Happy 4th of July, everyone! I hope you’re all out celebrating with some good food, friends and fireworks. I recommend grilling, especially if you live somewhere hot. Nothing beats a hot day like standing in front of a hot grill - and then being able to appreciate the temperature difference once you step away from the grill to eat!

These patriotic cupcakes are just simple vanilla cupcakes with some cream cheese frosting. I used red and blue sanding sugar to make the striped design on top. These look festive and take very little time to make. Even easier are my Red, White and Blue Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries. If you go the chocolate dipping route for dessert, don’t forget that you can dip any other cookies or treats you have around the house into the melted chocolate. Kids will go crazy dipping cookies and marshmallows, in addition to the strawberries, especially when you introduce sprinkles as decorations (I had some help with my chocolate-dipped Oreos, pictured below). White chocolate, along with red and blue sprinkles is the best combination for the 4th of July, but feel free to bring in some milk or dark chocolate, too.

When you stick to a holiday’s “theme” colors - red and green for Christmas, pink and red for Valentine’s Day - it makes it much easier to come up with treats to make in celebration. These Red, White and Blue Chocolate Dipped Strawberries incorporate both the colors of the 4th of July holiday and fresh, in-season strawberries. They look extremely patriotic, as far as strawberries go, and taste like summer.

Just like any other chocolate-dipped strawberries, the method for making these is very easy. There is only one additional step: dip the tips of the strawberries into some blue sprinkles or blue sanding sugar once they have been dipped into the chocolate. Blue sprinkles or jimmies have a bold color to them and look cute on the strawberries, but blue sanding sugar, which I used for the strawberries here, gives the berries a little bit of a sparkle. The color of the sprinkles will not stand out well on milk or dark chocolate, and you won’t get the same visual effect as you do with white chocolate. That said, if you really want to incorporate milk or dark chocolate, just double dip the berries first into the chocolate of your choice, let that layer set up, and continue on with the white chocolate and sprinkles.

Store the berries in the refrigerator until you’re ready to eat them, as white chocolate is a little more heat-sensitive than other chocolates. The berries are best within a day or two of being made.
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Red, white and blue paper plates and napkins do their part in adding to the festiveness of a 4th of July celebration, but it’s always nice to be a little patriotic with the food, too. Barbecue, whether you’re making ribs, burgers or hot dogs, is a good place to start. You can infuse a little more color into the meal when you come around to dessert.

Red and white are easy colors to infuse into dessert, with fresh berries, ice cream and whipped cream. blue is a little tougher. Gelatin is almost a staple for blue desserts, since it is one of the few foods that is easy to find in a true blue color. Jigglers are fun to make - especially if you have kids - but otherwise just go with a color close to “true blue” or keep your food coloring handy. Here are some bright red, white and blue dessert ideas to finish off your 4th of July feast as you wait for the fireworks to start.

• Red, White and Blue Velvet Cake is a multi-layer cake with tiers of blue and red velvet cakes. The cake may be an unusual color, but it is very festive, moist and fluffy. White frosting brings everything together.
• Strawberry Buttermilk Shortcakes have red and white covered, with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. Add in some blueberries to make it fit the Independence Day theme
• Fresh Strawberry Pie is another dessert that makes use of fresh berries to bring a brilliant red color to the table. This dessert is easy to make and  tastes just as good as it looks.
• Little Blueberry Upside Down Cakes have blue covered, with a layer of juicy berries on top. These are like cupcakes, with berries instead of the frosting. They’re great for serving a crowd since each is a single-serving and can eaten by hand.
• Other great options include Fresh Strawberry Frozen Yogurt, Fresh Blueberry Tart, Strawberry Mascarpone Cream Puffs, and Berry-Topped Pavlova, all of which take further advantage of in-season summer fruits.

If you need to serve a really big crowd, a Cupcake Flag (pictured above) is a great option. You can make it as big as you need to, whether you’re going to serve 36 cupcakes or 136. To infuse some extra color into your cupcakes, try making rainbow cupcakes with just red, white and blue layers, then using those cakes as the base for the flag.

Mother’s Day is a big brunch holiday. It falls on a Sunday, so there is ample opportunity to sleep in, and going out to brunch takes a lot of the “what should we do today?” question out of the occasion. Restaurants are packed for Mother’s Day brunch, so it is bound to be less expensive and more relaxing to stay home, eat and relax (and open Mother’s Day presents!). Since you’re eating in, there will probably be plenty of time to fuss with a fancy meal, but keep in mind that your mmom probably just wants to spend time with you, so it might be a good idea to choose dishes that are not high-maintenance and/or can be made in advance.

A Cheesey Egg Casserole is a rich, tasty brunch dish that can be made in advance. The casserole can be halved for a small group, but the leftovers taste great, too, if you decide to make the whole thing. A fritatta or crustless quiche can be an easy to  prep option, and one that gives you lots of freedom as to what to include in it. Eggs-in-Toast need to be made at the last minute, but look very cute if it’s just you and mom for breakfast.

Sugar Donut Muffins taste very decadent, and better than many storebought donuts. Coconut Scones, Strawberry Scones and Meyer Lemon Scones are also nice munching options, and recipes for full-sized scones can be used to make minis by cutting each piece in half and reducing the baking time. For a richer brunch pastry, Easy Cinnamon Bun Bread is a great option that requires almost no babysitting. Classic MonkeyBread might be even better than cinnamon buns, but is best for serving to a big group, as it is so easy to share.

Don’t forget that a good pot of coffee, fresh oj and some champagne will really finish of the breakfast

Happy Easter everyone! And if you’re not celebrating the holiday, I certainly hope that you still took the time to enjoy the morning. I was lucky enough to end up with some lovely, warm spring weather for brunch! I already mentioned a lot of brunch items I was planning on serving, but I wanted to add one to the list: Strawberry Jam Crumb Coffee Cake. There is a picture of a slice from the newest batch above, and I updated the original recipe post with the new photo.The cake is easy to make and the jam - not jelly - swirl through the middle adds a lot of sweetness and extra flavor to the cake. The buttery topping is crunchy on top, and helps to give the cake a really rich texture (as some of that butter melts down into the cake as it bakes).

Brunch will probably always be one of my favorite meals because you can serve just about anything and it will be absolutely appropriate for the occasion. Breakfast food, lunch dishes, muffins, pastries, desserts and boozy drinks all fit nicely into the category. Easter has always been one of my favorite brunching occasions because, most years, it is warm enough to sit outside and it really begins to feel like spring. And, of course, lots of chocolates and Easter eggs are also pluses for the holiday.

I usually do at least one egg dish for brunch, since I hollow out eggs before I dye them and don’t like to waste all those eggs. A crustless quiche is my current favorite eggy recipe, either with Sausage and Mushroom or Spinach, Onion and Feta for vegetarians. They’re good served at room temperature, so they can be made ahead. I also like to make a few veggies to put out, like steamed broccoli and roasted asparagus, and maybe a side of coleslaw if it’s a big group.

Once I have the mains, I like to make some breakfast pastries and desserts. Hot Cross Buns and Meyer Lemon Scones will be on the menu this year, as well as Crumb Cake and Cadbury Creme Egg Muffins. A big Easter Egg Braided Bread is easier to make than it looks, and very dramatic on the table. Peeps Cupcakes, Easter Egg Shortbread Cookies and Peanut Butter Cup Easter Eggs are very festive additions (as if there wasn’t enough sugar involved in the holiday already)!.