some people bake on christmas

i, for one, like to bake on the 4th of july

why?

oh i don't know. shrug.

my old roommate abby once insisted that we make apple pie on the 4th.

she lives in the netherlands now.

(i hope she still got some pie. dutch pie or whatever they've got over there.)

the point is, this whole overly-ambitious-baking thing is becoming somewhat of a tradition for me on this favorite holiday of mine.

last year's creation:

(recipe? nah, i totally invented this myself. C is for Champion, kids!)

this year's beauty:

(recipe here. holy hannah, it's labor-intensive...but fun. yes, fun. and delicious.)