4th of July Star Sugar Cookies

4th of July has been my favorite American holiday since I moved to the States 6 years ago! I went a little wild last night and made a batch of these fun sugar cookies. My husband helped with decorating, so we ended up having a 4th of July blast. These cookies are ideal for decorating. They hold their shape in the oven perfectly. They are not soft flaky type of cookies, but are a bit crackery. You'll find them very easy to work with when decorating.

Yield about 50 cookies

Cookie Dough

• 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup vegan butter, softened
• 1/4 cup vanilla soy or almond milk
• 1 tsp vanilla 
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (plus more for dusting)
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cream of tartar

Icing

• 2 cups powdered sugar 
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 tbsp soy or almond milk
• Sprinkles (optional)

*Depending on how you will decorate your cookies, you may need to double or triple the icing recipe.

1. Carefully beat powdered sugar with vegan butter, soy milk, and vanilla. In a separate bowl whisk flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Add the flour mixture into the butter mixture and blend until the dough is evenly combined. Don't overdo the dough. Wrap the dough in a plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.

2. Preheat oven to 375F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Dust the working space with flour. Divide the dough into two parts and roll each part into a thin sheet. Use your cookie cutter to cut out the stars. Place the cut out cookies onto the parchment sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 7 minutes. If your cookies are larger, you might want to add a minute or two but be careful to not overdo on the heat. Cool the cookies completely.

3. To prepare the icing, combine powdered sugar, vanilla and soy milk until the mixture is smooth. I've made a triple recipe of the icing and colored two parts with food coloring.

4. Use your wild imagination to decorate the cookies! It's the best part of the whole process.

4th of July Jello Flag

There is nothing better than jello, fruit, and whipped cream on a hot summer night! This is the easiest dessert you can make for the 4th of July celebrations. Kids and adults love it!

• 1 6 oz pack of red jello
• 2 16-oz packs fresh strawberries
• 1 cup of blueberries plus more for decorating
• 8 oz tub of Cool Whip

1. Follow instructions on the jello package to combine jello mix with water. Stir well and refrigerate for 10 minutes. 

2. Slice each strawberry in 4-6 thin pieces. Divide the strawberries in half. Arrange 1/2 the strawberries and 1 cup of blueberries on the bottom of a rectangular baking dish. Pour the jello mixture over the berries. Refrigerate for 4 hours on until the jello is set. 

3. When ready to serve, spread Cool Whip over the jello. Arrange the rest of the strawberries and blueberries in the form of a flag. Serve immediately. 

Easter Sugar Cookies

Easter is my most favorite holiday! Before I joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I was a Russian Orthodox. The Orthodox hold a strict fast for 40 days before Easter during which they contemplate the life of Jesus Christ. They exclude animal products from their diet and some even exclude any food that brings pleasure, like pastry, chocolate, sweets, or white bread. I loved doing the strict Fast even though it was very difficult for me and probably wasn't too good for my health. By Easter I was normally starved to death and ready to start eating normal food again. The day before Easter my family would normally make delicious savory dishes and bake all kinds of desserts. One Easter Sunday, I was so starved that I ate too much and got real sick. My parents had to call the ambulance :) I had no regrets though!

These are soft sugar cookies that are so fun to make as a family. There is absolutely nothing healthy about them. In fact, you may even go into a sugar shock, so I recommend to pace yourselves and not eat too many of them. Happy Easter, everyone!

Makes 15-20 cookies

Dough

• 1/2 cup butter, softened (plant-based butter also works)
• 2/3 cup cane sugar
• 1 egg (1/4 cup applesauce also works)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• a pinch of salt

Frosting

• 1/4 cup milk (almond milk also works)
• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• food coloring
• shredded coconut

1. Preheat oven to 350F. In a medium bowl combine butter with sugar. Use a fork to mix them together and fluff them up. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture into the butter mixture and mix well.

2. Line a baking sheet with tin foil. Using your hands, form dough into small 1-inch balls. Place them on the baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

3. To prepare the frosting, combine milk, butter, and vanilla. Gradually stir in powdered sugar until you reach the desired thickness. Apply food coloring as desired. I divided the frosting into three parts and dyed each with 1-2 drops of blue, yellow, and red food coloring to achieve pastel colors.

4. Dip each cookie into the frosting. Sprinkle with shredded coconut. Place dipped cookies into the fridge to allow the frosting to set quickly. Enjoy!

Irish Colcannon With Kale

I made Irish Colcannon for St. Patrick's, but you don't have to wait until St. Patrick's to enjoy this dish of mashed potatoes and kale. It is delicious as a side dish. I'm also thinking of using it on my Shepherd's Pie instead of regular mashed potatoes.

Traditionally, Colcannon was cooked on Halloween and used to predict marriage or wealth. A small prize was hidden inside of it. I found this cute Irish folk song composed about Colcannon.  

"Did you ever eat Colcannon, made from lovely pickled cream?
With the greens and scallions mingled like a picture in a dream.
Did you ever make a hole on top to hold the melting flake
Of the creamy, flavoured butter that your mother used to make?"

And the more I think about it sure the nearer I'm to cry.

Oh, wasn't it the happy days when troubles we had not,
And our mothers made Colcannon in the little skillet pot."
"Yes you did, so you did, so did he and so did I.

•  4 Russet large potatoes, peeled and boiled (reserve some liquid if you like your potatoes not as thick)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk
• 2 oz vegan butter
• 1 10-oz package kale, hard stems removed
• 1 bunch green onions, finely chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Mash potatoes with soy milk and vegan butter. If you like them a little less thick, add some of the reserved liquid.

2. Blanch kale in boiling water for 1-2 minutes. Drain. Pulse in a food processor 15-20 seconds. Stir into the potatoes. Mix in the green onions. Season to taste.