Independence Day Celebration
Independence Day in the US is all about BBQs and fireworks. I guess it is a fitting way to celebrate a birthday. I mean, we all usually celebrate our personal birthdays with great food,cake and fanfare .
I think next year, on my birthday, I should ask for the fireworks, too. π
But really there is no better way to celebrate a holiday or event than with delicious food. We all know that well. This weekend we were celebrating with my family. My mom and my aunt and uncle came up to Saint Augustine to celebrate the birth of the USA in the oldest town in the USA. We spent Friday afternoon sightseeing and so I decided on a simple menu, that I could do ahead of time, so that I could not only enjoy my guests, but so that we could have a delicious, but quick meal in between all of the festivities.
You know what they say though about the best intentions…
Menu:
Pork Kebabs with my special Middle Eastern inspired meat rub with cippolini, orange bell pepper and cherry tomatoes with Tzatziki
Since I don’t have a grill, and can’t grill where I live (2nd story condo in a downtown area) I did my kebabs under the broiler!
Tangy Potato Salad: loosely based on Nana’s Potato Salad but with lots of sweet Hungarian paprika and some cider vinegar thrown in
Green Beans Vinaigrette: Just green beans tossed with garlic, cilantro, sherry vinegar and extra virgin olive oil
(sorry no pics)
To Drink? White Sangria with strawberries and stone fruit (bottle of Riesling, bottle of bubbly and chopped fruits)
For Dessert? Cardamom and Pistachio Brownies from Mallika’s blog with homemade Pomegranate Sorbet (recipe to follow)
So I gave myself Thursday afternoon and evening to boil the potatoes and blanch the green beans, prep the meat with the rub, make the tzatziki, the brownies and the sorbet. No big, do it all the time. I prepped the veggies and the meat in no time, with no difficulty. Then I made the brownies. It was a bit of a challenge because I have never made brownies from scratch (oh the horrors!) before (we are not big brownie people, so that is why), plus the recipe I was following on Mallika’s blog were in metric. So I sat down to quickly do the calculations and it just wasn’t making sense – so honestly I scrapped the directions and just winged it. They turned out a little on the cake-y side, as opposed to squidgy, but we actually prefer them this way, so they were fine.
Then it was time for the sorbet, my piΓΒ¨ce de rΓΒ©sistance. So I made the simple syrup in this tiny saucepan I have with a broken handle (meaning all that was there was the screw and a little piece of the handle). After it was all set, I went to pour it in a small pyrex bowl, to cool. But as I was pouring, the handle finally broke all the way off, and as this happened the pot fell onto the pyrex bowl, knocking it to the floor, shattering the bowl and spraying my freshly cleaned kitchen and newly bought kitchen carpet with super sticky gooey simple syrup. The first thing that came to my mind after, “thank goodness I miraculously avoided being burned” was: “oh crap, Roberto is going to kill me!” (he has been trying to get me to throw this pan away for ages), followed by “Damn it! I am out of sugarrrrrrrrrrrr!” also dammit, my pyrex bowl is broken and dammit I no longer have a small saucepan. Followed by “I can’t believe I have to go back to the store!”
From there it was just a downward spiral. My kitchen was covered in gooey glass, and I needed to go get more sugar. So I zipped out to the store, while Roberto kindly volunteered to do cleanup duty (thank the Universe for good and helpful husbands!).
As I was driving to the store, the light for gas came on, so I had to stop and pay a gazillion dollars for a tank of gas. Then when I finally got the the store, I stepped out of the car and dropped my cell phone onto the pavement, which then promptly fell apart. I had had it, and expletives were flying from my mouth when I look up and see a mother with her little daughter walking towards me. As I mouthed “so sorry” to her, I picked up my cell phone pieces, put it back together and braced myself for the insanity that is the day before a holiday shopping frenzy at the grocery! Luckily I made it out alive and without any problems, and back home with no other detours. I managed to finish making the sorbet before completely crashing. We ate some leftovers, drank a mojito to dull the pain and torture of earlier events, and watched a few episodes of Buffy, The Vampire Slayer on DVD. Normalcy returned and all ended well.
