5-Ingredient Blueberry-Peach Crumb Cake

Everyone needs an easy recipe in their back pocket for making the most of fresh summer fruit. Something quick, delicious and almost mindless to make. This sweet, buttery blueberry-peach coffee cake is the simplest of treats, perfect for any lazy morning or special occasion...

DIY Bridesmaid Proposal Macaron Message!

No one can say no to a delicious-elegant French macaron, especially from Laduree! Which is why I strategically proposed to a bridesmaid for our upcoming wedding with this adorable edible message. Looking for a DIY bridesmaid proposal for your own wedding? This is the perfect place to start...

On The GHRI Blog: 3 Homemade Father's Day Gift Ideas—Easy (Edible) DIYs!

Eeks! Only a few more days until Father's Day. Do you know what you're gifting to your pop and/or hubby yet? If not, I have a few thoughts for you: I just posted these 3 easy gift ideas on the Good Housekeeping blog and they're all winners (you can even download the gift tags for free)! Pick between Homemade Green Hot Sauce, Spicy Peppercorn Rub for steak and Salted Beer Caramels made with Dad's favorite beer, recipe below! Head over to the Good Housekeeping website for the other 2 recipes...

SALTED BEER CARAMELS

MAKES: about 2 dozen  

Cooking spray

1 stick salted butter

1 cup packed dark-brown sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

3/4 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup Brown Ale or other beer

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Line an 8-inch-square baking dish with parchment paper and lightly coat with cooking spray; set aside. 

2. Heat the butter and brown sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until melted. 

3. Stir in the corn syrup, heavy cream and beer until combined. 

4. Clip a candy thermometer onto the saucepan and continue to cook about 10 minutes or until the thermometer registers 240˚F (soft-ball stage). Immediately remove from the heat; stir in the vanilla and 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt, depending on desired saltiness. 

5. Pour caramel into the prepared pan and set aside until set but still soft, about 1 hour. Remove caramel from the baking dish using the parchment paper; transfer to a cutting board. Cut caramel into small rectangles and wrap each with parchment paper.

If any Dads out there would like to weigh in and tell us what (else) they'd really love to get for Father's Day, leave it in the comments—I'm dying to know!

Summer Hostess Gifts, Like Olive Oil Granola—My Latest On Refinery29!

Good morning, all! Quick question for you: Do you have any big summer plans? I feel like summer always slips away before I can plan anything! Does that happen to you, too? Or do you already have some incredible trips, events, adventures lined up—I'd love to know! 

Easy Easter Snack: Pistachio-Coated Rice Krispies Treat Eggs (Crunchy)!

Happy Friday, lovely friends! Yesterday I shared the video of the test kitchen gals and two fabulous blogger making egg-themed DIYs for Easter. I'd love to tell you a little bit more about one of the eggs I demoed, if you're interested:

Little Things: Sweets From A Snowy Dinner at Torrisi Italian Specialities!

Here's a look inside the little treat box we were sent home with following a snowy dinner at Torrisi Italian Specialities last night (warm chive-butter gnocchi while watching Mulberry St. turn snowy white—pretty magical!). What a lovely way to end a meal, wouldn't you agree? It got me thinking: Maybe I should start making goodie bags for our dinner guests. What do you think! Do you send friends and family home with a little something after a dinner party? I'd love to know. Oh! And here are some edible gift packaging supplies I'm thinking of stocking up on, if you're interested xo Erin

simple white boxes / sheer navy ribbon / orange tasting spoons / white gift tag / favor cones / ice cream container 

Super Easy Last-Minute Valentine's Day Gift: Homemade Chile Vodka!

There's 1 more day until V-Day, lovely friends! Here's one last homemade gift idea before you're really on your own :) I'm not a huge fan of spicy booze but I get it, it's kind of a boy-thing. You can make this Chile-Infused Vodka tonight and your valentine will never know you left their present to the last minute....nicely done, you!

How-To Turn Regular Ol' Brownies Into Conversation Hearts!

Valentine's Day-mania is almost over, I promise! I do get carried away but but I'll level with you: I often get so wrapped up in sharing sugar-sweet ideas with my lovely blog friends that I leave my own Valentine's Day baking and planning to the last minute—and inevitably end up scrambling to pull something together (sorry boyfriend). It happens every year!

How To Make: The Best Homemade Limoncello Ever!

We sipped a bit of the ice cold limoncello we made for gifting this year to toast a holiday season well done—and my goodness was it delightful! Boozy, tart and just-sweet-enough, I'm very thankful we saved a bottle for ourselves. Here's how you can make it at home...

HOMEMADE LIMONCELLO
MAKES: about 2 to 3 dozen servings

1 (750 ml) bottle vodka (cheap stuff is totally fine!)
Zest of 10 to 12 lemons, peeled in wide strips
2 cups granulated sugar

1. Put the vodka and lemon zest in a tightly sealed container and set aside at room temperature for at least 1 week or up to 2 months, shaking the container occasionally. 
2. Strain the lemon-flavored vodka into a clean pitcher or container; discard the zest. 
3. Heat the sugar and 2 cups water in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolved. Cool completely. 
4. Gradually stir the simple syrup into the lemon-flavored vodka until you reach the desired sweetness. Transfer to a tightly sealed bottle and store in the freezer for months!

Note: I decided to try Martha Stewart's fabric-wrapped wine bottle technique for packaging the limoncello. I really liked how they came out but boyfriend still argues they looked like molotov cocktails...

Edible Gift Idea: Snowy Mini Almond Pound Cakes!

Hi there! How are you all holding up? I don't know about you but I've been stressing a bit about my gifting list. There are so many people I 'd like to give a little something to for the holidays but my present-buying-fund is already stretched thin! Edible gifts are the obvious answer but they can be kind of cheesy, right? I mean, how many times have you given/received cookie-mix-in-a-jar?! 

I'd rather get/give a little something that's simple, beautiful and really well made—like a treat you'd get as a parting gift at a très-chic restaurant here in NYC. These mini almond pound cakes come to mind. We made them for a big meeting here at the magazine but I think they'd be perfect as a little Christmas love token as well. What do you think?


ALMOND POUND CAKE 
Adapted from the Good Housekeeping Great Baking Cookbook 

2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
Sliced almonds and confectioners' sugar, for decorating (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 325˚. Grease and flour a 9-by-5-inch metal loaf pan (or grease small disposable loaf pans, as seen in the photo—about 5 per recipe). 
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Beat the butter with a mixer on medium speed until creamy. Add the sugar and beat until light and creamy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and almond extracts. Reduce the mixer speed to low, add the flour mixture and beat until just combined.
3. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan; sprinkle sliced almond on top. Bake 1 hour or until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a rack 10 minutes, then run a small knife around the sides of the pan to loosen and invert to remove. Cool completely. Dust with confectioners' sugar.