Sunday was Batt Lady’s birthday and I knew I wanted to do something nice for her since her husband, parents, and friends weren’t able to come visit…on TOP of which, it was opening weekend of our maniacally manic summer festival. So Saturday night I made sure I got out a little early (guiltily leaving the almost birthday girl to finish off the shows for the night) and snuck home with Miss Rice to make some box office/Batt Lady friendly cupcakes. She can’t eat eggs (and I just happened to have recently ordered Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World) and she can’t eat processed sugar, so I hopped out to the Red Hook Natural Foods store to buy a large bottle of Agave, along with some other vegan provisions.

There’s definitely a stigma around vegan baking (maybe it’s just cause I’m so into butter and eggs from my childhood baking experiences and Julia’s influence) and on top of that I’m not an enormous fan of the flavor of Agave, but Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero changed my mind (as they almost always do…). These. were. delicious. And though the frosting was a bit runny, it had a great texture and an even better taste!

Go ahead, experiment a little…you won’t be sorry.

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Flaky pastry pockets bursting with a splash of tart and sweet flavors. We picked these berries ourselves which makes it seem even more handmade and organic! They’re perfect for dessert, breakfast, or a snack…yummmmmmm! Be careful, they go fast!

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Sweet, but not too sweet, crumbly, but not falling apart, this is an amazing pie for summer. The cherries were fresh and delicious and it was a nice refreshing end to the heavy BBQ we provided our friends on July 4th. Yum!


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No way! Healthy cheesecake bars?? Ok, I'm not gonna lie, they're still not as good for you as a salad, for example, but they are healthier than a regular cheesecake bar because they use 1/3 less fat cream cheese and skim Greek yogurt. And the best part? You can't taste the difference...

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Just at the end of rhubarb season, Miss L and I knew we had to get our hands on some to make the essential for summer Strawberry Rhubarb Pie...And what better time to have something sweet and tart to eat than a night dedicated to watching THE Julia Child in her element?

I have to admit, though, Julia would have been disappointed. I didn't have the time to make the pastry the night before so we used a store bought crust (may the food gods all shun me...). It was still succulent and delicious and we added a streusel topping which certainly took from the startling tartness of the rhubarb (which Miss L tried raw and promptly spat back out. Give it a try some time! You'd never believe that's the flavor that counters the sweetness of the strawberries perfectly in this pie).

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It's that time of year again...when mangos are ripe and strawberries pervade the entire grocery store with their irresistible scent...so what better way to celebrate the end of the semester and the beginning of summer with these fresh and delicious tarts?

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