The Dog Bowl

by Cindi Sutter - Excerpted from The Horror Movie Night Cookbook by Richard S. Sargent. Copyright © 2023 Ulysses Press. Reprinted with permission from Ulysses Press. New York, NY. All rights reserved.

The Dog Bowl—CUJO (1983)

Dogs eat food out of a bowl, silly. Although, in the movie, Cujo tries to eat the people in the Pinto. Why? Because he was bitten by a bat in a rabbit hole. See what I did there?

THE DOG BOWL

Crispy Burrito Bowl with Stewed Pinto Beans, Rice, and Mexican-style Rabbit

KILL LEVEL: Moderate | BODY COUNT: 6 servings | PREP TIME: 15 minutes | COOK TIME: 8 to 10 hours

FOR THE BURRITO BOWLS:

6 flour tortillas

2 cups white rice, uncooked

FOR THE PINTO BEANS:

2 (16-ounce) cans pinto beans

2 medium yellow onions, halved

4 cloves garlic, halved

Salt and black pepper, to taste

FOR THE MEXICAN-STYLE RABBIT:

2 lbs boneless rabbit loin

1 (28-ounce) can red chile sauce

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 jalapeño pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

Any other items you would like to serve with the bowls

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. You’ll need 6 tortilla bowl molds (you can buy online). Place the flour tortillas firmly into the molds and bake for approximately 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the molds and set aside.

2. To a large pot, add the pinto beans, onions, garlic, and salt and pepper. Pour in enough water (or liquid from the cans of beans) to thoroughly cover the contents of the pot. Bring to a boil, then let simmer for 1 hour, or until soft.

3. Once the beans are soft, discard the onions and garlic, and transfer the beans to a serving bowl. The beans can be made in advance and reheated when needed.

4. Spray the bottom of a slow cooker with cooking spray. Add all the ingredients for the rabbit and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, until you can easily shred the meat.

5. Toward the end of the rabbit cook time, begin cooking the white rice according to package directions so the rice will be warm and fluffy when the rabbit finishes cooking.

6. Once everything is ready to go, serve the meal buffet-style. Let the guests choose what they want to add to their own burrito bowl: rabbit, rice, beans, guacamole, cilantro, lettuce, sour cream, you name it. Whatever you want to put out for your guests. There is no wrong answer!

TIP: If you don’t have a slow cooker, place the Mexican-style rabbit ingredients into an ovenproof dish. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Cover the food with a lid or heavy-duty aluminum foil, and cook for 2 to 2 1/2 hours.