Last week marked another milestone on Mendenhall. My puppy, Winston, turned one year old and we had another reason to celebrate. Amongst all the happiness in my life, several losses happened in the lives of my friends. The loss of those old and young – neither easy or without much sadness. Our week full of bones and new squeaky duck toys turned to be somewhat bittersweet.

But in the midst of so much loss, I started to wonder – why not find excuses to celebrate? Blogiversaries, Puppy Parties, First 4th of July’s – aren’t these milestones what make our lives so rich? Regardless of how elegant they may be – I’d rather look back and acknowledge these moments with more memories than not. So, without much money or good weather, we celebrated Winston’s birthday with hot dogs, cream cheese and olive spread, rice salad, leftover pimento cheese sandwiches and Masha’s homemade strawberry cake.

With the risk of getting too sappy and without anything more profound to say, I’ll quote a wiser food blogger who put my thoughts into words far better than I could (this includes a slight compliment to myself).

Thanks Matt. I’ll post a few recipes from our budget friendly menu this week. Cheers to Mr. Win and all that my furry friend has brought to my life.

Matt Armendariz from Matt Bites says,

“I believe life happens quickly. Be prepared to get the most out of it. I believe people who cook and feed others are some of the most giving and open people on the planet. I believe food unites us.”