National Hamburger Day is May 28th, time to grill some hamburgers!
Summer is almost here – that time of the year when the weather demands lots of outdoor fun with your pup. It’s a perfect time to throw a party, because there is a sense of fun in the air and everyone loves a party – especially the neighborhood dogs.
If you need some inspiration to get your party started, never fear. My dog and I have some great party ideas to share with you.
Go casual for this party with a grill and refreshing drinks that will make food prep and hamburger grilling easy while your friends and their pups lounge in the backyard.
What are the essentials for your backyard BBQ Party?
The Classic Cocktail – The Summer Shandy
Beer is the classic choice for a Backyard BBQ and offers you plenty of options from good old Budweiser to local craft beers. Make sure you have options on hand for your People Guests who want a “skinny” beer or a non-alcoholic beer.
At Properly Posh Pets, one of our signature Party Elements is the Classic Cocktail, so we’ve come up with the perfect Beer Cocktail for your BBQ – the Summer Shandy.
The Summer Shandy
⦁ One-half can or bottle beer (12-ounce)
⦁ 6 ounces lemonade
⦁ Lemon slice for garnish
Pour the beer into a pint glass until it is half full.
Fill with lemonade.
Garnish with a lemon slice.
Pup Food
Your PupGuests want to join in the Hamburger Fun, so make our favorite PupTreat, Bacon Burger Bites.
Here is our Properly Posh Pets recipe:
Bacon Burger Bites – Gourmet Dog Treat
⦁ 1 cup beef broth
⦁ 1 cup crumbled cooked hamburger
⦁ 3 tablespoons bacon fat
⦁ 4-6 slices bacon, well cooked and crumbled
⦁ 1 large egg
⦁ 4 cups flour
⦁ ⅓ cup nonfat dry milk
⦁ ¾ teaspoon baking powder
⦁ ½ cup warm water
Mix the first five ingredients until well combined. Stir in the flour, dry milk, and baking powder.
Add the warm water slowly up to ½ cup until a ball of dough forms. The dough will be sticky.
Knead the dough until all the ingredients are well mixed. Put the ball of dough on a floured surface and flatten with your hands and turn over to flour both sides. Roll out the dough on the floured surface to ¼” thickness.
Using mini cookie cutter, cut into pet treat shapes.
Bake at 350° for 15 minutes on a greased or non-stick cookie sheet.
Cool on a baking rack and store in the refrigerator.
Recipe makes 6 dozen treats.
People Food
The Hamburger will be the star of our BBQ, and a creative way to make it fun and interesting for your PeopleGuests is to set up a slider bar with slider buns and a variety of toppings.
Here’s our list of favorite toppings: ketchup, mustard, lettuce, tomato slices, onions, bell pepper rings, roasted red peppers, BBQ sauce, bacon, jalapeno slices, dill and sweet pickles, sweet pickle relish, mayonnaise, sauteed mushrooms, salsa, sriracha, avocado, and a variety of cheese including Swiss, sharp cheddar, provolone, and blue.
Pet tip: Watch what the pups eat. Make sure the dogs can’t snag any harmful food or drinks. Keep the trash secure so they can’t dig in it.
Puppy Swag Bag
We never let our PupGuests go home without a Puppy Swag Bag and some tangible memories of our fabulous .
Wrap several Bacon Burger Bites in a small plastic bag tied with a blue gingham ribbon and attach the recipe for the pet treat with a mini bone pet treat cutter. For pup parents, include a couple of Budweisers and chips (in case they are still hungry!).
Here are some other fun ideas for your Puppy Swag Bag:
Did the neighborhood dogs have fun?
Parties create stories for retelling in the future – and good times that turn into memories of friends and their pups. Having fun and spending time with friends is important, even when it’s not National Hamburger Day.
This was a perfect party under a sunny sky enjoying burgers and beer — making plans for an endless summer of Backyard BBQs! My dog and I met the new neighborhood dogs and reconnected with old friends. The new normal felt a lot like the old normal.
EAT, DRINK, PLAY, LAUGH!
