Happy Independence Day!

I’m typically not the most “patriotic” of individuals, but I do love my country and I do love a good holiday. I got up early this morning to get started on some festive cupcakes and everything else that was involved in our feast for the 4th. As you will now see, I’ve also been having fun with photoshop effects.

And thank goodness my mom was around too. She helped me ice my cupcakes (she’s WAY better at it than I am!).

And she got to work on other dishes for our meal.

And Ashley helped me out with quality control. She was the official cupcake tester.

Our dinner consisted of BBQ pulled pork, grilled corn, texas toast, potato salad, and BBQ baked beans. Perfect summer meal! For an appetizer I tried out making kale chips for the first time.

Guys, these were SO GOOD! I don’t know what took me so long in trying them. My family enjoyed a big bowl of them, including Ashley!

I would highly recommend them for a quick, healthy, and fun snack. They are really crunchy and kind of addictive, like potato chips.

Classic Kale Chips

• 1 bunch fresh kale
• olive oil for drizzling
• balsamic vinegar for drizzling
• salt and pepper to taste

-Rinse the kale and remove all of the stems. Break the leaves up into large pieces (they will shrink in the oven to become more bite sized).

-Drizzle enough olive oil and vinegar over the kale to lightly coat it (I used about 3 T. of olive oil and 2 T. of balsamic). Toss gently with your hands to coat all the leaves.

-Spread the leaves evenly over a cookie sheet or two in a single layer. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste over the leaves. Bake in a 250 degree oven for 20-25 minutes, until the leaves are nice and crunchy and brown.

While dinner was taking care of itself on the grill

I finished up decorating these delicious cupcakes, which I had a blast making. I got the recipe from my mom and they turned out perfectly.

Red, White, and Blue Cupcakes

For the cake:

• 1/2 c. butter
• 2 c. sugar
• 1/2 c. oil
• 4 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 c. milk
• 2 c. cake flour
• 2 t. baking powder
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/2 c. pureed strawberries

-Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the oil and then the eggs, one at a time, with the mixer on low.

-Mix together the flour, salt, and baking powder in a separate bowl.

-Add the milk and the flour a little at a time, alternating, until they are both incorporated into the batter. Add in the strawberries and mix on medium speed for a few minutes, until the batter is very smooth and creamy in appearance.

-Scoop the batter into a greased and lined cupcake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Makes 2 dozen cupcakes.

For the icing:

• 4 T. butter
• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 1/4 c. pureed strawberries, drained
• 5 c. powdered sugar
• fresh strawberries and blueberries for topping

-Cream the butter and cream cheese in your mixer on high until they are fluffy and completely combined. Add the powdered sugar a cup at a time with the mixer on medium speed. Add in the strawberries and mix on high for a few minutes until the icing is smooth and has no visible lumps.

-Ice cupcakes and top with berries as desired.

I stole one before dinner but we’re officially having dessert when we come back from fireworks, which we’re leaving for right now!

I hope you’re having a great 4th! Thanks for reading!

-Lauren