Cooper's Birthday Cake

Happy 2nd birthday to my sweet, little Cooper!

We had to delay the celebration a little, as we were heading out of town on August 15th for my niece's birth. Cooper didn't seem to mind the late birthday cake, though. You have to spoil them a little bit, right? 

I found a basic birthday cake recipe here through a search. I decided to alter it a little with an apple and some blueberries that I had in the fridge. 

The original recipe called for carrots, which I also had. Cooper loves to eat raw carrots, apples and blueberries, so I thought they would fit together well.

We had an oven-safe bowl we got for a past BarkBox subscription that I decided to put the batter in. Not all of it would fit, so I threw the rest into a cupcake tin.

There is not a lot of rise to the batter, so you can fill whatever you place the batter in almost to the top. I baked the cupcakes for about 20 minutes and the cake for 35.

Instead of mixing together a frosting, I just melted Cooper's favorite ingredient - peanut butter. The heat made it a lot easier to spread.

As soon as he smelled the peanut butter, Cooper knew it was for him.

Blaze was sure to join in the celebration. 

 

The recipe is below, but feel free to substitute your dog's favorites or whatever you have on hand at the time. 

Ingredients: 

1 egg

1/4 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup cooking oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup honey

1/2 cup finely chopped carrots

1/2 cup finely chopped apples

1/4 cup blueberries

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease pan or place cupcake foils.

2. Combine the egg, peanut butter, cooking oil, vanilla extract and honey. Mix in Carrots and apples. Sift together whole wheat flour and baking soda and slowly fold into the wet mixture. Gently mix in the blueberries. Place batter in prepared pan.

3. Bake in preheated oven (check cupcakes at 20 minutes, check 6 inch pan at 35 min). Let cool 10 minutes in pan, then remove to a cooling rack to completely cool. 

4. Be sure to let Cooper and me know how it turned out! 

Charlie is Home

Charlie now has a forever home! From being caged outside to being adopted into a Beagle loving home, she couldn't be happier.

She is a people lover with a lot of typical Beagle energy, and was definitely a challenge to photograph. By holding a treat outside the fenced in yard, I was finally able to get her to stop jumping for attention and stay in one spot. 

After a couple shots, she quickly learned staying calm meant treats. I was able to get some inside-the-fence photos after that. 

This is the first time I have attempted photographing dogs other than my own. I definitely wasn't ready for this level of energy, but we got a rhythm down pretty quickly and it was a fun challenge.

An Outer Banks Vacation with Dogs

This was our first trip to the Outer Banks and the first vacation with our dogs. We stayed in a beach house with a lot of family and were nervous about the dogs being a nuisance to everyone, but they were well behaved and felt right at home.

If you enjoy vacationing with your dogs, the Outer Banks is perfect to consider. We stayed in the city of Corolla, NC, and there were dogs everywhere we looked - on the beach, on the sidewalks and even accompanying their owners at the shopping centers.

If you plan on bringing your dog to the beach, make sure to check the dog rules first. A list for the Outer Banks can be found here:

http://www.outerbanks.org/outerbanks-pets-on-the-beach/

Be sure to pack some extra water for your dogs and don't forget to give them a good rinse when you get back from the beach. The salt can be harsh on their skin and you don't want them carrying anything back into your vacation home. If they are prone to getting itchy, consider a moisturizing shampoo or conditioner.

If not for being dog friendly, go to the Outer Banks because it is simply beautiful and relaxing. It is one of my favorite vacations to date.