Happy Birthday, Kelsey!

It's that time of year again! My little dog Kelsey turns 11 years old today and this past weekend we had a birthday party (yes, I know, a birthday party for a dog, but look at that picture. Could you say "no" to that face?). This has been an annual event (much to my husband's dismay) for most of her sweet little life. We get together with friends, she gets ice cream - it's a win-win for everyone!

One year, I ordered cupcakes in the shape of little Shih Tzus (they were absolutely adorable though a few people think that's kinda gross), but it most recent years, we've met at a local ice cream shop for a "puppy scoop" (Kelsey LOVES ice cream - can you blame her?). But since we are in the middle of the local eating experiment, we decided to change the party plans to accommodate our local diet. Let's just say it was a totally yummy afternoon.

Party Spread:

Strawberry ice cream from Sand Creek Farm and Dairy
Vanilla ice cream (made my yours truly) - this homemade ice cream was a TOTAL hit!
Amish Friendship Bread in two flavors: Cinnamon and Chocolate chocolate chip (from scratch; the cinnamon was everyone's favorite, I think)
Homemade cookies: chocolate chip, oatmeal, and flourless peanut butter chocolate chip (for our gluten-free guest - I was surprised how delicious there were, I never would have guessed they didn't have flour. Everyone loved them!)
Drinks: local whole milk, water, Shiner beer (made here in Texas of course!), and Messina Hof port wine

It was supposed to be rainy, but it ended up being a gorgeous day - not too hot or humid. In all there were 8 of us (6 adults and 2 kids). We hung out in the kitchen talking and munching before finally relaxing in lawn chairs in the back yard. The kids seemed to have good time playing in the yard and petting Kelsey. Kelsey, of course loved the attention and was jumping around like a puppy from all the excitement. She finally lay down to sleep when we moved out to the porch, showing her age (or bottoming out after the sugar rush). Not only did she get her own bowl, Kelsey got to lick an extra plate or two.

Speaking of plates, to stay green, we used our everyday glasses, plates, silverware and cloth napkins instead of disposables. This consists of a hodge podge of different sizes, shapes, and colors, but I wasn't trying to score high on presentation. I was going for good food and fun with friends. So in the end, there was absolutely nothing thrown in the trash! The bottles went to the recycling bin, the dishes went to the dishwasher, and the extra food went into the freezer for future nibbles.