The next day our guests arrived and we all enjoyed a nice and relaxing weekend. I hope you all in the US enjoyed your long weekend too!
Pomegranate Sorbet:
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cup pure cane sugar
1 1/3 cups water
2 cups pure unadulterated pomegranate juice
1/2 cup vanilla infused vodka
1/3 cup pomegranate seeds (optional for crunch)
METHOD:
Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and cool completely.
Combine pomegranate juice, vodka and sugar syrup. Pour into ice cream maker and follow manufacturer’s directions. Before putting into the freezer, fold in the pomegranate seeds.
Bellini Valli - July 6, 2008 at 3:39 pm
Thank goodness for helpful, understanding and supportive husbands. You are lucky on all three counts Jenn. Sounds like you had a wonderful 4th of July on the foodie front:D
Nikki - July 6, 2008 at 3:48 pm
I am so glad the pot-pyrex-sugar 2008 affair didnt harm you. I had a Pyrex dish burst on me once: no barefeet in the kitchen for a month. Happy 4th weekend to you and Roberto!
Adam - July 6, 2008 at 4:11 pm
Wow talk about an eventful day. It’s incredible how things can just spiral like that… it’s like an anti-lottery ticket buying day.
I’m glad the food still turned out to be delicious. I like how you mixed cuisines and kept everything so interesting. As long as you still have all your fingers, I call that a successful 4th.
[eatingclub] vancouver || js - July 6, 2008 at 4:20 pm
What a great menu, from start to finish. I love how you ended with the pomegranate sorbet, keeping with the Middle Eastern theme.
Haley W. - July 6, 2008 at 4:28 pm
What an amazing menu! I envy your guests. The kebab, the brownies, the sorbet, the *white sangria*. Yum! You’ve inspired me to put a menu like this together sometime soon!
courtney - July 6, 2008 at 4:45 pm
What an ordeal. Hot sugar and pyrex could have been way more catashtrophic. Arent you glad it all woked out in the end. Looks like a great spread. Now you get to shop for new pots and pans!
Peter - July 6, 2008 at 5:04 pm
Considering they were broiled, the kebobs look delictable!
Esi - July 6, 2008 at 5:13 pm
That sorbet sounds so good. I can’t wait to get an ice cream maker and try it!
Aggie - July 6, 2008 at 5:27 pm
That potato salad looks delish!! All my favorite ingredients!
I enjoyed some white sangria this weekend too…will have to try yours soon! My favorite summer beverage!
LisaRene - July 6, 2008 at 5:31 pm
Hot sugar water ! you were lucky it didn’t get on you! Hey, I sort of like the sound of that, next time you feel the need to shout out an expletive try “Hot sugar water!”.
Your White Sangria caught my attention. For some odd reason we have impulse purchased a couple of bottles of “pink” wine. I don’t know what came over us but these two bottles are just sitting there, very neglected. After seeing your post I think they are going to be turned into a Pink Sangria π
DebinHawaii - July 6, 2008 at 6:40 pm
What a feast and what lucky guests you had! Everything looks so good! I just had some white sangria the other day and will have to try making it–yours sounds delicious!
cookinpanda - July 6, 2008 at 6:45 pm
Gorgeous spread. Especially like the sorbet!
Peter G - July 6, 2008 at 7:00 pm
Phew! What a weekend! At least your feast turned out really well in the end.
kat - July 6, 2008 at 7:29 pm
happy 4th!
MAG - July 6, 2008 at 9:09 pm
Oh wow! What a delicious menu! All of my favorite stuff, and the dessert looks great too. Happy 4th!
Amber - July 6, 2008 at 9:26 pm
What a creative way to make kabobs-the broiler! I never would’ve thought of that. Your menu is very untraditional, but looks really great!
erin :: the olive notes - July 6, 2008 at 9:53 pm
oh, save me some white sangria and some pomegranate sorbet! So tasty π
Cakelaw - July 6, 2008 at 10:44 pm
Hi Jenn, Your 4th of July menu looks fab! Despite the crises that you faced, your dessert is indeed the piece de resistance – lovely!
