Katy author CeCe Blue signs dog treat cookbook Sept. 19

Katy author CeCe Blue will sign copies of her dog treat cookbook and make a batch of no-bake Energy Bites at Barnes & Noble, 435 S. Fry Rd., on Saturday, Sept. 19, at 1 p.m.

The book, Small Treats. Big Wags. — The Neighborhood Edition, grew out of friendships Blue formed walking the bayou near her Katy home with her German Shepherd, Nox. She holds one of her two degrees in Foods and Nutrition and started making her own treats after growing tired of store-bought options Nox wouldn't eat, The Katy News reported.

"One afternoon, walking along the bayou with my friend Sherri and talking about what our dogs love to eat, I thought: our neighbors cook for each other all the time — why not the dogs?" Blue told The Katy News.

The cookbook features recipes contributed by neighbors for their own pets. Beth shared "Swishy Pops," a frozen treat made from chicken broth, green beans, shredded carrot and chicken bits for a dog named Larry. Erica, Guilherme and Giulio contributed dehydrated chicken hearts for their dog Astro. Jane, known in the group as "Madame Leila's" mom, added a dehydrated eye-of-round recipe.

The book also includes a hand-illustrated neighborhood map with walkway names given by Blue's neighbor John. Paths include "Nox's Knoll," "Larry's Lane" and "Freedom Way," the last named for the day two off-leash dogs chased a rabbit. Another neighbor, Colette, named the group's gathering spot the "Happy Place," and it stuck.

Blue, John and Colette appeared on KPRC 2's Houston Life on Aug. 26 for National Dog Day. Blue demonstrated the Energy Bites recipe on air, using peanut butter, banana, oats and chia seeds.

At the Sept. 19 signing, Blue will walk attendees through the same recipe live. The book is available on Amazon and through Blue's website, CeCe Blue Ink.

Blue is working on a follow-up book focused on nutrition for senior dogs.

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