A Stars and Plaid Independence Day

Hurray for the Red, White and Blue!  I love Independence Day!  A day to celebrate our freedom and the many blessings we enjoy, even in these trying times!

The plaid patchwork quilt came straight off the bed of one of our guest rooms.  It used to belong to my son, John.  Well, just for today, it's gonna do double duty as our tablecloth!

Let's start things off with some watermelon stars and blueberries.  They were surprisingly easy and fast to do, and they look so festive!

See what happens?  Give me an inch and I'll take the whole arm!  The watermelon stars turned out so well, that I decided to make apple stars for the sangria.  Ugh!  What did I get myself into?  The process was painfully time consuming.  The apple wedges were barely big enough to get one star out of each wedge.  For the thrifty souls among you, don't worry, we turned the discarded apple pieces into delicious juice.

We soaked the apple stars in lots of lemon juice to keep them from turning brown, then incorporated them into the sangria.  It was delicious!

I have to confess that we wimped out and added a 20-oz. bottle of Sprite to the sangria.  It was too hot for alcohol, and we're not big drinkers anyway.

Red Cambria Stoneware dishes, American Star Flag napkins and Bistro Flatware all came from Pottery Barn.  The chargers came from Pier 1, they were originally hot pink, and were spray painted in this soft ivory.

Our guests could snack on some treats while the rest of the lunch was prepared.  In addition to the watermelon and blueberry, we had pretzels, popcorn and dark chocolate-covered almonds.  A little juicy, a little salt, a little sweet, a little chocolate.  All the bases were covered.

Red, white and blue . . . and berries, too!  I am forever on the lookout for cute cocktail napkins.  

Have you ever seen Gerbera daisies in such a brilliant red?  I didn't have to work very hard at putting together a centerpiece for this table.  With these beauties, anything else seemed redundant.

Voilà!  The table is set.  Given the pandemic, I was thankful to be able to pull all these pretty things out of storage without having to shop.

We grilled the most amazing shrimp.  Here's the recipe:  2 pounds of extra large shrimp, peel and deveined.  Make the marinade with ½ cup honey, 6 tablespoons low-sodium tamari sauce, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 6-8 garlic cloves, peeled and minced (be lavish with the garlic!), and ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes.  Add the marinade to the shrimp and refrigerate for 4 hours in a plastic bag, turning occasionally.  Skewer the shrimp and cook on the hot grill for 3 minutes on each side.  You've got to try this!

We served it with Spanish rice, corn on-the-cob, and cornbread.  

These are, hands down, our favorite corn holders - and we've owned a lot of them.  Our kids loved corn-on-the-cob, and we made it frequently.  Consequently, we went through a lot of corn holders.  They are generally rather flimsy, and the tines break off after a few uses.  The clear acrylic with brilliant colors, and the fact that they interlock with each other for storage are nice features, too!  I bought them at Whole Foods, but they are available at other supermarkets as well.

Among my favorite memories of our trips to Italy are the wonderful cakes that hotels serve for breakfast.  When we travel abroad we prefer eating a hearty breakfast at the hotel before heading out for a day of sightseeing.  These cakes tend to be a bit on the dry side and not overly sweet.  They are meant to accompany a great cappuccino.

A Cherry Almond Cake was just the ticket.  My husband was very helpful in photographing a few shots for this post, while I was busy getting lunch ready.

Aha!  So this is why he was being so helpful . . .

Easy, Tiger!  We've got to keep this G-Rated!

Anyway, the cake turned out delicious.  I used a yellow box cake mix, added almond extract and fresh cherries.  Then, I covered the batter with sliced almonds.  When the cake cooled, it was covered with powder sugar.

These days, I don't wear makeup for just anybody.  We got up early to watch the neighborhood's Independence Day car parade.  We wanted to support our association, that has worked so hard to keep the neighbors engaged, and safe during this pandemic.

One more picture with my hubby because he's a cutie pie, and has made the day tremendously fun for me.

And one more picture of the Gerbera daisies because, flowers.  I hope your holiday was fantastic!

A Patriotic Celebration!

What would it be like to have dinner with one of the Founding Fathers . . . say, Benjamin Franklin . . . ?

Oh, to be treated to that razor-sharp wit - as long as it wasn't directed at me, of course!  So many sayings we use nowadays were coined by the clever Mr. Franklin!  Here's one of my favorite quotes:  “Wine is constant proof that God loves us and loves to see us happy.”  A man after my own heart!  Do you have a favorite BF quote?

