April 18th. is National Animal Cracker Day. Isn’t this fantastic!! Elephants, lions, tigers, bears and monkeys oh my. These are small little sweet cookies shaped like zoo animals. They were first brought to the United States during the 1800’s. The demand for these wonderful little cookies skyrocketed and demand was over the roof!
Stauffer’s Biscuit Company was the first company to produce animal crackers in 1871 in York, Pennsylvania. Other local bakeries came together under the National Biscuit Company or “Nabisco Brands”. In 1902, the famous Barnum’s Animals circus theme box came out. Bacon’s mom says that she remembers her parents bringing her these little boxes as a treat.
Did you know that since their start in 1903, there have been 37 different animals included in the Barnum’s Animal Crackers? Today, more than 40 million packages of animal crackers are sold each year around the world.
I think Bacon does his share in the intake! They are one of his biggest treats that his mom has to get him in the economy size! I can’t tell you how many of these huge buckets that he has gone through in his day. In fact, this one is what the Easter bunny brought him and it’s almost gone. Time to reload.
So on this National Animal Cracker Day – enjoy a box OR TWO of these sweet delectable bits. Just remember though, if you are going to eat in front of the pig, you have to share!
Dear Bacon, I’m in hiding. That pesky mutt keeps chasing me and grabbing my tail. I picked the perfect spot. Now he can’t find me. Meows – I knew we were the better animal. Signed Hide and Seek
Dear Hide and See – I hate to be the one to tell you but I can see you. Really, the table leg hides you somewhat but I can see you. Maybe stand sideways. That might help. Hey, maybe even get on top of the table. Then I know the dog couldn’t see you… of course the humans can then though.
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Dear Bacon – The humans get to eat the most amazing things AND they don’t want to share. There I was sitting on the dark side underneath the table and I smelled heaven above in the form of a delectable cookie. Well when the human walked away, I made my move. They will never miss it, right? Signed Paws to the Dark Side
Dear Paws to the Dark Side – Good move my friend. Very subtle. Slide that cookie down to the dark side and eat it before anyone notices. I think I would do the same thing!
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Dear Bacon – They call me Ninja Kitty. The humans and other anipals here think they can get anything and everything over on me. They can’t. I’m always watching – always. And they never know where I might turn up and be looking at them. I was silently watching from the sofa area and then I heard a cheese wrapper. Of course, I had to check it out. That’s what any good Ninja Kitty would do – evil meows. Signed Ninja Kitty
Dear Ninja Kitty – Dude you have skills! That is amazing skills to have – silent and sneaky. I only wish I could get away with some of those moves. You go Ninja Kitty!
Dear Bacon – You know us cats love bags and boxes. OMC – give us a bag or a box and we will play with it for hours. Give us a toy and we will toss it to the side after a few minutes. Why? Because that’s what we do. The human put this bag on the chair. The bag jumped on the floor – honestly it did. Of course I had to check it out… and while I’m checking it out, I’m also checking you out through the handle. Priorities right? Signed Mischievous
Dear Mischievous – OMP – You are so getting it my friend. I don’t think there is a bag big enough for me to crawl into and hide without the humans knowing. Darn this pot belly! Snorts and rolls with piggy laughter. Have fun my friend!
Dear Bacon – Do you remember the water bucket challenge? I like to call this the kitty cat challenge. Get in position and wait for an unsuspected human to walk out of the door and then slowly drop onto their shoulders. You know wrap those paws around their neck and hold on for the ride. You are sure to have some jumping around and trust me some of those humans can jump high. Not meaning anything hurtful to the human – just testing their reflexes.. yeah that’s it. Tell Hemi about it and see what he thinks. I’m sure it will be fun. Signed Reflexology
Dear Reflexology – OMP. I can just see Hemi doing this to daddy at the front door of the Hotel Thompson. He would se pee on himself… which could be hilarious to watch for sure. I wasn’t going to tell Hemi but I might just do it now. Snorts with piggy laughter. Thanks for the fun!
What is this you ask my friends? Mom called it heaven on earth. Mom/dad found this delicacy way before mom’s surgery. It’s fried Twinkies. Yep – you read right. Fried Twinkies. And when they fry the Twinkie, it makes the white cream even creamier. Dad loves them. Have you ever tried them?
