happy birthday mel

Our dog Mel had a birthday this week.

Since we adopted/rescued Mel, we are not sure of his exact age or birthday, so we decided to make the day we brought him home his official "I Gotcha Birthday".

Last Thanksgiving weekend we visited the Yonkers Animal Shelter in Yonkers, NY.  They have over 100 dogs (and some cats too) and after speaking with an adoption coordinator and trainer, they introduced us to several dogs.  Once we met Mel however...the rest was history.

For his birthday I made Mel tuna cupcakes!  He LOVED them.  I adapted the recipe from several I found on the internet.  For those of you who have picky eaters like me, I suggest giving them a try.

Mel's Tuna Cuppies

3 Eggs

1 Can Tuna (I used the kind packed in water, drained)

1 C Flour (I used white, but whole wheat would be great too)

Mix together in a bowl

Pour into 3 ramekins - I used Pam to make sure they came out

Put in microwave on high for about 3-5 minutes

- They will expand like a souffle!

Let cook on wire rack, you can remove from ramekins after a few minutes

Once cool, ice with cream cheese

♥ ENJOY ♥

for the dogs...

February is filled with notable holidays such as Groundhog Day, Chinese New Year, Valentine's Day and President's Day.  Today however, is the less recognized holiday of International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day!  My husband and I adopted Mel from the Yonkers Animal Shelter this past December and have been smiling every day since.  So when I heard about this fun holiday, I thought it would be the perfect time to make some delicious homemade dog biscuits and bring them over to the shelter to share with the rest of the dogs who are still waiting to be adopted.  Hopefully the treats will brighten their day and soon they too will find warm and loving forever homes like Mel's.

Peanut butter dough rolled & cut...

I used this recipe from all-natural-dog-treat.com, 

I left out about 1/4 c flour because my dough seemed a little dry,

so just add your flour slowly to see how much you need.

I doubled the recipe

and made almost 200 cookies...that's a lot of bones!

Mel "helping"...baking can get very tiring...

Bones all packaged and ready to go

I made tags w/ Mel's photo so everyone at YAS

could see how well he is doing :)

Mel making final packaging inspections

Taste test...Approved!

If you are looking to add a new pet to your family...why not think about adopting, rescuing or even fostering a furry friend?  

Mel & I highly recommend it ♥

holiday happiness

the tree at rockeller center, 2010

With Christmas only 2 days away, I thought it only appropriate to make a holiday happiness list. Things can definitely get crazy and hectic around the holidays, but there are still an abundance of things I am thankful for and they all just make me so happy...


1. Going to see the tree at Rockefeller Center in NYC.  I go almost every year...it never gets old :)
2. Freelancing for the past 2 weeks with my old (and some new) friends and colleagues at The Martha Stewart Show.  What a great bunch of super talented people.  
3. The yummy smells of baking.  Finally got a chance to bake today and made my friend Molly's trusted gingerbread cake.  She uses this recipe from Gramercy Tavern...it is delicious!
4. Fresh cut Christmas trees... nothing beats the smell of a fresh cut tree...especially when you cut it yourself!
5. Christmas music...really, I can't get enough of it!
6. Gift opening with my nieces and nephews...I love watching the kid's faces and seeing them tear into packages.
8. Being warm by a roaring fire.
9. Knowing I will be celebrating the holidays with my family and friends.
10. Giving our new dog Mel a warm and loving home.  My husband and I adopted Mel about 3 weeks ago from the Yonkers Animal Shelter.  He is an amazing guy, adjusting so well and really is just a wonderful dog.  We are so happy to have him in our family.

Mel ♥

What makes you happy this holiday season?