Vani - July 7, 2008 at 1:16 am
It seems that you had great fun!!! Wonderful food, kabab and sorbet looks delicious….:)
beth - July 7, 2008 at 2:33 am
My ice cream maker arrived on Sat so I will have to give the pomegranite sorbet a try! Looks great.
dhanggit - July 7, 2008 at 3:17 am
you are such a magician jen!! everything on this table looks magical!! i love them
Angela - July 7, 2008 at 3:46 am
What a lovely selection of food you prepared for your guests.
They say things come in 3’s so at least you got them all out of the way before the guests arrived!
Kimi - July 7, 2008 at 8:14 am
Yikes, I have surely had days like those. Glad yours is over and all ended well. The meal, well wonderful as usual, Jenn style! Thanks for sharing!
T.W. Barritt at Culinary Types - July 7, 2008 at 8:15 am
I’ll bet your guests had no idea of the drama leading up to the event. A fantastic celebratory meal – I’m dying to try the sorbet!
Helen - July 7, 2008 at 8:46 am
wow what a feast Jenn! I think you should definitely ask for the fireworks next year! In fact you should demand them!!
The Leftover Queen - July 7, 2008 at 12:08 pm
Yes, Valli, I am so lucky – I count my many blessings daily! π
I know Nikki! It was really scary! But I think it is finally all cleaned up!
True Adam! It was successful -and I love keeping things interesting.
hey js – yeah it did kind of have a middle eastern flair, huh? I swear it wasn’t planned, but that’s the way I always tend to go.
Hi Haley! That is the best compliment anyone can get! I can’t wait to see what you come up with! π
Well Courtney I guess I never looked at it this way – new pots and bowls…now I can see the good in this whole thing! I am blaming you for the purchases! π
Thanks Peter! You gotta do what you gotta do. I can tell you, I love my broiler. It does good in a pinch!
Oh Esi! You should! I love mine – hours of enjoyment!
Thanks Aggie! Yeah, I like it too – it is what we had lying around, so I figured, why not?!
LisaRene! Ohhhh a new mantra! I like it! Thanks! Yeah, I think pink sangria will work out great!
Thanks Deb! I had no idea it was so popular! I am so excited! π
Thanks Panda! I think it was my fav too!
Yep, Peter! You always have to look on the bright side! π
Thanks Kat! π
Thanks so much Mag! I really am happy with how it all turned out!
Thanks Amber! They were really good…what can I say, I am very nontraditional! π
Okay Erin! I can’t promise the sangria, but we do have some sorbet left!
Thanks Cakelaw! It was totally worth the hassles!
It was fun, Vani! I really enjoyed myself. I think everyone did.
I hope you like it Beth! Beware, it is dangerously good!
Awwww, thanks dhanggit, you are such a sweetie! I do believe in magic! π
So true Angela! I never thought of it that way! Thanks!
I know Kimi! I think we all have our days! I am glad you liked the menu!
So true TW. I finally told my mom about my escapades and I am pretty sure next time we visit her, she will be sending me home with her excess pyrex!
I will, Helen, I will!
Clumbsy Cookie - July 7, 2008 at 12:30 pm
Great menu! I loved the white sangria and that dessert must be perfect, all the flavours go so well together! Plus the picture is beautiful!
nina - July 7, 2008 at 1:24 pm
My oh my, this looks like a superb spread!
Dragon - July 7, 2008 at 1:29 pm
Pork kebabs are my favourite kebabs and yours look amazing. I don’t have an outdoor grill either, so I use my handy dandy indoor one. I always expect (and get) the fire alarms to go off when I do. I’ll have to try the broiling technique. π
The Pomegranate sorbet looks divine! Such a lovely shade of pink.
Tony - July 7, 2008 at 1:30 pm
that is one huge independence day feast!! I love the sound of the pomegranate sorbet – very refreshing!
Cynthia - July 7, 2008 at 1:30 pm
You are so organised and the menu sounds down-right homey and delicious. Glad a good time was had by all.
