-ride has only shown up here a couple of times before, but it is appreciated with each return.

Also: this dear little hellion Scarlett is a mess:

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Recipe based on "Bacon and Caramelized Onion Quiche," from Kelley Epstein of Mountain Mama Cooks. [Published 11 April 2011]

"Apple Cider Doughnut Loaf Cake," by Sarah Jampal. In Bon Appétit, September 2020, p. 56, 57, 76. [Published 14 October 2020]

DIY Dog Food for the Ailing Princess

Dateline: Sun 12 July. At this point, it’s not clear if Scarlett keeps managing to quickly slurp up something the proves unsettling to the stomach when she’s in the yard, or if she’s got something more chronic going on. But as we scooted toward mid-July, she was back to some problematic poops and I jumped onto the crockpot version of homemade dog food early Sunday morning before leaving town so that we’d have something to help get her system back on track.

Those two precious pups are amazing at how they welcome me home when I’ve had to be gone, but there is something akin to that exuberant joy when they realize what’s coming to them in their food bowls is some of Daddy’s doggy vittles.

Scarlett voraciously inhales it, and it actually causes Sumner to remain standing, contrary to his usual couchant supper posture. But the magic mix of brown rice, chicken breast, butternut squash, sweet potato, green beans, peas, and lentils proved itself once more and everything came out all right (again) in the end.

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Based on "DIY Homemade Dog Food," by Chungah Rhee of the Damn Delicious blog. [Published 27 April 2015 /Updated 19 September 2025]

Based on "Easy Crockpot Dog Food," by Chungah Rhee of the Damn Delicious blog. [Published 13 May 2015 / Updated 08 July 2024]

Sumner's 10th Birthday Cake

Dateline: Sat 27 June. Between the gastric distress afflicting both pups and the storm-driven power outage on Sumner’s official 10th birthday, it seemed prudent to delay making his special treat. But before that week was out, we got down to it.

I fully expected both Sumner and Scarlett to greet it with great trepidation, as they are subjected to a tightly-regulated and highly-scheduled diet and dining routine.

With little need for encouragement, permission, or assurances, those pups did indeed execute their best doggie dive into the suitable celebration snack, with its heavy concentration of pumpkin and homemade peanut butter and adorned with non-fat Greek yogurt with even more peanut butter.

Sumner was quite certain that his single small slice was not nearly enough.

And much to their delight, controlled portions could be offered up for midday snacks for a few days following. Also: here's the cake before it got cut up and served:

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”Dog Birthday Cake,” from Sofi Llansó of Broma Bakery, a baking blog founded by Sarah Fennel in 2010. [Updated 05 June 2026 ]

Little Scarlett Impia Blasts the Gastro Trouble

With the odds-on-favorite that little Miss Scarlett Impia had been gobbling up rabbit or rat poop or the occasional cat turds in the yard and in the landscaping, she ended up with quite a run of diarrhea right around the Summer Solstice. After false hope sprang from a couple of yard doodies that looked to be on the upswing, she was back to rousing me around 4 am and running out to the azaleas for a creamy hydrant torrent, if you know what I mean.

On the first day of summer, in fact, she was so docile as to cuddle for hours on the couch...before finding herself downstairs having a pee accident in her malaise. (At least it was just in the back hallway while she was trying to rest.) The winning home remedy at the Roediger House when dogs are dogged by dour doodies is a big ol' crockpot of DIY dog food, with brown rice, butternut squash, lentils, carrots, and sweet potato. She gobbled that stuff up when it was presented to her, and in short order she was soon getting back to her regular self.

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Based on "DIY Homemade Dog Food," by Chungah Rhee of the Damn Delicious blog. [Published 27 April 2015 /Updated 19 September 2025]

Based on "Easy Crockpot Dog Food," by Chungah Rhee of the Damn Delicious blog. [Published 13 May 2015 / Updated 08 July 2024]

Guess Who Lost the Rat Race

Dateline: Sat 06 June. As the first full week of June was drawing to a close, there was quite a bit of excitement happening. Let’s start with a first-time accomplishment by the house imp, Scarlett: she managed to pounce on and eliminate a yard rat.

