Photos: July 4th

Here our a few shots from my July 4th. I love my sister planters on her front porch decorated with $1 store American flags. Everyone enjoys fresh shipped in lobster rolls from Bayley's, our favorite lobster Pound in Maine. I grabbed one shot of my peanut butter whoopie pies before they were all gone.

Link Love: Fourth of July Dessert Recipes

This afternoon I am cruisng around for recipes for July 4th. I've been assigned adult desserts. It's a backyard party my sister is hosting with about 30 people—1/2 of which are children. I was thinking cookies, bars, pies, and maybe my all time favorite: Rhubarb Pie. Here are a few recipes that caught my eye.

Rhubarb Pie: Everyday Food

Strawberry Shortcake: Martha Stewart

Frozen Lime Pie: Joe's Stone Crab

Peanut Butter Surprise Cookies: Everyday Food

Toasted Marshmallow Cupcakes: Jennifer Shea, owner of Trophy Cupcakes

Sour Cherry Pistachio Crisp: Martha Stewart

Peanut Butter Jelly Bars: Barefoot Contessa

Lemon Bars: Barefoot Contessa

Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisps with Cardamom and Nutmeg: Bonappetit

Strawberry & Carrot Cupcakes

I finally finished. It's just 20 till midnight. The strawberry cupcakes are amazing! A buttercream with real strawberry jam. I am sure my nieces will love these tomorrow! Night!

Carrot Cupcakes

I just finished these cupcakes for easter brunch tomorrow. I had a little taste test and they are delicious! Carrot cake with orange/ginger cream cheese frosting. I am so glad I picked up the sugared carrots at Baking Supply shop. So cute! Alright, back to baking, I have to frost my vanilla/buttercream strawberry cupcakes too! I am getting tired and I promised to make buttermilk biscuits for the ham...maybe in the morning? I'll share more pictures tomorrow. Happy Easter!

Dyeing Eggs Naturally

My grandmother always dyed her eggs with natural vegetables dyes. The color is so outstanding and eretheral. I found instructions online at marthastewart.com. They use vegetables like cabbage, onion skins, beets, and coffee to get the perfect hue. Forget the fake water-dropped sizzling dyes start a tradition you and your family will remember for a lifetime. A bowl of these at your easter table will be beyond gorgeous. Check out more at: marthastewart.com.

Homemade Valentines

Nothing is sweeter and filled with more love then a homemade Valentine. One my favorite memories of being a child is making Valentine's for my friends. Spend an evening this week getting a little creative. Open a bottle of wine, dig out the art supplies, and set the mood with some classic love songs. Here are some of my favorites from the Queen of Craft. View 14 inspiring cards that you could make tonight on marthastewart.com.

Valentine day's dinners for two

My boyfriend and I are really not into buying expensive gifts, flowers, and dinners on Valentine's day. The price to spend a little romantic time together can easily get out of control. So we have started a new tradition: spend the night at home making dinner together. Making a dinner filled with love is lot more special to me then any fancy gift or dinner.

I have chosen a few dinner menu ideas (below) that I am thinking about for our special night. Remember V-day is on a Thursday night this year so factor in how much time and energy you realistically have. If you completely run out of time just pick up some chocolates and champagne. Believe me your loved one will appreciate the effort!

Meal Idea One: Earthy and Sweet
Champagne Cocktails
Roasted Pork Loin with Fig and Port Sauce
Roasted Fennel with Parmesan
Roasted Pears with Brown Sugar and Vanilla Ice Cream

Meal Idea Two: Sexy and Silky
Lemony Swiss Chard
Goat-Cheese "Ravioli" with Parsley Sauce
Individual Dark Chocolate Pudding Cakes

Meal Idea Three: My Favorite Meal
Penne with Turkey Meatballs
Chocolate Eclair Hearts

Douglas Wilson

I found this artist via decor8's write up on the online gallery, Keep Calm. So when I investigated this great site I came across the piece above. I quickly swiped it up for a special Valentine's day gift. How sweet will this be in my house? I love that song and truly all you really need in life is love. The rest is just bullshit and whatever.

The piece is done by the artist Douglas Wilson. Check out his site here. I love the big type face and how you began to deconstruct the language and saying when it's printed so boldly and graphically. Each print is hand letterpressed by the artist. A few of my other favorites below. You can purchase all of these prints exclusively on keep-calm.com.

Martha Stewart's Perfect Love Sweets

Packaging Valentine Day cookies, marthstewart.com

The love is heating up over at marthastewart.com with a collection of sweet treats for Valentine's day. I know it's a little early. But for those for you who would like to mail out a box of cookies or treats to a sweetie faraway you may want to start your search for the perfect recipe now.

Valentine Cookies, marthastewart.com.

