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

Martha Stewart Baking Handbook

Go out and buy this cookbook. Every recipe I have made from this cookbook has been totally amazing and over-the-top. You'll find a lot basic old-fashioned recipes like gingersnaps, cupcakes, and biscuits; but every recipe is the best version I have ever made! I do have to admit the recipes do feel a bit ridiculous at times, lots of steps, but honestly I've sucked it up kept to instructions and had amazing results! My cupcakes I made for Easter were both from this great cookbook. People are starting to think I am an amazing baker! All the credit goes to Martha! Martha Stewart Baking Handbook, $24.60, amazon.com.

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!

N.Y. Cake & Baking Supply

I headed downtown to pick up some supplies for my easter cupcakes this afternoon. I stopped by N.Y. Cake & Baking Supply because they always have what I need. This place is amazing, bizarre, and overall convenient in helping get everything I need for my next project in just one stop. The store has a strange tag sale feel that's makes you wonder how long the hundreds of different paper muffin cups have been hanging from their shelves.

You won't find fancy looking staff, high-end machines, or overpriced spatulas by some new chef. You'll mostly find restaurant grade tools and supplies like sheet pans, muffins tins, cake supplies, cookie cutters, pastry bags etc. On my recent visit I scored a perfect off-set spatula, a new biscuit cutter, a bunny cookie cutter, mini loaf pans, a few square cookie cutters for tea sandwiches, and about 20 over-the-top cute sugar carrots for my easter cupcakes.

They have the best edible sugar flowers to make any cake or cupcake look like a work of art. You can see some in the window shot below. The daisies are adorable on a fluffy white birthday cake. Score a dozen for around $3.99. They have a website that doesn't really do the shop justice. Check it out here: nycake.com.

NY Cake & Baking Supply
56 West 22nd Street
New York, NY

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.

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.

SoNo Baking Company

This past Sunday was my 29th birthday. We kept it pretty low key. Saturday night we were out late at the Philharmonic. We were pretty tired on Sunday and slept in late. By noon we were ravenous, we took a drive over to our favorite new bakery: SoNo Baking Company in South Norwalk, Ct.

The café is owned by baker John Barricelli . He is also the famed co-host of Martha Stewart's Everyday Food cooking show on PBS.

John's top notch sweets and breads have definitely won my heart and stomach. The open air café is filled with cakes, cookies, pastries, breads, and tarts. Large windows surround the bakery and give customers a birds-eye view of the large industrial kitchen.

Greg and I feed our belly's with 2 cups of really good coffee, pancakes ($7.50) and an egg sandwich ($5.25). Everything was amazing, fast, and cheap. While heading out the door we scored ourselves the last white mousee and apricot jam cake as my birthday cake ($30), a box of assorted cookies, and pecan rolls for breakfast the next day.

SoNo Baking Company
101 South Water Street
South Norwalk, CT
203-847-7666
sonobaking.com

The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook

A little bit of sin? Magnolia Bakery in Greenwich Village, New York just divulged their top secret recipes. Try Magnolia Bakery’s Cookbook to make extraordinary cakes and pies reminiscent of your Grandma’s kitchen.

Magnolia’s Recipes Are Classics! Iced Molasses Cookies, Coconut Layer Cake, Pecan Pie, and Peanut Butter Ice Box Pie are just a few of Magnolia's splendid treats!

I can’t resist Magnolia’s Vanilla Cupcakes (pg.60) with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting (pg.83). Making custom colors for your frosting adds the perfect homemade touch! I used a lot of red and just a little yellow foodcoloring to make my perfect shade of pink!

Idea: Make these cute cupcakes for a special party and your guests will be deliriously happy!