Red, White & Blue Desserts for the Fourth

 It's a grand old flag and it jiggles! 

Look what the Browneyedbaker has done with Jello just in time for the Fourth of July.

I love the stained glass effect and how fun these cute little stars are for big and little kids alike. 

Want to make some of your own? Hop on over to BEB for the recipe and more festive pics.

Need more inspiration?

Over at Bon Appetit, they've got a slide show of patriotic desserts that make me want to grab my spoon and dig in - now.

Their Orange Layer Cake with Buttercream Frosting and Fresh Berries has me pledging allegiance. Ditto for the Red Velvet Cake, also with berries of the red and blue persuasion.

For star appeal, try their recipe for White Balsamic Custard Tart with Fresh Berries.  Or perhaps the Strawberry-Blueberry Napoleons, another revolutionary dessert.

Happy Independence Day!

Get the grill out: it's burger time on Fourth of July

 Usually when I grill, I get this overwhelming desire to throw every meat imaginable on the fire.

Lately, however, I've taken a more single-minded approach.  I'm thinking about simplicity, about the beauty of a classic: the burger.

For the Fourth of July, when the skies cloud with blue and aromatic smoke all across these United States, I wanted to share a few burger recipes that I'll be sampling in my quest for the perfect juicy all-meat patty.

I love the rich flavor of lamb and what could be cooler and fresher than a chutney of English cucumber, yogurt and mint. (Epicurious)

Leave it to Emeril to kick it up a notch.  Here's Lagasse's Tuna Burger for the seafood lovers in your crowd.

Of course, the doyenne of domesticity, Martha Stewart, weighs in with this big Best Beef Burger packing little more than the ground chuck. This all-beef biggie is the one for the purists.

Finally, for the artist lurking in the dark heart of my little kitchen, the Scratch Burger. Labor intensive, this recipe takes on every tiny detail from grinding the beef fresh to making the perfect bun. (The Washington Post).