Happy Fourth of July

What a day to start off this blog-thinger on.

Today I woke up at 11am and decided to finish baking the tarts I started last night. I adapted an old recipe from USDA to make it for a sweet pastry shell.

• 1 c u p flour
• 1 /2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg yolk

Baked at 425 for around 10 minutes. I used a cupcake pan, filled halfway. I really had no idea what I was doing there, but decided to go by feel. I think it still turned out okay. I did have a problem with burnt edges, but that happens a lot to me. I made a blueberry tart/pie filling that I found online with just some cornstarch, sugar, and blueberries. This is a college dorm after all, and I don't have all the supplies on hand that I wish I did. Okay, enough baking info.

I went out to brunch at Joe Jr.'s because I was craving Good 'ole American food. There's something special about paying $10 and under for a gigantic meal that's not mindblowing, but just satisfying.

We headed down to Battery Park for a free concert featuring Conor Oberst and Jenny Lewis (of Rilo Kiley) as part of the River to River summer series. It was nice being able to just lay down and sun-nap for a little while listening to live music.

At 6pm, we left to go to Penn Station and head over to the West bank to see the annual Macy's Fourth of July fireworks, which took place over the Hudson this year to celebrate the 400th yr discovery of the Hudson River. It was super crowded, but we managed to nab a spot by 40th street. A few friends came and joined us later on, and much snacking and picture taking ensued.

At promtly 9:20pm the fireworks began. It was a great 30-minute display.





We went back to a friend's apartment and had red white and blue (organic) cake while watching The Alamo. A nice nighttime walk back to Union Square brings me to where I am now: 3am, tired, but happy.

h a p p y 4th <3>