Fourth Of July: Working Toward A More Perfect Union

The full text:

In Congress, July 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.–Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
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Grilled Bourbon Chicken Skewers

I seem to have an abundance of Kentucky bourbon in the house these days. Unusual. I always have Canadian whiskey (I prefer cooking with whiskey over wine). So I went looking through the archives for some recipes with bourbon. I had forgotten about this one, with is always a hit at cookouts.

Because it’s a kabob style, it’s a bit labor intensive, but you can prepare all of it the day before. If you want your chicken even drunker, you can soak it in the extra bourbon overnight.

From 2014:

Drunken Chicken 1

Grilled Bourbon Chicken Appetizers

12  servings

  • 1- 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
  •  1/4 cup chopped Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
  •  1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • Bourbon (how much you use and what you do with the leftover is between you and your bottle)
  • 8 oz pineapple chunks
  • 12 strips of sliced bacon (should be a pound)
  • 12 short wooden skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes before assembling and grilling*

Cut chicken breasts into 1-inch x 2-inch cubes, you should have 36 pieces (you can soak in bourbon if you like) Continue reading

Holiday Weekend Flashback: Cookout Favorites

This is from my first summer at this house, it feels like I just moved in, but this will be my sixth summer here. The yard has changed dramatically, as has my life. But the recipes are still yummy.

From 2016:

Jicama Slaw Final

It sounds like many will have rain for the holiday weekend. Luckily all the recipes I pulled together work well for an indoor picnic or backyard cookout.

The first compilation I arranged was for a variety of not-your-typical Pasta Salads, click here for four very tasty recipes.

Mmm...bowties!

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Sous Vide Ribs

I almost waited too long to put the ribs into the water bath.  I was thinking the morning of the 4th would be good for the holiday dinner.   The slab  was cut into two pieces, rubbed with seasonings, and sealed in vacuum bags well in advance.  Then I looked at the recipe over at the Food Lab site the day before: “TOTAL TIME:16 to 50 hours”!  I set the bath up and started it up around 2PM on the 3rd with the temp at 155 degrees.They spent the night at 155, then I boosted the temp to 165 the morning of the 4th.  Around 11Am they came out and were placed in an ice water bath to cool.  Here they are after blotting with paper towels.And after brushing with BBQ sauce while the oven was heating to 400.  The one on the right was wanting to break in two, all they needed was reheating to seal on the sauce.The ribs were as tender as any we’ve ever had, the bones sipped out of the slabs cleanly.  Two thumbs up!Got bone?

Summer Menus: July Week One

JeffreyW makes dill potato salad

I didn’t forget as July began that we needed the first of the month’s menus. But last week my house (and thus my office) was chaotic. I had many, many worker bees doing major energy upgrades, including installing a high efficiency furnace and conditioning the crawl space. The net result so far is my house has been about 10 degrees cooler on the hottest day.

Needless to say, I did not get a lot of work done, so Friday and Saturday were spent catching up. Today I was able to get to the menus.

Tuesday being 4th of July, the recipes are picnic ready and can easily be doubled for a big group. Including a traditional Potato Salad.

Click here for all the menus and recipes: July Week One Menu

JeffreyW’s tasty looking marinated pork chops

I’m counting on a heatwave so the rest of the week is grilling and cold salads. Monday features Marinated Pork Chops and Grilled Pineapple.

Complete shopping lists are here: July Week One Shopping List. Remember they are color coordinated, so it’s easy to eliminate any items if you are skipping a recipe.

The week finishes out with Fajita Steak Salad and Grilled Asparagus.  If you grill the steak the night before (to serve cold), you can broil the asparagus instead of grilling it.

Photo from JeffreyW, of course 😉

That’s it for this week’s menus. Later today I’ll try and put together a collection of our July 4th recipes we’ve posted over the years.