Red, White, and Blueberry Shortcake

I was asked this weekend if it would be cheesy to wear a red dress to a 4th of July party. I was a little confused by the question because, for whatever reason, I think the 4th of July is the perfect holiday to embrace the theme—wear stripes, wave a flag, make a flag cake. Maybe because it's sort of big and loud, like our country, but I'd accept themed outfits and desserts more readily on the 4th of July than Valentine's Day or Christmas.



Or maybe, I'm accepting of it because the red and blue berries of summer are so easy to bake into a cake, it doesn't feel that theme-y or contrived. Either way, I carefully layered red strawberries, fluffy white whipped cream, and purple-y blue blueberries into a shortcake cake this weekend.



This cake combines the best parts of traditional shortcake into a towering cake. Not too sweet, it's the perfect palate for fresh summer berries and lightly sweetened whipped cream. So, even if it's a little cheesy to make a red, white and blue dessert for a 4th of July party, this cake will look (and taste) terrific with any kind or color of berry, for the rest of the summer.

(July 4th) Weekend in pictures

{chocolate chip/strawberry, brownie/mint, peanut butter/brownie/vanilla}

{tubing. instagram by bad ass photographer rick gershon}

{one banana pudding, five spoons}

{patriotic baking}

{brooklyn balcony blueberries}

{can't believe it held still long enough for me to snap this}

{mandatory fourth food}

{ditto}

{oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave}

This weekend was everything it should have been: long, lazy, fun, and full of good food and even better people. Dinner and ice cream sandwiches at The Meatball Shop (and some sneakily-consumed convenience store beer to pass the time during a nearly three hour long wait), hours of lazily floating down the Delaware River in an inner tube (with a tube set aside for our beer...I'm seeing a theme), a stop at Target (!!), patriotic baking (recipe tomorrow), and a family BBQ followed by a (sort of crazy) rooftop party in Brooklyn. Thanks for winning your independence, America. Freedom is sort of awesome.

Happy 4th

Happy 4th of July, friends! Do you have fun plans for the weekend? I'm excited to float lazily in the Delaware River and watch fireworks from a friend's rooftop in Brooklyn. And maybe squeeze in a little red, white & blue baking.

Here's a few festive links to help you celebrate. Have a lovely, patriotic weekend!

Patriotic popsicles with greek yogurt.

DIY, kid-friendly sparklers made of paper.

A collection of potato salad and cole slaw recipes.

Two songs you'll definitely hear more than once this weekend.

image: Sparkles of Love by lbeauroom on etsy

Hello Giggles

Have you checked out HelloGiggles yet? It's a humor and entertainment website started by Zooey Deschanel and her friends (and funny ladies) Sophia Rossi and Molly McAleer. I was sort of dubious at first, but I really should have learned by now that pretty much everything Zooey Deschanel does is good (don't prove me wrong, New Girl). They post fun things, mostly aimed at the ladies, like Honorary Husbands, Saved By The Bell episode recaps, useful advice, and funny rants.

Now that HelloGiggles has wiggled its way into my daily reads, I wanted to share some of my fave pieces so far, by way of introduction:

"I’m pretty sure that red lipstick is swagger’s godmother."
Beauty Tips to Make You Feel Like A Queen, by Molly McAleer

"All-access pass to Cuteville without the hassles of gestation, lactation, and 3 a.m. diaper changes."
Your Friends Babies Are Your Babies Too, by Julia Gazdag

"Buy good stuff and take great care of it. It will last forever, and you can pass it down to your grandchildren (if they don’t have giant, man feet)."
Things I Am Learning From My Grandma, by Nicole Shabtai

"They are cheaply made costume dresses that rip easily and seem to attract spaghetti sauce, but to him they might as well be Versaces."
Princess Zach, by Shane Nickerson

Before & after

My friend Abby posted these before and after Instagram photos that she took from her office window above Bryant Park. The first is before people had arrived for the outdoor movie, and the second is after the park was full of people and blankets. Isn't it funny to see the transformation?

PS - I'm completely considering getting an iPhone just for the Instagram app. Is that silly? The retro photo apps for the Droid just aren't as good or as social. Would you switch phones for an app?

Weekend in Pictures

{chillin' in the shade}

{so. many. tiny. drawers!}

{a giant, somewhat outdated globe}

{the courtyard we got locked in for a bit}

{a pretty, new england-y house}

{drinks back in the city, at the smith}

{sunday skies}

This weekend I took a somewhat spontaneous day trip to New Haven, CT. A couple friends and I got the itch to go somewhere, with the limitation that we didn't want to rent a car so we had to be able to walk to our destination from a train station. That limited things a bit, but we eventually settled on a little jaunt to the Ivy League. We wandered and shopped a bit unsuccessfully, then ended up strolling around Yale's campus. We explored Sterling Library and got locked (temporarily) in a little courtyard. It was all very collegiate, it reminded me of visiting Oxford. And, if I'm being totally honest, Hogwarts :)

Amazing crochet art

My friend Nathan's amazing crochet art is being featured all over the place this week. Swiss-Miss posted his crocheted lion head, that was also featured on Fab.com (where it sold!).



Then, more of Nathan's crocheted taxidermy was featured on Trend Hunter. Isn't it amazing?



Now, is it considered bragging if you're bragging about someone else? Because I have a little bit more bragging to do. Nathan got to share his work with Martha Stewart on. her. show! They talk about the lawnmower, tool belt, bear skin rug (!!) and urinal that Nathan created out of yarn.



Amazing.