Food, Fun and the Fourth of July

"You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism." ~Erma Bombeck


I hope everyone had a safe and fun-filled July 4th weekend celebration! Brian, the boys and I had a really nice one. I was lucky enough to have both Friday and Monday off work for a long weekend and although the weather was not very summerish here in La Jolla, we made the best of it. It also happens to be Brian's birthday on July 5th so as one of my birthday presents to him, I cooked some of his favorite meals over the weekend. There was a "Jaws" marathon on TV so that kept me entertained while I was in the kitchen.

Despite the clouds, we did manage to get in some time at the beach where we picnicked and soaked up a little sun while it lasted. Walter and Henry got to go for a few really nice walks, a couple of rides in the car and a visit to the the park where they romped and chased bunnies which they love.

We made Margaritas on Sunday and we were able to watch the fireworks right from our front step! I don't think we realized we could see them so clearly from our own house but discovered that a lot of other folks must have known as there were crowds outside our front yard. All over the neighborhood we could hear people oohing and aahing, cheering and clapping at the display of lights in the sky. It was very festive!

Here are some of the dishes I made for Brian's birthday weekend:

 Eggs Benedict with pan roasted potatoes
 Rustic French Bread French Toast and oven-cooked bacon
 Tomato,green onion and white cheddar omelet
 Italian sub sandwich with turkey, ham, salami and provolone
 Scaloppini Pork with Mushrooms & Sherry over chive mashed potatoes
 Cheeseburgers with jalapeno sauce
 Grilled chicken with homemade mustard barbecue sauce
 Chicken enchiladas
 Tiramisu ice cream birthday cake

So, my friends, as you can see, I was quite busy cooking and we certainly overindulged this weekend but Brian had a great birthday weekend. So, it is back to reality tomorrow - eating salads and lighter fare! See my Scaloppini Pork recipe in the recipe section.