dog birthday | Bewitching Kitchen

Someone is having a Birthday today!

DOG FRIENDLY BIRTHDAY CAKE
(adapted from this blog post)

1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup natural peanut butter (Do NOT use a peanut butter with Xylitol, as it is very toxic for dogs)
3/4 cup applesauce go with plain, unsweetened
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
FROSTING
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup peanut butter

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine flour and baking soda.
In a separate bowl mix together vegetable oil, peanut butter, applesauce and pumpkin puree. Once combined, mix in egg and mix well. Mix wet and dry ingredients and stir until no dried bits of flour are visible.

Pour mixture into an 7 inch square pan that has been greased with oil. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed lightly.
Allow to cool on a wire rack prior to removing from pan. After cooling, add frosting if desired.

For the frosting: Mix Greek yogurt and peanut butter until well combined. Spread over cake. If not serving immediately, store in refrigerator.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: This is a super easy treat to bake, and we actually tried the cake (without the frosting) and it is not bad at all! We cut three circles to offer the pups, and the leftover was cut in cubes and saved for later. Tiny Milk Bones to decorate are optional, but dog-appreciated… Our Birthday girl gave it two paws high up!

Here’s to MANY more years together!

A little video of our party…

ONE YEAR AGO: Almond Flour Sourdough

TWO YEARS AGO: Grilled Romaine Lettuce with Tahini Dressing and Chickpeas

THREE YEARS AGO: Asparagus and Snow Peas with Walnut Crumbs

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FIVE YEARS AGO: Extreme Chocolate Cupcakes

SIX YEARS AGO: Sunflower Seed Kamut Sourdough

SEVEN YEARS AGO: The Joys of Grating Squash

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Auberge Pecan-Walnut Bread

NINE YEARS AGO:Gluten-free and Vegan Raspberry Bars
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TEN YEARS AGO:Lasserre, a French Classic
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ELEVEN YEARS AGO:Sourdough Bread with Walnuts and Dates
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TWELVE YEARS AGO:Braised Brisket with Bourbon-Apricot Glaze
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Today Chief turns 15 years old! He was just a tiny, incredibly cute puppy when I got him, but his strong personality was already evident. Whenever I corrected him with a loud and firm “NO!” he would furiously bark back at me, much like a teenager challenging the orders of a parent. To celebrate such an important milestone in the life of our dear four-legged friend, let me share a few pictures.

This is perhaps my favorite shot of Chief ever! Before getting married to Phil, I lived in a small house, my backyard separated from the neighbor’s by a simple wire fence. My neighbor also had a dog, a female Springer Spaniel called Maria. Chief used to squeeze through the holes of that fence very easily to play with her. At some point, I traveled to attend a meeting, and left Chief with a friend. When I came back 10 days later, he had grown so much that passing through the holes was impossible! The photo captured well his expression of frustration faced with a reality he could not quite comprehend. 😉

He loved to eat his treats laying over the lawn. But you can more or less read his thoughts… “Why are you taking my picture? I am not sure I should allow it!“

All those treats gave him strong jaws! As an adult dog, he had no problem to deal with leftovers from a pulled pork. The bone ended up clean as a whistle… And, in case you are wondering about that bulky thing on his collar, it is a gadget he had to wear all the time to prevent him from digging under the solid wood fence in our home in Oklahoma. Quite a digger!

He loved playing with the hose… Still does, but his jumping days are over…

And loved playing in mud almost as much. This particular photo was taken 45 minutes after a bath, and almost caused me to go into cardiac arrest.

Always able to find the best spot in any room…

He loved his buddy Pits, and we know his life has never been quite the same ever since we had to say goodbye to our beloved dalmatian. Pits had the patience of a saint. Seriously.