Photo Meme: In My Neighborhood Tuesday (Yes, I'm a Day Late)

.




I'm joining my friend Jennifer over at Eighty MPH Mom called In My Neighborhood Tuesday – a fun photo meme where you spend some quality time with your family and friends and discover average things in a new light, get creative and try and get outdoors on occasion. There will be an assignment/prompt for each week, and hopefully you will have some time to take a walk and show us what you found in your neighborhood!



This week's assignment was "Birthday Celebrations" in honor of  Jen's son's 21st birthday - Happy Birthday Speedy Boy!! :)
 
The reason I am late for this assignment is because my hubby Bill celebrated HIS birthday yesterday also - not his 21st... just a few years older.... TeeHee. Here are a few photos of his birthday cake AND something special for those of you who read my first Monday Mingle. I am sharing my Grandma Sullivan's special frosting recipe.
 
Grandma Sullivan's Secret French Butter Cream Frosting (Don't Tell Anyone, OK?)
 
1.5 cup whole milk
7.5 Tbls all-purpose flour
1.5 Sticks unsalted butter softened
3/4 cup shortening (I like to use butter flavored Crisco sticks - SO much easier)
1.5 cups granulated sugar (I use superfine surgar, makes for easier mixing)
1.5 tsp. flavoring (for this one I used vanilla, but I sometimes us a combo of vanilla and Kahlua or Rum)
 
~ Cook milk and flour on medium heat until thick stirring constantly to avoid lumps; allow to cool completely (can be done in the fridge)
~ Cream butter and shortening with sugar, add flavoring, mixing until smooth and creamy.
~ Add cooled milk/flour mixture all at once and mix at high speed for at least 5-7 minutes (scraping down side occasionally) until creamy, buttery texture.
 
I used it in Bill's favorite: a Devil's Food Zuccotto cake (or as my boys call it, A Boobie Cake).  See photos below:
 



My trusty Kitchen Aid



Stirring flour and milk



Thickened mik and flour

 
 


Top 1/2 of Zuccotto cake

  



Top 1/2 of Zuccotto sitting in bowl



Bottom of Zuccotto



Fill top of Zuccotto with frosting



Put bottom over filled top and flip







Frost and decorate Cake



So this is what the cake looks like when you slice a piece... I have even made it with homemade whipped cream and filled it with strawberries. That s my son, Alexander's favorite kind of cake and I make it for him when he is around for his birthday. You can fill it with any kind of filling you want: pudding, even ice cream in the summer.

 Occasionally the doggies will leave one of their toys out after playing with them right before going to bed... I had to laugh when I woke up Tuesday morning and found this toy on the doggie bed.

So that's my post for In My Neighborhood Tuesday, a day late, and a little long... if you'd like to join, here is all you have to do: It is easy to join in! Just take your picture and post it on your blog, with the button above and link up on Eighty MPH Mom. Make sure you visit the other participants to see what they have found in their neighborhood {or house or wherever} recently! Don’t worry if you didn’t have a chance to take a walk over the weekend to snap the perfect shot. If you already have a picture that fits into the “assignment” of the week, feel free to use it. If you want to write down the upcoming assignments and take photos for several of them while you are on a walk, you can do that too! There really aren’t many rules, except to stick with the theme of the week and be creative! You can even post more than one photo if you so desire.

Let's also help Jen out by tweeting about this meme:

Please RT: What cool things are in your neighborhood? Photo meme: This week’s theme: Birthday Celebrations! http://www.eightymphmom.com



Hope you like the frosting.... we sure do, just remember DON'T tell anyone because it's a secret! :)


{Disclosure: The links posted in this post are just to help you find the things I use for my recipe, I was not paid anything by any of the companies who's products I use, I just think they are high quality products that work well in this recipe.}
.