“All great change in America begins at the dinner table.” – Ronald Reagan.
So why not at our own dinner tables…on July 4th especially? Do we really instill the reasons why we celebrate the 4th? We need to – more and more. Our family had its share of political talks but also of the reasons why we wanted our freedom – and why this is so important. But, of course, the celebratory part took over. I wanted it to be a memorable one for our family so I tried my best – I think it worked. Here are some pics from the party…and a recipe for a Summer Sangria, if you’d like to make something special for your guests this season.
I am still trying to get the hang of icing cupcakes – but this cream cheese icing (usually what I use for carrot cake) tasted delicious with the devil’s food cupcakes. It was entirely by accident that I did this. I ran out of the vanilla icing and I needed a substitute. I had cream cheese in the fridge – so….
My attempt at making trifle…and making a star out of raspberries!
My inspiration from thekitchn.com
My family was greeted at the door with some colorful décor. This part was a lot more fun for me than the baking!
Because we’re a sailing family, I had to include some nautical decoration.
My oldest granddaughter, Meghan, arrived first. I am so proud of her. She graduated from college this year (full scholarship) and she is now going for her Masters in Psychology. I know …she looks like she’s 14! She was just awarded a grant from NASA too. She’s a brilliant young lady.
But she’s still young enough to eat the star shaped watermelon, blueberry and cheese kabobs I made for my 3 year old granddaughter – who wasn’t that interested in them!
I just did a simple red, white and blue for the outdoor table setting. I didn’t want to do that much ‘cause there was the threat of rain – and it did come. But it didn’t rain that hard and, thankfully, it didn’t last that long!
I snapped a few Limoncello Sangria shots before it started sprinkling. My husband and I had visited Italy last October and we ordered several bottles of Limoncello when we were on the Amalfi Coast. We still had a few bottles left so I thought that I could use some for a different kind of Sangria.
Here’s the recipe. You can make your own Limoncello, or buy it online (much easier!)
Limoncello Sangria
Serves 6
3/4 cup limoncello
1 cup fresh raspberries
1 cup hulled and quartered fresh strawberries
1 750-ml bottle chilled demi-sec rosé champagne
1 medium lemon, thinly sliced, seeds discarded
In a large pitcher, combine the limoncello and the strawberries. Top with the chilled rosé champagne and stir in half of the lemon wheels.
Pour the sangria into ice-filled stemware. Scoop some fruit into each glass and garnish with a lemon wheel.
When the rain subsided, it was time for fun – in the pool. My granddaughter Peyton had so much fun with her dad. She would have stayed in for hours…but by the time the rain was through, it was about 4PM.
She was exhausted – but she had to do some “fireworks” – some safe ones (snaps). Safety first!!
All in all, it was a great day. A big thanks to my husband, Richard, who did the barbequing (great job!!) and my daughters who brought appetizers, libations…and their children (most important!).
And to my family – kids, step children, grandkids, brother Dan and sister-in-law, Marie…I love you all. Thanks for such a great day!