Photo of the Day - Friday

Check out some more photographs from my day up in Rhinebeck with my mom. The Beekman Arms is America's oldest continuously-operating inn. Great spot for an overnight stay or stop in for lunch.

This store was so cool - we wanted to buy everything! Really unique artist designs and home furnishings. Check out this great frame wall arrangement.

Photo of the Day - Thursday

So, this post was supposed to be sent in for the Tasty Tools scoop event run by Joelen. Only I missed the deadline and...the round-up is already posted. Oops.

But these still look good! And here is the best part: Coconut Macaroons - only 5 ingredients! That seems to be a theme around here lately.

The recipe is from Ina Garten and since it was my first time making this macaroon recipe - I stuck to it pretty closely. They came out great and made for a perfect quick dessert. Click here for the recipe.

Tips:

1. Be sure to really mound each cookie - my first batch spread an awful lot because I was a bit lazy and didn't really mound the coconut. Make them almost ball-like because they will spread a bit on the bottom during cooking.

2. When you make the first batch, find the balance between the color of the bottom of the cookie and the doneness of the inside. I found that the bottoms browned fairly quickly, before the inside was fully cooked. I adjusted my oven rack and they came out a bit better. Tip #1 also helps with browning. You'll figure it out with the first batch.

3. You can make them a bit smaller than the recipe calls for - I found the giant ones to look really good but maybe a bit too big. I mean, its all coconut all the time - you don't want to choke on it!

4. These cookies get softer after being stored overnight. They were still good, but better texture the day that they were made.

5. Experiment! Next time, I'm dipping mine in dark chocolate. I think some nuts mixed in or stuck to the chocolate would be delicious too.

Photo of the Day - Wednesday

Today's photo is random - my current cookbook collection. I have a ton more packed up in boxes, but here is what is on my shelf right now in our apartment. So let's hear the comments :) I know you see that Rachael Ray cookbook there (I actually have not used that one much, but I have made several recipes from her original cookbook)!

My favorites of the bunch are probably the Ina Garten book and Martha's Baking Handbook. Dorie Greenspan's Paris Sweets book and Nigella Lawson's Domestic Goddess book are more recent additions that I have not had a chance to get into yet.

Photo of the Day - Tuesday

Check out my mom's birthday cake - doctored-up cake mix with homemade frosting = totally delicious! I only make it once a year because its kind of annoying to make, but what my mom wants, she gets.... :)

I have to get to sleep right now, but if anyone is interested in the recipe (strawberry cake with awesome cream cheese frosting), leave me a message in the comments or drop me a line and I'll pass it along!

Photo of the Day - Monday

Sorry for my absence everyone - bag blogger this week. Just no time - but being busy has its benefits - it means that I have tons to blog about this week!

I decided to do a photograph of the day on both my blogs this week. I'm a bit late for Monday's post, but we are just going to pretend that I'm not 10 hours late and I'll post another for today later on. Hope all is well with everyone out there!

Spring is here in full force in the Northeast - the flowering trees are blooming everywhere and they are just gorgeous this year. Here is my capture of a pink dogwood up in Rhinebeck, New York last weekend.

Feel free to check out my other blog to see what photographs are posted there each day this week!