Fourth of July's... Coast to coast!

Looking back at last year's Fourth of July along the Hudson... and getting ready to see the fireworks tonight over the Pacific!

Flashback to last year's Fourth of July weekend!

Looking to get away this weekend!? If you can still book a rental car, consider Bear Mountain! It's a beautiful park overlooking a lake! It's only about 1.5 hours out of the city and it really is a gorgeous drive! 

The Woodbury Common outlets are only about 30 minutes away from there! I've been to Woodbury a bunch and the best deals I've ever got were on the Fourth of July weekend! Make sure you check the website for additional coupons before you get in the car!

Looking back at July 4th weekend in 2010!

Hope you have a great weekend!!

Mother's Day Ideas - Part 3 (and a Cinco de Mayo one as well!)

 

You'll have to call them to see if they still have this Cinco de Mayo cupcake kit, but isn't it cute! It would be great for a festive dinner with the family or friends. 

New York Cake and Baking Distributor
56 West 22nd Street (between 5th and 6th Ave.) 

 A wall full of fondant supplies! They teach cake decorating classes - including fondant!

From edible glitter to beautiful flowers - New York Cake has hundreds of decorative options for your or your mom's baking needs.

I love these small cookie cutters! Perfect for little hands helping in the kitchen!

If your mom has practically everything, may try looking for a new, unique pan! As you can see, there's dozens and dozens of options!

 Shredded chocolate! Mmm..

Every mom could use a cookie scooper! In every size too! It makes baking so much easier! They come in all different sizes.

Good to know: New York Cake is open Monday through Saturday from 10am-6pm. It is closed on Sundays.

Mother's Day Ideas - Part One

There's less than a week until Mother's Day! Have you figured out what you're getting your mom?! Whether you live here or your Mom loves {or would love} to visit New York City, this Mother's Day you could give her a present that would let her taste treats from the city all year long! 

Below are the cookbooks from some of my favorite bakeries/restaurants in the city. You can click on any of the images below to see the book on Amazon.com. All of them qualify for free shipping (if you spent at least $25) except Crumbs. Enjoy!

     

Bubby's Pie Company
The brunch here is one of my top five favorites in the city! And I love grabbing a late night slice of pie there as well! You can't go wrong debating between these two!

    

Magnolia's Bakery
Magnolia's is known for their cupcakes, but I really enjoy their carrot cake and banana pudding!

Junior's
The iconic Times Square restaurant and cheesecake shop! Mmm.. so, so good! I just have a feeling it might take a little more talent than I have in the kitchen to recreate Junior's, but I have a feeling my sister, Brooke, would be able to do it!

Crumbs

Crumbs is my favorite multi-store cupcake shop! This is actually a book/kit for kids, but I've given it to friends before and they still loved it!

Sarabeth's Bakery

Sarabeth's is known for their brunch, but I actually love grabbing dinner there even more! The bread basket is amazing! It might be dangerous for me if I figured how to make their bread at home :)

Clinton Street Bakery
Another amazing brunch favorite in the city! Their pancakes and biscuits are unbelievably delicious!

Momufuku
Exquisite, unique, one of a kind recipes! You'll have to check their website to get an idea of what they have.


Alice's Tea Cup
After watching the royal wedding all weekend, I feel like tea and biscuit time right now too!



Max Brenner: Chocolate by the Bald Man
The only reason you could possibly not absolutely love this recipe book is if you don't like chocolate. Otherwise, it's a guaranteed winner!



Amy's Bread
I wonder if they give tips in the book on how to make the bread look so pretty too?! I guess I'd have to buy it to see :)

Good to know: An even better idea than just getting her a book?! Make her a treat from one of the books this weekend and present it to her along with the book on Sunday!

PS - I don't have all of these so if you're looking for a specific recipe from one of the bakeries/restaurants, you'll have to check the index of the book :)

Less than 3 weeks until Mother's day!!

If you need help finding a different arrangement/bouquet/plant for Mom this year, check out my latest story on Foxnews.com: Finding the Right Flowers for Mom. 


Think about getting an herb garden for Mom this year! Then, she'll remember how much you love her every time she picks off fresh herbs to use when cooking! 

{International Garden at 807 Avenue of the Americas (Sixth Ave.)}

They weren't in stock when I was there, but I love the idea of getting a bay leaf topiary or a small lemon tree! Those would be beautiful and functional too!

{Foliage Garden}

And for those who like me can't seem to grow anything, this is a succulent arrangement. I never had seen this before until setting foot in Foliage Garden at 128 West 28th Street, but now I kind of like the idea. They're desert plants that don't require much watering and come in a variety of colors. I'm not a huge fan of the sticks underneath this arrangement - though there were some others that were really nice!

Know before you go: To check out some of the city's best floral shops, head to Sixth Avenue and 28th Street. From there, you can wander around and see all sorts of great arrangements and varieties!