LisaRene - July 7, 2008 at 1:35 pm
I did indeed make pink sangria and just posted about it. Very tasty! Thanks for the idea!
farida - July 7, 2008 at 3:12 pm
Looks like you had quite a feast there:) Everything looks good except that I was not invited:)
I just gave you an award. But also noticed you already have the same award displayed on your blog:) It’s ok, you’ll have two now:)
Ivy - July 7, 2008 at 3:30 pm
Now you’re making me freak out because the handle of my big skillet is loose all the time and I drear of having an accident. Now I am convinced I must throw it away. Although you had this mishap you prepared a lovely celebration dinner.
jen of a2eatwrite - July 7, 2008 at 3:36 pm
I hate days like that, but I’m glad the celebration was a good one! Mojitos can take the sting out of most things.
elly - July 7, 2008 at 9:58 pm
Oh, I just hate those downward spirals in the kitchen and I think we all have them from time to time! Everything here looks so good, Jenn. I would much rather have spent my 4th at your place eating all this delicious food π
Marie - July 7, 2008 at 11:34 pm
Thats a great menu you put out Jenn, I love your Sangria too! I’m so glad everythings back to normal now for you, what an ordeal!!
Emiline - July 8, 2008 at 5:14 am
Thank goodness for Buffy! You’re so cute!
The meal sounds really good. Very flavorful and ethnic.
Sorry about all of your troubles. I would have cussed up a storm if I dropped my cell phone.
MyKitchenInHalfCups - July 8, 2008 at 6:50 am
Um . . . good grief, it’s really unreal when a long line of stuff comes at you like that isn’t it? It blows my mind. The counter of it all seems to be: but wait, I managed;)) and then it’s part of life. Gad, how many times have I had a cell phone come apart!
The dinner looks grand: beautiful kabobs and who cares where they cook as long as they cook good!!
Happy Fourth!
The Leftover Queen - July 8, 2008 at 11:39 am
Thanks so much Cookie!
Thank you, Nina! It was fun!
Thanks Dragon! And thank you for stopping by my blog! I think you should try the broiler message it is great! π
Thanks Tony! I love sorbet! So good!
Thanks Cynthia! I swear if I wasn’t organized I would never be able to cook let alone entertain! LOL!
Thanks for the heads up LisaRene! I am so glad you got good use out of it! π
Oh Farida! I would so love you to come join us! Anytime! Open invitation! Thanks so much for the award! Even though I may have it, this is the first time getting it from you! π
Thanks Ivy! I know, it is best to get rid of these things before accidents happen! Like Courtney said, it is a nice excuse to go buy new stuff!
I know it Jen! Thank goodness for mojitos! π
Elly, you too, any time – you are sooo welcome!
Thanks Marie! It turned out great and that is what counts!
Thanks Emiline! π
What can I say, I love Buffy! Thanks for making me feel better about the cursing!
I know Tanna! Amazing… thanks for the encouragement! π
Pam - July 8, 2008 at 11:42 am
Wow. What a day and what a terrific menu. I am glad everthing worked out.
Tracy - July 8, 2008 at 2:45 pm
Isn’t cooking fun sometimes π I am not sure how many times I use to have to go back to the store before I learned to read the recipe and check the pantry.. arg! The kebabs look really great, and love sangria, never tried the white though.
Mallika - July 8, 2008 at 3:15 pm
Sorry, I got distracted by those divine looking pork kebabs and just couldn’t read on…
Kat - July 9, 2008 at 9:42 am
oh one of THOSE days! & doesn’t it always seem to happen right before you need to feed guests!?
Meryl - July 9, 2008 at 8:19 pm
Wow! I sure hope you got a lot of compliments on that sorbet! The picture definitely must have made all of the rest worth it. It really is beautiful, as is that kabob!
Johanna - July 10, 2008 at 2:47 am
pomegranate sorbet and brownie sounds like a fantastic dessert (Unlike you I love my brownie but am ho-hum about sorbet but I am going through a pomegranate phase!)
I felt for you with the disastrous preparation – esp with the jug you knew would break some day – I have a large mixing bowl with a large crack and I dread the day it breaks in two
Arlene (MOM) - July 17, 2008 at 12:32 pm
Well, through it all, it turned out to be a wonderful meal and a wonderful weekend, ending with fireworks on the water with us having front row seats.
Thanks,Jenn. Reading about the trials you had all over again, really makes me appreciate the effort all the more.
Mom