Rescue Rangers
an ode and recipe for our fur friends
Welcome back y’all. This week we’re taking a break from our regularly scheduled programming to celebrate the many animals that help keep us sane over at Bad Manners HQ.Â
Now this shouldn’t come as a fuckin surprise to anyone but we’re animal people. If you have any of our books- and of course you do- then you’ve def seen some of our four-legged friends before. Books 1-3 feature Phoenix, Matt’s beloved kelpie mutt from Texas who’s since crossed the rainbow bridge. Phoenix had a larger than life presence and ruled with a cute but iron paw.
If you’ve got Book 3, then you’ll find Phoenix riding shotgun in an old Bronco next to Flagstaff, our neighbor’s rescue shepherd. Both Flagstaff and her brother Tuscon are in our latest book, Brave New Meal. Tucson, a chiweenie mutt, was a street dog found a few blocks from our office dodging LA traffic. And yes- the neighbors are from Arizona.
Then of course there’s Boz, Matt’s foster fail from our friends at LA Animal Rescue who was abandoned with us right before the pandemic and hasn’t left Matt’s side since. Whether we’re in the kitchen, studio, or just trying to use the bathroom, Boz keeps close to make sure everyone is super safe. The only thing bigger than his melon head is his heart. Boz loves affection and climbing into laps, despite being 85 pounds.
Michelle has two cats Kamala and Clementine, also rescued from LAAR, who keep it super lowkey and shy away from the camera- hence never making it into our books Being sisters, they stick close to each other and are probably whispering about you right now. They have the fluffiest coats with racoon tails that keep Michelle vacuuming all day, every day. When we can sneak a shot of them, their good looks are hard to ignore.Â
And to round the whole team out, we have our newest edition: Harlow. She was rescued from the West Adams SPCA by Michelle’s girlfriend and is slowly finding her niche between the kitties and her idol, Boz. She’s a goofy, energetic beauty queen who’s always ready to meet a new best friend. And in honor of her 3rd birthday this weekend we’ve whipped up some homemade treats perfect for your pup whether it’s their birthday or not.
Bake up a batch this weekend to celebrate Harlow and all the pets out there that make our worst days a little brighter.
Harlow’s Birthday Cookies
Makes about 15 cookies
½ cup unsalted creamy peanut butter
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
1 carrot, finely shredded
¾ cup whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons of unsalted peanuts, chopped (optional)
Warm up your oven to 375 and line a baking sheet with some parchment.
In a medium bowl, stir together the peanut butter and applesauce until well combined. Fold in the carrot until it's all distributed throughout the dog. Now stir in the flour until it's all mixed in and there aren’t any dry spots. Don’t worry about overmixing, these are for dogs. Make balls about the size of a goofball and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Press them into little patties with the back of a spoon or your fingers and sprinkle over the chopped peanuts. Bake until the bottoms look a little golden brown, about 12-15 minutes.
Let these guys cool before letting your pup try them out. Store them in an airtight container and they’ll keep for at least a week.
If you don’t have any animals in your life and are thinking of taking the leap, we encourage you to give fostering a try. Not only do you get to show grateful animals some well-deserved love but it feels great to help them find their forever home. Who knows, maybe you foster fail and keep ‘em? Reach out to your local animal rescue to learn more or if you’re in LA, LAAR is a great place to start. There are so many animals waiting to sit by you on your couch and cuddle you until your legs fall asleep. Everybody wins.
Next week we’ll be back to human recipes, we promise. Thanks again for joining us here in The Broiler Room. We appreciate y’all.
Michelle and Matt
As a new foster mom to six kittens and a mama cat, I can understand what it means now to be a foster fail. It’s going to be hard to give u all these adorable little babies but we’ve reach max capacity in our little house.
I’ve always respected your animal rescue attitudes. Thanks for taking in all these lovely animals. They could not have asked for better allies.
My profile pic is me with a rescue, Sura. He has crossed the bridge, but we have been in the rescue "biz" since 1997.... We rescued two shelties and we called them our gateway rescues opening the flood gates to over 100 doggies who have landed here permanently or as fosters to adopt. We have shepherd many over the bridge, giving them love at the end of their lives. We now specialize in hospice rescue, and while it is challenging it is also incredibly rewarding. THANK YOU for rescuing! And for being so bad ass in every aspect of your lives.....