What better way to celebrate the 4th of July then with Fireworks. Add Oreos to the mix and you have the best of both situations. Mom/dad found these limited edition Firework Oreo’s to celebrate the holiday. And boy were the 1- fun and 2- delicious! Yep, this little oinker got to try some. Now I love Oreo’s and I should have been suspicious when dad offered me one. But I wasn’t and I gobbled it down. That’s when it happened. The little ‘pop-pop-pop’ on my piggy tongue.
Do you remember pop rocks? They have something similar to pop rocks on the white stuff of the Oreo. When you eat the Oreo, you can feel the popping in your mouth. It’s a blast of a great time. We all had to share them here at the Hotel Thompson.
And do you want to hear what is funny? Mom bought these and didn’t tell daddy what flavor they were. You have to check out their video. So funny!
If you see them in your grocery store, try a pack. They are fun – fun – FUN!
April 18th is National Animal Cracker Day. Isn’t this fantastic!! Elephants, lions, tigers, bears and monkeys oh my. These are small little sweet cookies shaped like zoo animals. They were first brought to the United States during the 1800’s. The demand for these wonderful little cookies skyrocketed and demand was over the roof!
Stauffer’s Biscuit Company was the first company to produce animal crackers in 1871 in York, Pennsylvania. Other local bakeries came together under the National Biscuit Company or “Nabisco Brands”. In 1902, the famous Barnum’s Animals circus theme box came out. Bacon’s mom says that she remembers her parents bringing her these little boxes as a treat.
Did you know that since their start in 1903, there have been 37 different animals included in the Barnum’s Animal Crackers? Today, more than 40 million packages of animal crackers are sold each year around the world.
I think Bacon does his share in the intake! They are one of his biggest treats that his mom has to get him in the economy size! I can’t tell you how many of these huge buckets that he has gone through in his day. In fact, this one is what the Easter bunny brought him and it’s almost gone. Time to reload.
So on this National Animal Cracker Day – enjoy a box OR TWO of these sweet delectable bits. Just remember though, if you are going to eat in front of the pig, you have to share!
This month my dear brother Phenny is hosting Shopping Around the World. His suggestion this month was pie, dessert or anything sweet. Since I can’t just post a picture of me for something sweet – snorts with piggy laughter, I”m going to let mom take care of this month. Hope you enjoy my friends ❤
Now this month was hard. Sweets – my favorites of any kind – is something I’m trying to stay away from here at the Hotel Thompson. But there are times that the inner sweet monster comes from within and you just *have* to have something gooey and wonderful. A long time favorite of ours here are Whoopie Pies. Now if you don’t know what a Whoopie Pie is here, you are a sheltered person and need a fix ASAP! You can fix them as elaborately as you want or in my case as simple as you want. And you know me…. I’m all about simple 🙂
So here is a picture of what a Whoopie Pie looks like. (I didn’t take this picture.) This is a simple way of seeing what a Whoopie Pie looks like. They should be gooey and wonderful. Most of them are made with a cake batter as the top and bottom. But remember, I have a favorite ‘quick’ recipe. Here you go:
◊ Store bought cookies (no lying). Get a package of the soft cookies – you don’t want a hard one. Or you can make your own. Now remember to buy twice as many cookies because you will need two cookies for every Whoopie Pie. I bought a package of 24 cookies from our local market for $3.29 – I bought Macadamia cookies. Buy and make whatever kind of cookies you like. 24 cookies will make 12 Whoopie Pies.
◊ Here is the tricky part – what do you want for your center? You have several options. You can buy a container of Cool Whip. You can buy those little containers of pre-made frosting. Or, you can be lazy like me. I asked the bakery department at my market to whip me up some butter cream frosting. A huge container cost me $4.99 – and that is more than enough.
Now the fun begins. I take my 12 cookies and place them on a cookie sheet. I then put my butter cream frosting in a pastry bag and start dabbing frosting on my cookies. After all my cookies have full attention, I then place cookies on top of the frosting. There you go – instant Whoopie Pies. No, they are not like the ‘real’ Whoopie Pies but are your guests or family going to know the difference? Of course not. Heck, throw some flour on your face and around the kitchen and let them know you slaved in the kitchen for hours. Who is going to know? I’m not going to tell. ❤
Help me please. Mom stayed up last night and made gingerbread men. She always makes us some Christmas cookies and she works hard at it. We’ve never had any problems but of course with this little freak in the house anything could happen, right?