Pink Meringue Drops, marthastewart.com.

A Ribby Christmas

Hot off the grill and ready for the table

This past Christmas we decided to do a little something different. None of us really felt like eating roast beef or wanted to make a fish soup. But all of us were in agreement that ribs sounded outstanding.

I have a great recipe a friend gave to me over the summer. The ribs have a definite Asian influence, made with ginger, soy sauce, orange juice, and ginger ale. We decided to pair the ribs with some down home favorites: mac & cheese, baked beans, sweet potatoes, buttermilk biscuits, and a carrot cake for dessert. The adults seemed as happy as the kids for this unusual holiday meal. See my favorite recipe below. Even the non-rib eaters gave it a double thumbs up.

My plate piled high and clean.

A shot of the marinade for the ribs cooking

Our Favorite Ribs

6 servings

14 large garlic cloves—8 peeled and smashed, 6 minced
1/2 cup sliced fresh ginger plus 1/4 cup minced (6 ounces total)
6 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
4 star anise pods
3 cups soy sauce
2 quarts water
2 cups ginger ale
1/2 cup dry white wine
Strips of zest and juice from 1 navel orange
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup cilantro stems plus 1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
3 racks of baby back ribs (5 1/2 pounds)
2 cups lightly packed brown sugar
1 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Preheat the oven to 400°. In a large roasting pan, combine the smashed garlic with the sliced ginger, scallion whites, star anise, 1 1/2 cups of the soy sauce, the water, ginger ale, white wine, orange zest and juice, granulated sugar and cilantro stems. Set the pan over 2 burners and bring to a boil over moderately high heat.

Add the baby back ribs to the roasting pan, cover tightly with foil and bake for about 2 hours, or until the ribs are very tender. Let cool to room temperature, then spread the ribs out in a single layer on a baking sheet and refrigerate until chilled and firm, about 30 minutes. Discard the braising liquid.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat 1/4 cup of the vegetable oil. Add the minced garlic and ginger and the scallion greens and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of soy sauce, the brown sugar, ketchup and crushed red pepper and bring to a boil. Cook over moderately high heat for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and add the chopped cilantro. Transfer the rib sauce to cooled ribs.

Finish off the ribs on the grills for about 15 minutes. Let them get a healthy coating of crust.Pile on a platter and serve hot.

Christmas Cookie Time

We had a lot fun making cookies for Christmas. My niece joined me over the weekend to help with all the baking. We made Mexican Wedding cookies, Gingersnap cookies, and Peanut Butter cookies. The afternoon was really special for me and my niece. Everyone's favorite? Gingersnaps! The boyfriend grated tons of fresh ginger into the cookies to give them a great spicy kick. All the recipes are from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook available at amazon.com. I have included our favorite recipe for the Gingersnaps below.

Mexican Wedding Cookies cooling.

Our favorites: Gingersnaps.

Gingersnaps

Makes about 5 dozen

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2/ teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups packed dark-brown sugar
1/4 cup unsulfured molasses
1 1/2 tablespoons finely grated, peeled, ginger
1 large egg
1/4 cup granulated sugar

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, pepper, and salt; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, brown sugar, molasses, and ginger on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the egg until smooth and combined, about 1 minute. Add flour mixture, and beat on low speed until just combined. Transfer dough to a bowl and wrap in plastic; refrigerate until well chilled, about 1 hour or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place granulated sugar in a shallow bowl; roll bowls in sugar to coat completely, and place about 2 inches a part on the prepared sheets.

Bake rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies are deep golden all over and centers are firm, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.

My Favorite Holiday Cards 2007

Kate Spade's Cookie Card is my absolute favorite. I believe cookies can save the world or at least make people happy for a moment. Unfortunately, I snagged the last box of 15 for $30 at Kate's Paperie. If you really can't live without out the cookie cards, you can order a customized set at finestationery.com. Check out my next favorite twelve below.

From top left: Angel Holiday Cards , 8 cards, $18. Carrot & Stick's Trees, 8 cards, $16.50. Pancake & Franks Antlers, single card, $5. Egg Press's Cheer Cloud, 6 cards, $17.

From top left: Two Turtle Doves, 6 cards, $24. Egg Press's Winter Greetings, 6 cards, $17. Blue Ribbon's Merry Christmas, 6 cards, $16. Eloquent Ink Cedar, 8 cards, $15.

From top left: Snow & Graham's Warm Wishes, 6 cards for $12.50. Snow & Graham's Warm Wishes Mittens, 6 cards, $15. Egg Press's Giraffe Merry, 6 cards, $16. Sesame Letterpress's Peace On Earth, 1 card, $5.95

Be sure to check out Poppytalk's 2007 holiday cards round-up.

