We See Wall-E!

A week ago today was my sweetheart's birthday.  We usually don't end up doing a whole lot for his birthday as it falls in between various other events such as anniversary, Father's Day, Aedan's birthday and many other family member's birthdays.  I think I'm going to have to say that June is way more stressful than December is, at least for me. 

However this year the planets aligned and many more things fell into place to make for a wonderful birthday for Neal (although he is quite embarrassed by the hoopla of it all).  A whole slew of people came out to view Wall-E at the Drive In movie with us.  It wasn't so much supposed to be a birthday party but we thought it'd be fun to have local friends and family out to watch it and Monday the 30th was the first Monday after it was officially released and it just worked out perfectly.  The weather was great and we arrived with plenty of time to play before the movie started.

Aedan and I spent a good portion of the day getting the refreshments ready for the evening - a birthday boy has to have cake but when you have 50 people to serve in the middle of no where, there really is only one option.  Cupcakes.  Lots of cupcakes.  We had S'Mores cupcakes, carrot cupcakes, raspberry cupcakes, and a great friend brought a batch of yellow cake cupcakes with choco frosting (thanks B!)  I got the S'Mores and raspberry recipe from the Wilton Cupcake Fun book, and the carrot cupcakes were from a lower fat Penzeys recipe although I like the original one best, fat and all.

And the movie? I love Pixar.  I think the things I liked about the movie were that it was still fun/funny even without a lot of dialogue, the love story was very sweet, and I thought the music was very interesting but perfect for the movie.  I don't know if I can say it is my favorite of theirs but it was a lot of fun and I think it was even better watching it outdoors under the stars. We enjoyed snuggling up on our air mattress and had a great time!  Happy Birthday Neal and thanks to all who came out for the fun! 

Some individuals requested my raspberry cupcake recipe so here it is. If you really want the s'mores one you'll have to beg - it was my least favorite of the group... but they sure were cute!  The raspberry cupcake recipe is similar to my guava cake recipe and the results of using fruit juices in the cake is always a tasty one!  Now if only I could've made them look more manly - they are pink, there is no getting around that.  I really liked this one although it reminded me of a muffin.  Hhhmmm... what are the technical differences between muffin and cupcake? Never mind, we will rename it if you like.

Neal's Raspberry Muffcakes or Raspberry Cupfins

aka Wilton's Berry-Licious Cupcakes from Wilton Cupcake Fun book



1 package white cake mix

1 package frozen raspberries or strawberries in sugar or syrup, thawed

Water

3 egg whites

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil



Preheat oven to 350F. Line standard muffin pan with baking cups.

Drain berries, reserving liquid.  Add enough water to reserved berry liquid to make 1 1/3 cups.  In large bowl, combine cake mix, berry liquid, egg whites, and oil; beat with electric mixer 2 minutes.  Fold in thawed berries.  Spoon into baking cups.  Bake 18-20 minutes or until golden.  Cool cupcakes in pan on cooling rack for 5-8 minutes.  Remove cupcakes from pan; cool completely. 

Makes about 24 cupcakes



Frosted with

Buttercream Icing

also in the Wilton's book



1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

2 Tbsp milk



In large bowl, cream shortening and butter with electric mixer until light and fluffy.  Add vanilla; mix well.  Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed; scrape sides and bottom of bowl often.  When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry.  Add milk; beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.  Keep icing covered with a damp cloth until ready to use.  For best results, keep icing bowl in refrigerator when not in use.  Refrigerated in an airtight container, this icing can be stored 2 weeks.  Re-whip before using.

Makes about 3 cups