A Glorious Fourth
I had a wonderful 4th of July, and hope the rest of you did as well. I had some family and friends over, including the Godkids, and we laughed, listened to music, soaked up the sun, played croquet and lit some sparklers. We stayed out after dark to watch the glittering displays by neighbors whose fireworks were larger, more impressive and decidedly more illegal than mine, and the kids were completely awestruck.
We also ate and drank very well! The menu:
*Homemade guacamole with equally homemade corn chips
*'Georgia Caviar' dip, made with black-eyed peas, jalapenos and diced tomatoes.
*Grilled corn on the cob with fresh herb butter
*Scallion-Shitake Turkey burgers, seasoned with garlic, ginger, sesame oil and tamari, and studded with diced sauteed shitakes and scallions.
*'BLT' Salad, made with Boston lettuce, fresh grilled tomatoes and grilled bread that was then cut into croutons. It was dressed with a sprinkle of bacon and a white wine vinaigrette with minced shallots.
*Blackberry-peach streusel-topped pie
*Berry Cheese-cake, which featured a golden butter cake layered with raspberry puree and fresh blueberries, and then topped with cream cheese mousse. I decorated with more raspberries and blueberries, in the shape of a patriotic 'quilt.' (Did this in a 13 x 9 pan, because it's easier for outdoor events than a layer cake.)
Everything came out fairly smoothly (aside from some tears shed over the shallots), and I was especially happy with the cake. It was sort of my twist on my Grandfather's classic berry cheesecake, and I wanted it to be special. For all that we weren't related by blood, I have a lot in common with him, including a sarcastic bent and a love of cooking. He passed away nearly twenty years ago, but the 4th of July will always be his day to me; his birthday was on July 3rd, so we always celebrated his birthday on the 4th of July with his favorite berry cheesecake. I like to think he would have approved of my adaptation!
Here are a few photos of the cake:
And the opposite view:
After everybody had gone home and the mess was cleaned up, I was inspired by the starry night and the moon outside to work on a moon-themed Severus/Luna drabble I'd started for duniazade a few weeks ago. I sat down and wrote about 95% of an actual Snuna story--turned out there was more than could be contained in a drabble! Look for that to be posted soon, after I tighten it up and give some polish.
I hope you all enjoyed yourselves yesterday, and continue to enjoy yourselves this weekend. I'm off to Partridge Creek now to meet my cousin for lunch and shopping--it's time for me to start phasing out my old 'college student' wardrobe and start expanding my professional wardrobe. I already have a nice core of billowy black coats and stompy black boots, but I do need to find something to wear in warmer weather.
We also ate and drank very well! The menu:
*Homemade guacamole with equally homemade corn chips
*'Georgia Caviar' dip, made with black-eyed peas, jalapenos and diced tomatoes.
*Grilled corn on the cob with fresh herb butter
*Scallion-Shitake Turkey burgers, seasoned with garlic, ginger, sesame oil and tamari, and studded with diced sauteed shitakes and scallions.
*'BLT' Salad, made with Boston lettuce, fresh grilled tomatoes and grilled bread that was then cut into croutons. It was dressed with a sprinkle of bacon and a white wine vinaigrette with minced shallots.
*Blackberry-peach streusel-topped pie
*Berry Cheese-cake, which featured a golden butter cake layered with raspberry puree and fresh blueberries, and then topped with cream cheese mousse. I decorated with more raspberries and blueberries, in the shape of a patriotic 'quilt.' (Did this in a 13 x 9 pan, because it's easier for outdoor events than a layer cake.)
Everything came out fairly smoothly (aside from some tears shed over the shallots), and I was especially happy with the cake. It was sort of my twist on my Grandfather's classic berry cheesecake, and I wanted it to be special. For all that we weren't related by blood, I have a lot in common with him, including a sarcastic bent and a love of cooking. He passed away nearly twenty years ago, but the 4th of July will always be his day to me; his birthday was on July 3rd, so we always celebrated his birthday on the 4th of July with his favorite berry cheesecake. I like to think he would have approved of my adaptation!
Here are a few photos of the cake:
And the opposite view:
After everybody had gone home and the mess was cleaned up, I was inspired by the starry night and the moon outside to work on a moon-themed Severus/Luna drabble I'd started for duniazade a few weeks ago. I sat down and wrote about 95% of an actual Snuna story--turned out there was more than could be contained in a drabble! Look for that to be posted soon, after I tighten it up and give some polish.
I hope you all enjoyed yourselves yesterday, and continue to enjoy yourselves this weekend. I'm off to Partridge Creek now to meet my cousin for lunch and shopping--it's time for me to start phasing out my old 'college student' wardrobe and start expanding my professional wardrobe. I already have a nice core of billowy black coats and stompy black boots, but I do need to find something to wear in warmer weather.