Ping's 8th birthday Tea Party-God Save Princess Ping

8 years ago I got this picture in my hot mail inbox and learned that love at first sight is possible.   I decided right away that she was the girl pug for me and a few weeks later she flew to New York from Montana. 

Today is Ping's guesstimated 8th birthday.  She is definitely quite a bit greyer now but still cute as a button

Here she is in her Anthropologie dress, one of her birthday gifts that I bought months ago and saved for the big day, with her other presents

A pint sweatshirt, Snout Soother and Coco therapy chips, all from from Olive Green Dog.  

Here she is with the opened presents

Ping also got a bike basket from Cynthias twigs so that she can join us on rides, but unfortunately it rained all day so we couldn't take it for a spin.

Instead we stayed in and had a nice Sunday afternoon tea party.  I made Ping an Oatmeal Raspberry Tea Bread Dog Birthday Cake

Here is the recipe:

Ping's Oatmeal Raspberry Tea Break Cake 

Ingredients:

• • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup quick cooking oats
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 bag frozen raspberries or 1 ping fresh raspberries

Directions

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F  and line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
• In a small bowl, combine milk and oats; let soak for 15 minutes.
• In a separate bowl, beat together egg and oil, add the honey and stir into the oatmeal mixture.
•  Sift the flour, baking powder and salt directly into the oatmeal mixture and stir, add the bag of frozen raspberries or the pint of fresh raspberries and stir again.
• Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
• I frosted Ping's cake with low fat cottage cheese.

Ping definitely seemed to enjoy her cake (as did her siblings)

For the human guests at Ping's party (just her mom and dad)

I made Scones from a recipe from one of the best restaurants in New York Tea and Sympathy.  They are definitely the most delicious scones ever, and easy to make, but they don't keep well.  Here is the recipe:

Tea and Sympathy Cream Scones

Ingredients:
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 table.spoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups heavy cream
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375"F.
2. Sift all the dry ingredients into a large bowl.
3. Add the heavy cream and mix gently. Do not over mix. If the mixture is very
sloppy, add a little more flour.
4. By hand spread out the dough on a floured surface to 1-inch thickness.
5. Cut out scones with a two-inch cookie cutter and place them on an ungreased
baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes.
6. Cool on a wire rack
You need to serve these with Raspberry Jam and clotted cream for the real experience.

After you make these scones you must brew up a pot of loose leaf tea following carefully the instruction for a proper cup of tea.  

Then you can settle down with a nice British book to read to your hounds while you listen to the rain outside, I recommend Life with Jeeves by PG Wodehouse  or The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. 

That makes for a good birthday, even if it rains.