Dog Party One

The History:
We couldn't host a party in honor of our cats (see Cat Party 2006) and not throw a party for Beauty the wonder dog. (It just wouldn't be right. How could we live with ourselves as pet parents?) At 7am my day in the kitchen began. Darr and I finalized our menu and did our grocery shopping last night, much to his dismay as he had just spent the week busting ass in San Jose only to fly home and immediately be put to work. Other than that, there isn't much history to explore. We throw parties for our cats, and now, since we are dog owners, we throw parties for our dog. I can say that, as dogs are generally more accommodating, we were able to invite both humans and canines to Dog Party One. We had two four-legged friends (Rocco & Mikah) join us at the Sellwood Riverfront Park for a little play time before we returned to the Riverpark common room and patio to commence the eating and drinking portion of the evening.

The Menu:
Caprese Salad - Luscher Farm fresh basil & tomatoes, and fresh mozzarella drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper
Seven Layer Salad - romaine lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, celery, bell peppers, corn and cucumbers (nothing but healthy here)
Cobb Salad - traditional fixings of romaine lettuce, tomatoes, broiled chicken, avocado, and eggs tossed in a vinaigrette sauce and sprinkled with bleu cheese and bacon
Roast Lamb - leg of lamb scored and seasoned with roasted garlic and parsley paste, pan-fried and roasted
Lemon Bars - good old summertime treat made with real lemons
Lime Bars - a crisp citrus flavor with cream cheese goodness
Summer Berry Pie - blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries - oh my!

The Music:
We brought Darr's Dell laptop and our external hard drive to the common room, attached it to some speakers, and hit play. Some artists/bands heard throughout the night include:
Mariah Carey (for which I apologize - it's a Christmas song)
Damien Rice
N.W.A.
Kenny Rogers (you got to know when to hold 'em)
Naughty by Nature
KT Tunstall

To those that came bearing gifts, Beauty the wonder dog sends her thanks. We look forward to seeing you all next year. Expect things to be done differently - earlier start time, more games in the park, food and libations from the get-go...

A special thanks to all of the guests who attended. The Arterberrys came after a busy day filled with two other parties - their kids are likely to appear next to the word "obedient" in the dictionary they were so good. The Bickels came with dog (i.e., Mikah) in tow even though baby Noodle wasn't feeling her party best. And the Herzings arrived early and stayed late, thereby getting suckered into both party prep and operation party cleanup. Did I mention we have photos of the event?