Downtown Holiday Windows

I was strolling around lower Manhattan yesterday and took a bunch of shots of holiday windows displays. I saw a lot of bright colors and less traditional red and green displays. At the Gap and Anthropologie, the windows used a lot of chunky yarns to make ornaments and garlands. I love this idea because it's not only cute but it's cheap to do. You can usually score some yarn at the $1 store or try Michael's if you live outside the city.

I was walking past the Gap in Flatiron and was shocked to see the stripe light displays. They reminded me so much of my own stripe paintings! Is it a sign? Are stripes in and I will be famous in no time? Check out the tree: they wrapped balls with bright-colored yarn to make ornaments.

Another shot of the stripes. Love it!

Anthropologie always does an amazing job on their windows no matter what the season.

A shot of the windows covered with hundreds of paper cut snowflakes.

A holiday village covered in snow. I love the yarn garlands draped above. It's made of tiny individual yarn balls strung together.

This shot if from the Kate Spade store down in SoHo. Traditional but pretty.

This was a clever and fun display at Marc by Marc Jacobs in the West Village. A take on the traditional holiday Santa portraits. You can sit with the holiday "swan" and have your picture taken. The photos are then hung in the windows of the store creating a community of a swan head shots.

A shot of the swan holiday photos covering the windows of the Marc by Marc Jacobs store.

Christmas Trimmings

It's that time of year again. As we prepare for the holidays remember to take stock of your decorations before purchasing your tree. You'll save yourself a headache of tangled cords and burnt out lights.

My Christmas trees tends to be a mix of handmade, family heirlooms, and new vintage finds. My secret source for inexpensive ornaments is Martha Stewart's Everyday line at Kmart. Martha always has a great selection of vintage inspired favorites and new classic twists. My favorite: shatterproof balls in multiple jewel toned colors. Shatterproof balls will save your life. No more opening box that have been tucked away all year to find them all broken. The colored balls mix well with my family pieces and give the tree a great vintage 1950's Christmas feel.

Top left: Sugarplum Dreams 12-Pk Ball Ornaments, $5. Yuletide Cheer Straw and Bead Ornament, $3 each. Woodland Holiday Metal Flower Ornament, $4 each. Golden Traditions 2-Pk Wire Glitter Snowflake Ornament, $5.

Deep Fried Turkey

I have dreamed of seeing a big turkey frying. I've heard stories of garbage cans, big flames, and lots of hot oil. It sounded way to messy and dangerous for me to ever try. I was in fear the day would never come that I would get to savor the crispy skin.

This past Thanksgiving while visiting some old friends up in Syracuse, NY the opportunity presented itself. I heard a rumor the neighbors down the street would be frying in the morning and we were more then welcome to bring an extra bird. I lied awake that night in anticipation and a bit drunk from hanging out at the local bar.

The turkey frying began at 11am. I was there ready with about a 14 lb. bird and coffee in hand. The Neveldines seemed to be cooking for the whole neighborhood. Multiple turkeys were lined up waiting to get deep-fried. Neighbors strolled in with their birds, ate snacks while the birds cooked, and then left with the prize in hand. I love this tradition!

It turns out deep frying a turkey has come a long way since I first heard about it years ago. Mrs. Neveldine told me she bought her electric turkey fryer at JCPennys for about a $100. The procedure was quite easy and simple. You warm the oil, place the turkey in, cook 4 minutes for every pound and in about 50 minutes we had crispy bird.

We saved ours for the "picking turkey". The skin was the best part: super crispy and salty. The rest of the bird sat on the corner for the remainder of the afternoon while relatives strolled by and took a little nibble.

Thanksgiving Table

A traditional heirloom turkey platter by Johnson Brothers can be found in antique stores and on replacements.com. $150-$250 depending on age and condition. On the right, a pure linen tablecloth is accented with a garland of flowers that evokes an elegant event. $170, williamsonoma.com

Rich earthy brown pheasant feathers bundled in vases create offbeat center pieces. dominomag.com WS Home collaborated with Spode to create these festive oak-leaf-and-acorn garland earthenware. Set of 4 plates, $88. wshome.com.

Add a touch of whimsy to the table. Peacock feathers under gold-rimmed plate will infuse a little humor into the evening. $28, jaysonhomeandgarden.com. A folky take: illustrated nordic print porcelain plates featuring a wise owl in the center. Try layering these plates with existing china if the look seems to over the top. Set of 4 plates, $152. vivre.com.

Let the seasons colors infuse into your table settings. Gather gourds, baby pumkins, squashes and clementines and arrange in various compotes along your table or buffet. marthastewart.com. I love these wood pedestals for cheeses on a buffet. The pedestal adds height and the wood gives the buffet a rich earthy feel. Buy a few and scatter around the room. $35, chefscatalog.com.