picture via Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum

Cruise ships may have bowling alleys, rock climbing walls and putting greens, but the ships docked around Manhattan this week for Fleet Week tower over them. Especially the USS New York. Made from steel from the Twin Towers, it is not to be missed. With activities for everyone including watching the movie Top Gun on the deck of the Intrepid, don’t miss the opportunity to see these huge ships in person. And of course to thank the men and women of the Armed Services that you are bound to see both on and off the ships this weekend.

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Here are a few of my favorite:

Congratulations again to Jaclyn and Sam. What a wonderful collection of photographs to remember this beautiful day.

To see the rest of the photos, click here.

All photos by Henry Chan

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With some amazing views of NYC, Sky Bar is a great option for those nights when you are looking for a rooftop bar. On Wednesday June 8, it will be the location of the SLE Lupus Foundation Night for the Fight annual fundraiser.  There will be food, drinks and of course some fabulous raffle prizes.

“The majority of people with lupus—90 percent—are female, and most first develop signs and symptoms of the illness between the ages of 15 and 44.”  So support a great cause, even if you can’t attend.

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Ok, I admit, I did wake up at 5:30 this morning to watch the pageantry of the Royal wedding. I have to say that her dress was just perfect. But what I loved most was how happy the couple looked. This picture from the Huffington Post really captured that.

No one I know is going to the wedding, but Ali over at Paperyandcakery has shown us how we can have a taste of our own version of the Royal Biscuit Cake. Thanks for sharing.

What were your impressions of the wedding and of course of THE dress?

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Continuing on some spring activity ideas, check out something that has been on my to do list for awhile. While the Metropolitan Museum of Art is well known for the massive collection of art and artifacts stored and on display inside, this spring enjoy part of its collection outside. Anthony Caro’s sculptures will be on display through October on the roof of the museum. Make sure not to miss wonderful views of Central Park while viewing the works. After viewing his amazing sculptures, stay for a bite and a drink at the Roof Garden Cafe and Martini Bar.

photos courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art website.

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Yesterday was such a beautiful sunny day, it got me really excited for the Spring and Summer ahead. All this rainy weather had made me forget how many fun things there are to do in the area. So I thought I would share some of my favorites over the next few days.

One great tour I went on last year was of Bannerman’s Island. Located on the Hudson River, the island is actually called Pollepel Island. It is referred to as Bannerman’s because ammunitions dealer, David Bannerman built a storage facility on the island. The building looked more like a castle, which became known as Bannerman’s Island because he painted the name on its side as a form of advertising for all those sailing by. The castle, now in serious need of repair, and its grounds are an amazing site. A tour to the island includes a boat ride from Cold Spring, New York, which is a quaint town and a great place to enjoy lunch.

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Vacations are for sleeping late. But when you can do something as cool as ride in a hot air balloon, I am willing to bend the rules. Last week while my husband and I were in Napa, we went on a ride with Balloons above the Valley. With a meeting time of 6:15, I wasn’t too happy when the alarm went off, but it was all worth it about an hour later when I got to see this amazing view. This company actual has baskets that hold 12-24 people. We were in one with 22 others plus the pilot. The weather was very cool, but the combination of the heat from the propane and the excitement of literally flying over the Napa Valley, it wasn’t too bad. There were plenty of other balloons out that morning, which made the view even more beautiful.

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Looking to support your favorite college, NBA or MLB team?  Look no further than Old Navy. The store that is easy on your wallet, is allowing you to look great on game day, but with their regular low price.

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How cool is this?? It is a wedding invitation that when folded and turned various ways, it is an actual working record!!!

See the story behind this amazing creation on Mashable.

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I have a very large sweet tooth and one of my favorite seasonal indulgences is a Cadbury Creme Egg. I usually only have one or two a year, but they are so delicious. When I saw this homemade version from Ashley over at Not Without Salt, my jaw dropped because I am sure it is way better than the one from the store. Plus, you can pronounce all the ingredients! As all her recipes do, this one comes with jaw dropping photos.

Please let me know if you try your hand at this.

photo via Not Without Salt

Full recipe after the jump.

Homemade Cadbury Creme Eggs

inspired by this version seen on instructables.com

½ cup Lyle’s Golden Syrup
¾ stick (6 tablespoons) butter, softened
½ teaspoon salt
3 drops orange blossom water (optional)
1 vanilla bean, seeds removed (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cup powdered sugar
¼- ½ teaspoon yellow food color
12 oz dark chocolate, chopped (or 1 bag Ghirardelli 60% chips)

Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer that has been fitted with the paddle attachment (this can easily be done by hand or with a hand mixer). Add the Golden Syrup, salt, orange blossom water (if using), vanilla seeds and vanilla. Mix on medium-low to combine. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to make sure everything is mixed well.

Turn the mixer to low and slowly add the powdered sugar. Mix until completely smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

Place ? of the mixture into a small bowl and add enough food color to obtain desired color.
Cover both bowls with plastic wrap and put into the freezer for at least 15 minutes. It is necessary that this mixture be very cold while working with it.

Continue this process until all your eggs are complete. Return to the freezer.
While your eggs are chilling temper your chocolate (David Lebovitz has a great post on tempering chocolate).

Or melt the chocolate in a microwave at 30 second intervals stirring very well in between. Add 1 tablespoon canola oil to the chocolate and stir well. This gives you a little more flexibility with the chocolate eliminating some of the need for precise tempering. You will not, however get as nice of a crack as you bite into the egg.

Working with one egg at a time, remove the egg from the freezer and stick a toothpick in it. Dip the egg into the chocolate and carefully let the excess chocolate drip off. Place the toothpick into something – like a yam perhaps – while the chocolate sets.

Place the chocolate covered egg into the fridge for 10 minutes while the chocolate sets.

Carefully remove the toothpick from the egg and cover up the small hole with a little bit of tempered chocolate.

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