(Cake from Richard Gere, and chef Brian Lewis of the Bedford Post.)
From MarthaStewart.com
Icy Vodka:
A bottle of icy vodka makes a dramatic bar decoration when it's encased in a frozen layer of colorful flowers and fruit.Place a full bottle into a fully opened cardboard half-gallon milk carton. Insert flowers or thinly sliced fruit (we've used nasturtiums, lemons, and limes) around the bottle, filling one third of the carton. Pour water into the container, just covering the fruit and flowers. Place the carton upright in the freezer. When the liquid is completely frozen, add another layer of fruit and very cold water, and freeze. Repeat, filling and freezing a third of the carton at a time, which prevents all the fruit and flowers from floating to the top until the water reaches the bottle's neck. Remove from the freezer when it's time to serve the vodka: Cut away the milk carton with a utility knife; wrap a dinner napkin around the bottle's base, and serve the vodka with slices of lemon zest tied in knots.
Ice Cream Scoop on a Stick
Make multiples of these scoops-on-a-stick and you won't have to spoon ice cream, one serving at a time, in the middle of a party. Using a small (1 1/2-inch) ice cream scoop, dole out balls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Insert a craft spoon into each, and place in the freezer. Chill until hardened. Roll scoops in sprinkles, toasted coconut, or crushed nuts or candies, and store them in the freezer on a freshly lined baking sheet.
Fire and Water Center Piece
To create this illuminating centerpiece, place a glass vase inside another that is slightly larger (secure them with floral adhesive), and then pour tinted water in between them. Pillar candles are best for this project; not only are they pretty, but their weight will further anchor the interior vase. For added light play, make a series of these centerpieces in different shades of the same hue (a few extra drops of food coloring will yield the desired contrast).
Flavorful Skewers
With its sturdy stalk, rosemary makes a great skewer, infusing grilled food with its garden-fresh flavor. Soak stalks for a half hour before adding meat, fish, or vegetables. You may need to poke through the food first with a metal skewer.
Quick Jar Covers
Decorating jars of homemade preserves is a cinch with cupcake wrappers, available in many patterns and colors at the grocery store. Invert two (for opacity), and place them on top of your jar. Use a rubber band to hold them in place; tie with waxed twine or ribbon, and remove rubber band.
Sundae Party Fortune Tellers
Celebrate summer with a colorful sundae party, setting out toppings in fortune-tellers, those folded-paper staples of childhood.
Fortune-Teller How-To
1. Place a 12-inch square of parchment or glassine on a face-down piece of patterned paper that's the same size. Fold in half diagonally, and unfold. Fold on the other diagonal, and unfold.
2. Fold in each corner to the center point, forming a smaller square.
3. Turn paper over, and fold in all corners so they meet, forming an even smaller square.
4. Fold square in half horizontally to form a rectangle; crease, and unfold so you are back at the square. Fold in half vertically; crease, and unfold.
5. Turn square over, and slip one finger under each flap. Press your fingers -- and the points of the fortune-teller -- together to form pockets. Place point side down, turn down flap of each pocket, and fill with desired sundae toppings.
Refrigerator Brewed Iced-Tea
When even boiling water raises a sweat, brew refreshing iced tea in the refrigerator. Fill a glass jar or pitcher with cold water and a few bags of your favorite tea, and let them steep in the icebox overnight. Remove the teabags and add garnishes, such as citrus in black tea, fresh berries in berry tea, or mint leaves in green tea. Tea is most flavorful -- and wholesome -- when freshly brewed, so don't leave it sitting out for more than eight hours.
Prevent Ice Cream Drops
Use this trick to keep ice cream from dripping out of the bottom of a cone: Drop in a mini marshmallow or two before you add your scoops.
Happy Birthday Martha :)
