Posted by: Kim_Hamilton on 07/01/2008 11:30 PM
Updated by: Kim_Hamilton on 07/03/2008 06:40 PM
Expires: 01/01/2013 12:00 AM
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"Red, White & Blue!"~By Jenny Baxter of Jenny's Kitchen
Welcome Readers....Happy Fourth of July! So, what’s the plan for today? Will it be a summertime picnic at your local park? Or a leisurely boat ride down New Melones. Perhaps you will be entertaining family and friends at your home with the aroma of the bar-b-cue surrounding the backyard. For those of you that are more in the travel mode a fun filled day at the beach will surely be in your plans. And if it is a quiet celebration you are after then lounging with a good book, an icy cold beverage and ordering in would be a great way to spend your day......
Seems that no matter where you are or what you will be doing you will most likely be besieged in red, white and blue! Everywhere I go I see those colors that signify independence. Flags hang from porches, ledges, and in windows. Flower pots and gardens are exploding with these all-American colors. Dishware, napkins, tablecloths and silverware greet me as I enter department stores. And the attire for the day whether it be casual or somewhat dressy tells the world that we are proud to be Americans! I am sure when John Adams said, “July 4 ought to be celebrated by pomp, parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other,” that he had no idea his comment would include so many crazes.
I have spent many a Fourth involved with not only the activities mentioned above, but also sprawled out on soft green grass listening to the Pops Orchestra envelope me with the 1812 Overture in the park. How thrilling is that?
This year, however, I have returned to Lake Tahoe with my daughter, Gina, where we have rented a hotel room and will watch the colorful fireworks over the lake dazzle us with its beauty as they burst like tiny beads of fire against the dark night sky. You can’t beat having a ring-side seat in the privacy of your room!
I understand she has booked us a trip on the Dixie Queen during the day that will be alive with the music of a Dixieland band, good food, and scenery that will make your jaw drop!
She also has tickets to a fabulous premiere show for the evening.
So, no watermelon eating contests, stuffing myself with grilled hotdogs, flag waving parades or stripping corn on the cob this year for me. However, I will still make my traditional red, white and blue dessert to nibble on at the end of the evening as the cool breeze gentle blows over my body and we sit on the lakes edge talking and laughing about our days ventures. I will thank the 13 gentlemen who signed the Declaration of Independence and made it possible for me to have such lasting memories of spending time with my family and truly having something to celebrate. I hope you will too.
Red White & Blue
Cup flour
2 Tbsp. vanilla sugar
10 Tbsp. butter
Mix the above ingredients into a bowl and press into the bottom of a 13x9x2 pan. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 12-15 minutes until a golden brown. Remove this from the oven and press one cup of walnut pieces into the crust. Cool at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Whip until firm peaks form:
2 cups whipping cream with ¼ cup sugar
Mix:
8 oz. cream cheese
2 cups confectioner’s sugar
Thoroughly combine the cream mixture and the cream cheese mixture. Spread on top of the cooled crust. Refrigerate for 30 minutes
2 basket each blueberries and raspberries
Remove the dessert from the refrigerator. Alternate the berries, beginning with the raspberries, and make vertical rows leaving some of the white mixture showing in one inch width across the top of the dessert. Refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight. Serves 12
Well, it’s thyme to go.
Jenny Baxter
Jenny’s Kitchen
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