Follow on Twitter

See on Pinterest

Follow Me on Pinterest
Instagram Follow on Instagram

Thursday, July 4, 2013

4th of July



Happy 4th of July

Recently I spent some time "garden hopping" visiting several neighbors' gardens at the lake.  The iris pictured above was a new variety I had never seen before. It spurred me on to see what was available for purchase online. Amazing how many types there are to purchase.
 http://irisfarmer.com/flowernursery.html

The Buttercups were in full bloom.


With a stretch of warm weather the Ladyslippers made an appearance at another neighbor's yard.


________________________________________________________________________
Brownies are a classic dessert that sit front and center at any 4th of July meal.
Brownies 
Recipe adapted from Nestle Chocolatier Wrapper
Ingredients:
  • 1-package of Semi-Sweet Chocolate Squares (62% Cacao)
  • 3/4 cup of sugar
  • 1/3-cup butter cut into pieces
  • 3 TB brewed coffee
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • ¾ cup plus 3 TB. flour
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • 1 cup chopped nuts
  • 2 TB. Kahlua
  • 1 cup white chocolate morsels 
Directions:
  • Preheat oven top 325
  • Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil and grease
  • Heat semi-sweet chocolate, sugar, butter, and coffee in a small pan over low heat-whisk ingredients
  • Stir till melted and well blended
  • Pour into a bowl and stir in eggs one at a time and blend well
  • Stir in vanilla and Kahlua
  • Add in flour, salt and nuts stir till well blended-then add in white chocolate chips
  • Pour into pan and bake 30-35 minutes but check at 30-insert pick in center should come out a bit sticky
  • Cool pan on a wire rack after 45 minutes peel off foil and place brownies back into pan
  • Frost with chocolate frosting and sprinkles  
I had sprinkles and sticks left over from cake pops recipes and this one went together in less than five minutes! Make sure the the ice cream sandwiches are slightly softened so sprinkles adhere better. I wrapped them in wax paper and placed back in freezer till I was ready to serve them.  

Enjoy Your Day
and we did with our annual 4th of July boat parade with a fleet of some 28 boats 





Bella enjoyed all the festivities





People waved on the shorelines as we passed by




















No comments:

Post a Comment

EASTER TREATS

An Easter treat that's gluten-free, easy to prepare, and naturally sweetened. Almond Cake with Yogurt Topping and Fresh Berries Cook'...