Me and dad got up this morning to find this in the kitchen. I think the little dirt bag has gone way too far now – over the edge you might say. Gulps – decapitating the heads off of mom’s Gingerbread men. How are we going to explain this to mom? How will mom be able to give out cookies now? What will the neighbors think? Thank goodness the Muffin Man doesn’t live close by.
At least one Gingerbread man made it…. Take it away friend.
Oh friends – I’m happy to say that Bashful made it back home over the weekend. In fact, mom/dad went out Sunday morning. When they got home, there was a special delivery on the porch – BASHFUL. Remember he had been visiting Miss Harper Lee and her sister Tallulah Bee in New Orleans. Of course, they couldn’t wait to get the box in and dig inside. Boy were mom/dad happy – look at all of the awesome goodies. There were marvelous hand pies from New Orleans from Haydel’s Bakery. They had 4 different flavors – chocolate, lemon, cherry and apple. The note from Miss Harper’s mom said to nuke a pie in the microwave for a mere 15 seconds and eat. Well mom picked out the chocolate, nuked it and her and daddy then proceeded to make more aaww and oohh sounds in the kitchen than a porno – not that I would know anything about that….looks innocent. The package also had beads, a shirt, cookies and red beans. Remember last week when Miss Harper’s mom posted her Red Beans and Rice recipe? If not, you can get it here. My mom now has the beans and Bashful is begging for more of this delicious meal that he tried while in New Orleans. So next week when my mom is on vacation, she is going to make this fantastic looking recipe. We can’t wait… of course mine will be minus any pork products... you know for obvious reasons – snorts with piggy laughter.
AND did you see the magnificent piggy Christmas ornament? Squeals with delight! Isn’t it magnificent? Mommy put it on our book shelf in the living room. That way we can see it every day of the year – not just at Christmas time. We absolutely love it!
And see the pop rocks. That’s for Bashful and his new friend. You know, in case they got hungry on the way home to the Hotel Thompson.
And of course you know when Bashful comes home, he brings a friend. This time was no different. Meet Lola from NOLA – isn’t she beautiful? So flashy and it’s just meant for Lola to be laying around in those beads – don’t you think? So our friends from New Orleans – thank you bunches and bunches. We love everything and will think of you often!!
Dear Panchetta,
I am an artist! Do not think twice of me on my drinking. It inspires my inner soul. I would like to paint you – all of you since you are a plus size piggy. Would you pose for me? Signed Raphael Chickatello
Dear Raphael Chickatello,
WOW – I am honored… I think. I really don’t think that I am old enough to pose in any of your paintings. I think you should move on to maybe cows. That’s it – cows. I think cows should be your muse. They are so much more to work with than just me… a little pig. Carry on my friend and paint to your hearts content.
Dear Bacon,
Insert spy music. The humans think they are so smart in putting out these ‘traps’. They hurt! But never fear, this is how we really get the cheese without setting them off. Now you know our secrets! Signed Top Mouse
Dear Top Mouse,
I love that move! I wonder if there is enough wire to suspend me over something delicious. It looks like a hoot! You definitely have the moves my friend. Keep it up my secret friend!
Dear Bacon,
I read about you watching television all of the time. I love to watch my shows too – especially the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. They fascinate me for some reason. Do you like them? Signed Raffie
Dear Raffie,
I just can’t understand why you would like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. . I mean really, they’re turtles. It blows my mind to figure that one out. And yes, I do like to watch the show as well my friend.
Dear Bacon,
Just the facts little guy. Nothing but the facts. We’ve been watching too many repeats of the movies Men in Black. Don’t ask me which is which. We just like to dress like Kay and Jay. You know, just for fun and giggles. The neighborhood doesn’t know how to act when we roll into it – bark. What do you think? Do you like to dress up like any of your favorite guys? Signed Kay/Jay
Dear Kay and Jay,
Oh dudes – I love the look! That is so neat. I’ve seen those movies and ya’ll kind of look just like the two. I think it’s the ties and sunglasses. I would love to roam around in my costume too. I secretly want to be a piggy super hero. I keep asking mom to make me a cape. I know with a cape, this little piggy would have special powers and be able to fly. Stay cool barky things!