We tried the Cabernet Sauvignon with Mr. Franklin's portrait on the label to make an Apple-Berry Sangría.  I wonder if he ever tasted sangría.  Did you know that the word sangría is a derivative of sanguis, the Latin word for blood?  Literally, it means bleeding.

A Spaniard of long ago might have said to his tavern keeper:  “¡Prepara una sangría!” (Prepare a bleeding!), meaning, of course, “Prepare a pitcher of that delicious concoction with red wine and brandy and fruit,” not a true bleeding, unless, of course, he was referring to a bull fight . . . Yikes! Not going there, at least, not today.

There are as many recipes for sangría, as there are sangría lovers.  I have never found the definitive recipe. My husband and I traveled all over Spain on our honeymoon sampling local variations.  I mean, when in Spain . . . We have carried on with the quest for over 30 years now, and it's still ongoing . . . No task is too onerous to make the world a better place . . .

I was inspired for this table by the bandanna tablecloth.  I kept imagining cowboys on a cattle drive, wearing colorful bandannas around their necks . . .

And later stopping to pick a posy of wildflowers for their sweetheart . . .

It was too hot for a heavy meal so we kept the menu simple  . . .

Hamburgers with all the trimmings and my homemade potato salad.  Potato salad is another one of those dishes for which everybody has a favorite recipe, but here's mine:

5 lbs. red potatoes (if you are going to make it, you might as well commit), peeled and cubed
1 dz. eggs, hard-boiled and coarsely chopped
1 yellow onion finely chopped
3 stalks of celery, diced
2 cups Hellmann's mayonnaise
½ cup white wine vinegar
¼ cup granulated sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

Boil the potatoes until just done.  Add chopped eggs, onion and celery.  In a small bowl mix the mayo, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper.  Pour over the potato-egg mixture.  Combine thoroughly. Chill. Garnish with Spanish smoked paprika (I prefer it to Hungarian Paprika) and parsley sprigs.

A strong recommendation:  Please use the very best wine vinegar you can find, instead of using pickle brine. Nowadays commercial brines are made with the cheapest quality distilled vinegars, often derived from petroleum, and then sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup. Enough said.

We saved room for dessert:  Cherries Jubilee over Vanilla Bean Ice Cream!  As you can see, I'm still playing with cherries.  This time, I got to light them on fire with the help of a little kirsch!  My first flambée!

I used Martha Stewart's recipe. Here's the link:  Cherries Jubilee.  Make sure your ice cream is very hard, as it will melt quickly when you add the warm cherries.  If this happens, do not despair, do like I did, and eat it like soup!  It will still be vastly delicious!  I'll be making this again.  After all, practice makes perfect! (That's not a Ben Franklin quote, but doesn't it sound like it ought to be?).

The photo below was taken on Father's Day at U.S. Cellular Field, where we watched the Chicago White Sox beat the Texas Rangers 3-2.  That big, ol' Star-Spangled Banner stretched out across the field makes it perfect to add to this post, and gives me an opportunity to show off the handsome men in my life!

Happy Independence Day!  As my youngest son is being deployed to Kuwait, I pray for his safety and that of all of our soldiers; it is because of their sacrifice that we can celebrate on this day.  Peace.

I'm joining Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for the weekly Tablescape Thursday party!  Please stop in and take a peak at all the marvelous tablescapes!

Greek Caprese Salad

Use Feta crumbles instead of mozzarella, add non-pareil capers, some calamata olives, and a few other tasty morsels, then drizzle with some Greek olive oil . . . and you have the makings of a wonderful tidbit tray to share while steaks are grilling . . .

Lemon thyme, native to the Mediterranean, and some peppery arugula, compliment these luscious little tomatoes . . .  Easy and delicious summer goodness.  Oh, summer, how do I love thee, let me count the ways . . .

And, as the 4th of July approaches, I'm seeing the red, white and blue everywhere . . . even a star thrown in! 

If you'll pardon me, I'm going back outside now . . .

I'm linking to Seasonal Sundays hosted by The Tablescaper.  Please stop by.

By The Rude Bridge

By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April's breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood,
And fired the shot heard round the world.

The foe long since in silence slept;
Alike the conqueror silent sleeps;
And Time the ruined bridge has swept
Down the dark stream which seaward creeps.

On this green bank, by this soft stream,
We set today a votive stone;
That memory may their deed redeem,
When, like our sires, our sons are gone.

Spirit that made those heroes dare
To die, and leave their children free,
Bid Time and Nature gently spare
The shaft we raise to them and thee.

—Ralph Waldo Emerson