recommendation: martha stewart inspired 4th of July cookies

Martha is my mom's idol so in turn, she is mine too. She is the Queen of baking, sewing, craft projects, and everything domestic. I agree with all of the whoopla, of course with money and a whole team she can get anything accomplished and she makes her projects seem easy, not necessarily made for the everyday gal... so when I saw her July magazine issue with 4th of July Fireworks Cookies on the front, I KNEW I had to attempt to make them, but needed to revised the recipe a tiny bit! With a busy week's schedule, I didn't want to be unrealistic about this project, so I decided to get a bag of pre-made cookie mix. It just required you to add butter and 1 egg. I made them in different sizes just for fun and while they cooled, I made my the buttercream frosting my mom brought us up on - confectioners sugar, butter, milk and vanilla. Easy enough! (p.s. this is a great recipe for Christmas cookies too). I also got pre-made gel packets that came in a set of 4 colors. As I started decorating the cookies, I realized instantly that they wouldn't turn out the same as Martha's because my white frosting needed to be harder and more solid.

Martha used Royal Icing - big difference, my buttercream wasn't a great substitution, as I tried swirling the colored gel designs, it was just blending with my creamy buttermilk frosting - but honestly, it was quicker, I ended up just doing some fun and crazy decorations. Overall, they were deliciously sweet cookies, so worth it! I would still recommend taking the shortcut to get the project done, Martha's cookies are beautiful but mine were still fun for the holiday celebration.

Happy Independence Day!

recommendation: top five (x 3!) – social media/best of web edition

top5 sites I visit on a regular basis:
- Drugstore.com – reasons already stated, see previous post
- Celebritybabyscoop.com - to feed my celebrity obsession further, I am now obsessed with their babies
- Opentable.com – I heavily rely on this site to steer us in the right direction for our dining needs, what to try, what works best for groups, etc. Plus the app on my phone is so easy to use. They have it for Ann Arbor & Detroit too my Michigan peeps!
- Yelp.com – use site for feedback on local restaurants, companies, and stores
- Cookinglight.com – we *try* to eat healthy so I normally plan to make at least one recipe per week from Cooking Light magazine or online recipe box

top5 blogs:
- Vegonomics - my economical vegetarian sister full of helpful and healthful tips
- Peas in a Pod – my sister’s friend and her mom take turns posting, think this is such a cute idea
- Lauren Goes Shopping - my sister’s friend’s an expert at shopping and has great style
- Candice Kumai – Stiletto Chef- love this pretty site and just ordered her cookbook… reviews to come soon!
- Hostess Blog - I love to look at the pictures on this site to get ideas. Eye candy for event planners.

top5 email newsletters:
- Refinery 29 - this website has started fueling ideas for my blog posts – hip Chicago specific recommendations. Love the slideshows. A new favorite.
- Dailycandy– offers a ‘curated guide to Everywhere’ – has Chicago specific as well as other cities, sends daily deal with info, inside scoop, or special offer on restaurants, bars, fashion, shops, spas, events, etc.
- WhoWhatWear – celebrity style & fashion, love the ‘lookbook’ style pages
- Tastingtable– daily email for adventurous eaters
- Martha Stewart Crafts – daily email with a craft project. In true Martha style, the are normally overly involved but I like the ones aimed towards kids as they are easier, and there are some great basic ideas that come through on these