❤ Remember friends – Dear Bacon can’t happen without YOU. Please continue to email me your letters/pictures ❤
Dear Bacon – I’m a firm believer that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. My mom/dad always said to make sure you can have fun but yet bring home the kibbles if you know what I mean. So by day, I help my adopted father in his accounting firm. Don’t let it fool you. I have the brain of Einstein and can figure numbers in the blink of an eye and the wag of a tail. Then at night, I trade my suit for a board and hit the streets of my hood. See, I can do both and I think I have some great qualities for a woman in my life. What do you think? Signed Two For One
Dear Two For One – BONUS! There you go my friend. I think that is awesome that you make a living, can bring home the kibble and still know how to have a great time. I think any woman would be honored to have you in their life for sure!
Dear Bacon – Shaking my head. I don’t get it. People point and laugh at me. Some even call me a rolling ball with fur. How rude. I’m just a little squirrel trying to get along in a big world. Should my feelings be hurt? Signed Pudge
Dear Pudge – First off – YES. This kind of behavior happens in the real world of adults as well my little friend. Some peeps just don’t have the knack of keeping their mouths shut if they don’t have something nice to say. You so don’t need to put up with this behavior. There is no room for bullying in this world! You are welcomed to move into the woods of the Hotel Thompson any time. We like to treat everyone the same here.
Dear Bacon – There is *always* that one sibling in the family that is just stupid – there’s no other way of putting it. We were sitting in the kitchen, acting like we had no worries in the world, not begging but yet letting the staff know we were there and waiting patiently for a snack of some type. That’s when brother has to sit up and look stupid. Okay, he doesn’t have to look stupid cause he is stupid. But really. He has to stick his tongue out and act all, “Give me…give me…give me”. Really, rolls doggy eyes, his class is so out the window. Do you have a wierdo in your family? Signed Lewis, Brutus and Stupid
Dear Lewis, Brutus and Stupid – Oh do I! OMP – I like to call him Hemi. He’s the cat from you know where here at the Hotel Thompson. He’s daddy’s little baby and does no wrong. Yeah right. He does no wrong because daddy never sees him doing anything bad. I know exactly the feeling. I say keep your hide high and use the mute button as much as you can with your brother to block him out. That’s what I do here – I act like Hemi doesn’t exist… yet he still finds time to remind me by slapping my butt.
Dear Bacon – Sometimes one has to take steps into their own paws. My human just couldn’t find the time to make me some biscuits. But that’s okay. I find the recipe and took matters into my own paws. I think they turned out pretty well myself. If you want, I’ll send you the recipe. I’m sure they are piggy friendly as well. Smooches – Mrs. Polly
Dear Mrs Polly – I think that is brilliant. Why wait for the humans when we don’t have too. I think that would be great to do. But hey, why don’t you just come over and use my kitchen to show me how to make them. The humans are gone in the afternoons – hogs and snout kisses.
Dear Bacon – During a tough week, when Friday night gets here you just want to crash and burn. It was one of those tough weeks for me. Too many brushes with the mailman, the UPS driver that got away and too many days of chasing that cute little cat next door. Friday night, I crashed. Of course, that was after my bender of my go to food selection to make me feel better. Coke and a Big Mac. Can you say yum-yum? So my friend, do you ever crash and burn? Signed The Pupster
Dear The Pupster – YES! I have crashed and burned many times. In fact, once my week was so bad that I brought the entire bucket of animal crackers in my bedroom and munched into oblivion. The tummy ache later that night was so worth it. I do feel you my friend. Hope your day is better.
❤ Remember friends – Dear Bacon can’t happen without YOU. Please continue to email me your pictures and letters. ❤
Miniature pot bellied pig and friends - Bacon, Houdini, Hemi and all of the Rock Clan with Journalist Rocky the Squirrel all out looking for adventures from the Hotel Thompson.
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Piglove 