Beckham, my Westie, loves to PLAY BALL.

PLAY BALL are the best words in the English language to baseball fans – and DOGS!

Playing ball with Beckham in our backyard is as entertaining as watching the Red Sox play the Yankees. He is great at catching fly balls and as good as Xander Bogaerts at shortstop. And yes, Beckham and I play ball every day just like the major league players.

A fun choice for a summer pet party is a Baseball Barkday Party with plans from Properly Posh Pets® and our award-winning party guidebook, Posh Celebrations. For years, I’ve given Barkday and Meowday parties for my pets, and many of my ideas for decorations, party food, classic cocktails, party entertainment, and gifts can be found in Posh Celebrations, which is available on Amazon (with Prime delivery) and at our website, www.properlyposhpets.com.

BECKHAM, THE WESTIE PUPPY

I adore my puppy, Beckham, and I think he is the smartest, cutest, most fascinating creature on earth (except of course for his feline siblings, Ali & Z, who have no doubts in their minds that they rule the dog, me, the house, and the planet.) And I love my friends – and think they are the best friends I could possibly have. I want Beckham to love my friends and think they are fun. I definitely want my friends to realize just what a great puppy Beckham is, so I have always thought it was perfect to plan a party that makes him the center of attention. I haven’t met a Westie yet who didn’t love being the STAR!

Beckham, was born in Quincy, Massachusetts, so he was born a Red Sox fan. How cool that they won the World Series in his first year of being a fan, so of course, he is sitting front and center before the TV for every single game with his Red Sox bat and baseball toys.

HOW TO PLAN A BASEBALL BARKDAY PARTY 

With the summer baseball season in full swing, we know that baseball fans everywhere are excited that their teams are playing again. So are we! What better way to celebrate your 4 legged MVP – Most Valuable Pup – then to throw a pawsome Barkday party to celebrate their special day with a baseball theme. Let’s take your pup out to the ballgame with a special Barkday Baseball PupCake, while you and your guests enjoy a Home Run Cocktail.

Here we go! Beckham’s found his spot in the kitchen so he can supervise the baking, and the cats are off planning their Meowday Party, which, of course, will be so much more fabulous than “the dog’s” party.  Let the Pupcake baking begin!

BASEBALL BARKDAY PUPCAKE 

Ingredients

Cake

• 2 cups white flour
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• ½ cup peanut butter
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups shredded carrots
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 8 oz. honey

Frosting

• 16 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 2 bananas, mashed
• 2 tsp. cinnamon

Use a 13×7 bone pan, greased. If you are using a 9×6 size bone pan, cut the recipe in half. Both sizes of the bone pans are available at Amazon.

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Mix the flour and baking soda together.

Add the all of the remaining ingredients, except the shredded carrots, and mix well with an electric mixer.

Stir in the shredded carrots with an electric mixer or by hand with a spoon.

Spoon the mixture into the bone pan, making sure to spread the mixture over the entire bottom of the pan.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until the cake is firm to the touch. Let the cake cool for a few minutes, but then take it out of the pan before it cools completely in order to make sure that it will come out easily. Turn the pan over and tap the bottom to push the cake out of the pan.

Mash the bananas with a potato mixer.

Then mix the frosting ingredients with an electric mixer until smooth.

Frost the Pupcake with the frosting.

And you are done!

Decorate with baseball candles and baseball picks (both available at Amazon).

HOW TO MAKE THE HOME RUN COCKTAIL 

And after all that baking and decorating, it’s definitely time to test our new recipe for the Home Run Cocktail – we drink a lot of these because we are Red Sox fans.

Fortunately, this recipe is simple – we plan to be sitting with our feet up soon in front of the TV watching the Red Sox sweep their opponents at home. Or Beckham and I might be drowning our disappointment if the Red Sox bullpen lets another lead slip away. 

HOME RUN COCKTAIL 

Ingredients 

• 2 oz. Absolut vodka
• 2 oz. cranberry juice
• 1 oz. orange juice

Pour the vodka, cranberry juice, and orange juice into a cocktail shaker.

Mix in the cocktail shaker with ice cubes.

Pour into an “on the rocks” glass.

PLAY BALL – and enjoy your Home Run cocktail!

DON’T FORGET CAKE FOR THE HUMANS!

Beckham wanted to make sure that the human guests at his Barkday party also have a special cake to eat – and he did not want to share any of his Baseball Barkday Pupcake, so I also made our special Posh signature birthday cake – yellow cake with caramel frosting – in a second bone pan. We will share the recipe for that soon in another birthday party blog!

BECKHAM PLANS HIS OWN BASEBALL BARKDAY PARTY

Beckham’s birthday was in March, so he has already had his 2019 Barkday Party with the theme of “It’s All About me” (chronicled in another party blog on our website). But he is so anxious to try out this theme for himself, that he may try to slip in a second Barkday party later this year. Why not celebrate when you turn 18 months — especially if you schedule the party on a September night when the Red Sox are playing at Fenway Park.

Beckham and I hope you and your Dog will be PLAYING BALL soon at a Baseball Barkday party – and in the backyard on every glorious sunny summer day!