Dishin' It Out: Poodle Talk Sunday # 7, #Doggie Birthday Party!

Chanel will be four years old in November.

She may even be mature enough to have a birthday party this year.

Maybe.

Her first birthday she was totally clueless. She was still jumping though the air like a demented circus poodle, grabbing a paper napkin from my hand and tearing into tiny pieces. Or, snagging a page of the newspaper and racing through the house which we, my husband and I, unsuccessfully tried to retrieve it before—you guessed it, she tore it into tiny pieces.

Her second year, she was a little less enthusiastic in her desire to destroy paper products, but she’d moved on to birthday cards and brightly printed note paper, along with the corners of a paperback novel or two.

During her third year, I made and purchased doggie cookies. However, this was a poodle version of Goldie Locks and the uncooperative Toy Poodle, I’m afraid.

This cookie was too hard, this cooking was too big, and this cookie was too soft and I started to choke.

So, after that traumatic event, more traumatic for me (I’m still in panic-mode) than Chanel who is, you guessed it, gleefully caring around a piece of discarded wrapping paper.

I have months to plan this event, of course, but I’m not going overboard—no banners in the local doggie park, no inclusion of doggie-friends, this year it will be a low-key event. Afterall, her birthday is only a few weeks after Halloween. Everyone loves to dress his/her dog for Halloween. (Though, I’m keeping Chanel’s face out of my popcorn bowl and/or glass of diluted punch.)

This year I may shop online for doggie-cake mix, or stop by PetCo or PetSmart for pet ice cream.

I located this recipe on https://www.asaucykitchen.com/dog-friendly-cupcake/ This looks simple, inexpensive, and no leftovers. I may give this one a try.

YIELD: 2 CUPCAKES

A dog friendly, single serving cupcake to celebrate the special hounds in your life! Grain free and no added sugar.
PREP TIME
10 minutes
COOK TIME
20 minutes
TOTAL TIME
30 minutes
INGREDIENTS
1/2 small/medium apple, diced into small pieces
3 tablespoons peanut butter** + more if desired for frosting
1 whole egg
1/2 teaspoon baking powder (optional)
bacon bits for topping (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat your oven to 180C/350F

In a small bowl mix together all of your ingredients until combined.
Spoon the mixture either into a cup cake sized ramekin or into a regular cupcake tins. You can make either one jumbo cake, or two average sized cupcakes.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Allow the cupcake to cool completely. You can leave it as is, or frost with peanut butter and sprinkle with bacon bits.

**NOTES
Make sure to use xylitol free peanut butter as xylitol is very poisonous for dogs! I purchase my dog peanut butter at the pet store (Connie’s note).

NUTRITION INFORMATION: YIELD: 2 SERVING SIZE: g
Amount Per Serving: CALORIES: 159 SATURATED FAT: 2g CHOLESTEROL: 1mg SODIUM: 112mg CARBOHYDRATES: 9g FIBER: 2g SUGAR: 5g PROTEIN: 6g