July the Fourth Be With You
Thoughts on independence, with a side of music and s'mores...
Mobile, Alabama July 4, 2016 (taken on our church mission trip that year)
Happy Fourth, friends!! Hope you have a fun, relaxing day celebrating our liberty!!
I shared a few thoughts in my blog July 4th six years ago, about the beauty of interdependence on one another. The idea still rings true for me today…read on…
MUSIC: “Then Velvet Dark”for piano quartet by Sheridan Seyfried
(The theme of “America the Beautiful” is in there, but you have to listen closely! And listen also for the fading fireworks towards the end)
Today, I remember the country where my great-grandparents found shelter, and safety, and opportunity. THIS country. May we continue to be a beacon of hope and welcome in the world.
POEM: “The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
Photo by Daniel Bendig on Pexels
Looking for a great dessert after those grilled burgers and hot dogs? Here’s a delicious take on the traditional s’mores. These are SO good, and reason enough to invest in a small kitchen torch (though you can also run them under the broiler)
RECIPE: LUXE S’MORE BARS (from Smitten Kitchen Keepers by Deb Perelman)
Here they are, prior to being cut! Major hit in our house!
16 sheets graham crackers
2 Tb granulated sugar
pinch kosher salt
4 oz (I stick) butter, cubed
In food processor, blend graham crackers, sugar, salt. Add butter and pulse to combine. Spread in 9” square pan lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Cool.
1 large egg
3 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
dash kosher salt
1 3/4 cups heavy cream
4 oz semisweet chocolate chips
4 oz milk chocolate chips
1 TB butter
1/4 tsp vanilla
In double boiler over simmering water, combine the egg, egg yolks, sugar, salt. Stir and heat until warm and somewhat thickened. Drizzle in cream. Add chips by the handful until melted. Add butter and vanilla. Keep stirring so it stays smooth!
Pour warmed and thickened mixture over graham cracker crust. Chill several hours.
Again, in a clean bowl over simmering water:
Beat 3 egg whites.
3/4 cup sugar
pinch salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla
When warm, remove from heat and keep beating until peaks form. Spread over chocolate filling. Brown top lightly with kitchen torch. Refrigerate. Cut into 30 bars.
INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
“People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite... Man's goodness is a flame that can be hidden but never extinguished.”
― Nelson Mandela, from Long Walk to Freedom
May God bless you. May God bless our country. And may God bless our world.
