Freeky Friday: July 4th Edition

Happy Friday, everyone! Let's celebrate the first of FIVE Fridays in July with a festive post about one of my favorite holidays.

What's your favorite Fourth of July memory?

July Fourth is always an interesting holiday in Florida. To begin with, you can never predict the success of fireworks shows, because the weather remains eternally unpredictable. On any given summer day we see thunderstorms, cloudiness, simple rain, perfect sunshine...or...all of the above. So, while my Independence Day celebrations don't usually include watching fireworks, they always include some kind of celebratory family feast involving a number of close friends.

I particularly enjoyed last year's July 4th. My sister and I spent almost the entire day cooking. She took care of the main courses (BBQ chicken, potato salad, grilled vegetables...an incredibly hearty meal, and extremely delicious!) while I tackled The Pie.

[Side note: Before last year's holiday, my mom and I made a visit to a cookware store, Sur la Table, where we found this lovely pie pan:

A 12" diameter, ON SALE, red...we had to have the pie pan. Any pie made in such a pan would inevitably be the most delicious thing ever, clearly.]

So, while my sister was busy being Emeril for a minute, making the most delicious barbeque chicken of all time, I lamented the fact that Florida does not seem to have any pre-made 12" pie crusts, and settled into the task of making from scratch enough pie dough to fill the pan.

Mer supported me during my dough battle as we watched Invictus, and eventually, the crust formed, the apples filled in, the pie baked and we had a delicious feast ready for company.

Last year, we were joined by one of Mer's best friends, who has become as much a Fourth of July staple in our house as potato salad and pie. Along with our friend Rob and our parents, we sat, ate, talked and laughed our way through the afternoon and into the evening.

I love July Fourth because in my house, we always seem to forget the time and just enjoy the pleasure of each other's company.