Then, no more than 40 minutes later, I’ll be darned if she didn’t slay a second larger rat. That girl must’ve wanted to get in my good graces something fierce.

The next day, there was a third rat slaying by this girl. Not only did I have no idea we had such a rat problem, I had no clue that she was such a rat problem solver.

You go, Scarlett Impia!

But wait! There is more! When I was getting that Saturday morning started in the kitchen, the number and speeding intensity of a convoy of Winston-Salem police cars piqued my curiosity enough to tune into the scanner on Broadcastify.

Once the communications exchanges made clear there was a complete shutdown of Salem Parkway and US 421 just down from the house, I thought I’d stroll to see what was afoot. From the Peters Creek Parkway bridge over the highway I snapped these shots.

Eventually the local news had the fuller story: this was the conclusion of a vehicle chase that left one WSPD unit flipped onto its roof and another slightly smashed into a small SUV.

Sumner & Scarlett Get Down with Homemade Dog Food

The Harris Teeter at which I regularly shop had an oversupply of boneless skinless chicken breasts on Memorial Day and they were marked down to 0.98 a pound. Not only was that perfect for dinner Monday a week ago, but it proved to be a bonus for the house pooches. Brown rice, carrots, butternut squash, and green beans all went into the slow cooker with three breasts on top, which meant their breakfast Tuesday a week ago (and several succeeding meals) was a glorious feast voraciously consumed by two really happy pups.

Perhaps being so very satisfied is also why they looked so wiped out mid-day in the south parlour?

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Based on "DIY Homemade Dog Food," by Chungah Rhee of the Damn Delicious blog. [Published 27 April 2015 /Updated 19 September 2025]

Based on "Easy Crockpot Dog Food," by Chungah Rhee of the Damn Delicious blog. [Published 13 May 2015 / Updated 08 July 2024]

Groundhog Vanquishing No. 1

Oh, gentle readers: this post comes with a warning if you are on the more skittish side of the natural world's cruelty line. But the RoHo blog favors full documentation of all things Roediger House, and last Monday offered up a new encounter with wildlife for the resident pooches.

It proved distracting, while sitting at the kitchen table in deep conversation with visiting friends and colleagues Donna and Ebbie, to see a groundhog traipsing across the neighboring gravel lot. But when it came back over to the backyard here, it brought back to mind the trouble caused by the one that took up residence in the crawl space right beneath us. Initially all I could do was corner it under my Camry.

I summoned for backup in the form of two eager household hunters and they were more than equal to the task. As that potentially pesky invader and destructive digger tried to bolt from under the car, Sumner was on him in a flash, and Scarlett was close behind. And yes: I was a proud papa punching up the camera app on his phone to document the battle royale. The rascal put up a good fight but he was not equal to the double-teaming of our yard guards. I will spare you the final photo of him but you may depend on the fact that he is now a 6-feet-under-ground-hog.

Groundhog sightings ain't the most regular part of life on this cozy quarter acre, but they have occurred from time to time (in 2022 and 2024). With the tag-team duo to dominate him, this particular groundhog will not be making camp under my house like one of his relations.

Meal No. 4098: Chicken Shawarma Wraps with Hot Honey Ranch

Mother's Day was pretty gorgeous in Winston-Salem, and maybe I ought to have planned on grilling out to take advantage of the perfect afternoon. But instead Sunday night’s supper was built around a recipe for chicken shawarma shared by my UNC chum Kelly. I stuck with the sheet pan, after a suitable marination, for its initial cooking. I sautéed diced onions and peppers and added bacon and baby spinach leaves. All of this got rolled, inexpertly, into a wrap for an especially messy tackle. A hot honey ranch gave it a luscious lubrication and made more likely the oozing trails that slipped down our forearms.

That night, there was a small portion of the homemade dog food left after I scooped out Sumner's portion, and it went into Scarlett's bowl with a supplement of her regular dry food. She dug into it like it was catnip. All I could catch was a mouthy blur of motion as she attacked it.

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"Oven-Roasted Chicken Shawarma," by Sam Sifton of New York Times Cooking. [Updated 23 January 2024]

Adapted from "Chicken Bacon Hot Honey Ranch Quesadillas," by Nick Nesgoda of Burnt Pellet BBQ. [Posted 10 October 2025]