Since I've obnoxiously bragged about one child I can't stop from reporting a little news about the other child, especially when a cake recipe is involved.

Last week Greg turned 30 (I can't quite process that fact yet).  And Erin, his special friend, graduated from the University of MD.  She worked hard for that degree, which is as it should be.  On Saturday, Greg's band will officially release their second full CD (I've lost count of their EPs). Meanwhile on to the cake, which was delicious if I say so myself.  I made it lactose-free, for Greg, and cut back on some of the ingredients. I worried that it would have an overpowering peanutty taste, but it didn't.

Peanut Butter Cake

Ingredients for cake:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
Peanut butter (at least 1/2 cup; if using more, decrease shortening by an equal amount) (I used 3/4
    cups)
3/4 cup shortening (I reduced this to 1/2 cup)
1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons milk (I used lactose-free milk)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs (I used those cholesterol-free fake [?] eggs)

Directions for cake:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F if using a glass dish.
2. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together. Add graham cracker crumbs, peanut butter, shortening, milk, and vanilla.
3. Beat mixture until moistened, and then beat for 2 more minutes.
4. Add eggs and beat for 1 minute. Bake in greased 9-inch by 13-inch glass pan for 30 to 35 minutes. Do not remove from pan to cool.

Ingredients for frosting:

1 c. butter, softened (I used fake butter)
1/2 c. peanut butter
2 tbsp. water
2-4 tbsp. honey
1 tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp. salt
4 c. powdered sugar (I only used 3 cups, and I could have used less)

Directions for frosting:

1. Cream together butter and peanut butter. 
2. Add the water, salt, and vanilla and cream again. 
3. Slowly add the powdered sugar. 
4. After all the sugar is added, beat in the honey until creamy.

Both of these recipes are all over the Internet but here's the site I'll credit for the cake, and here's the site I'll credit for the frosting.

It's mulberry season and I'm harvesting the lazy way this year.

This may be a red mulberry tree (Morus rubra) but there are many kinds of mulberry trees and this one just appeared in our yard 15 or more years ago.  I usually stand under the tree and pick the berries but too often I eat them before they make it to the dinner table.  Collecting them with a blanket works much better.

A new granddeer! He or she arrived in the back yard (the so-called fenced back yard) between about 4 and 6 PM today.

I only discovered her (I prefer to call her a her) because at about 6:15 tonight I noticed what was probably her mom eating our damn hostas in our so-called fenced back yard. I went outside to escort** the large deer out and then walked around the edge of the back yard looking for any weakness in the fence. That's when I found Miss Adorable above.  She's next to my little pond, up near that so-called fence.

Doug and I tried to carry out a somewhat elaborate plan to get her safely outside our yard and succeeded only in that she wobbled her way into the front yard by way of the carport.  Poor little thing.  I was determined to get her safely out of our back yard because it's filled with what many people call deer candy.  Some people might say that we should just get rid of the deer candy and live with plants the deer won't eat.  I do that in the front and side yards, but it's nice to have a lush back yard, so I was determined to move the babe just to keep the mom from coming back in (I still don't know how she got in).

Miss Adorable was last seen in our front yard, backed up into some tall lemon balm. I'm confident her mom will find her. A similar birth occurred a few years ago and I think I learned from that experience not to worry.  These deer are survivors.

The bottom picture was taken a few hours before Miss A arrived.  The pond is on the right a bit to the left of the bench. Her mom found what she thought was a good place to hide her baby.

Well, that was exciting!  Now I need coffee and a piece of cake. 

**This means closing in on the deer until she's forced to either jump over the fencing (easy enough -- it's only 5-6 feet high) or crash through it, ripping out portions in the process. Most deer do a combination thing. The fencing is that 7-foot tall, heavy plastic mesh sold in Home Depot. It's not perfect but if I'm diligent about checking for rips and tears I can usually keep the deer out until late in the summer. Eventually, however, they always win.

What's this tree? And look at the babies next door! I don't get too attached b/c nature some times gobbles one up. (Update: Kitt's right, it's a horse chestnut tree.)

Random shots in Manhattan.

Outside Madison Square Garden just before a Rangers - Devils game on Monday night.

Zipping by the Queensboro (59th Street) Bridge. Or as it's now known, the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge.

Can you imagine? If you're doing this you need to reevaluate your life.

Heading uptown past the United Nations.

See that little face peeking out way in the back? Glad I caught her eye for this post-graduation picture.

There are lots of good reasons to visit NYC, but a child's graduation ceremony is among the very best.

Tuesday morning, walking into Washington Square on our way to the ceremony. 

Later in the day, at a reception and champagne toast in the Duke mansion at 78th and 5th, 100 years old this year, where the Institute of Fine Arts has its school.

Proud mom and sweet daughter (who I don't think checks this blog so won't know that her eyes were shut).