Happy 4th of July

Let me wish all of you that read this blog, and those that may have stumbled on to it, a Happy 4th of July. This day celebrates the date when our founding fathers declared our freedom from the domination of England. These same individual went on to write and approve the most encompassing document setting the standards for the world governments, The Constitution. The sad part of this day is the fact there are so many people in our country that believe The Constitution to be outdated and that only the government can solve the problems on our country. Today is the day we all should be glad we had visionary people in the late 1700's that established such a wonderful country.

Enough of that. Another part of the 4th of July celebration is being with friends or family, sharing a meal, and just enjoying each others company. And that is what Betty and I will be doing later today. Carole and her beau are hosting a 4th party, as I stated yesterday, and we will be there enjoying ourselves with all our friends. Carole asked me to bring home-made ice cream and I have to tell you it is wonderful. As I mentioned yesterday, I found a new recipe for ice cream called Heavenly Banana Split, and I thought I would try it. I'm sure glad I did. The recipe made so much mixture, I had to freeze it in two batches. By the way, I have gave up on the "old fashioned" freezer, with the ice and salt and mess, and purchased a Cuisinart Ice Cream Freezer. Wow, is that easy. Anyway, after I finished the 2nd batch, I offered Betty a taste and she soon came to me and said she probably needed a bowl of the ice cream to make sure it was o.k. to share. After she devoured that, she said it would be o.k. to share it. Very thoughtful of her, don't you think? She didn't want me to be embarrassed, so she sacrificed herself to make sure I wouldn't be.

I also told Carole I would bring corn on the cob so I went to the farmer's market to get some. Man was it expensive. Luckily, our best grocery store, Publics, had it on sale so I was able to procure enough at a reasonable price. Many of you know, that when I was a lad, my grandfather allowed me to plant sweet corn on the ranch and I sold by the side of the road and door to door in Santa Paula. I sold it as a baker's dozen for 50 cents, can you believe that? I really thought it was great corn, but when we moved East, I found out what truly great sweet corn tastes like. It was hard for me to admit, but the corn on the East-Coast seems to be sweeter. Who would have thought?

I was perusing my new "bon appetit" and came across a recipe for Peach-Pecan Upside Down Cake, and since I love Pineapple Upside Down Cake, I thought I would give it a try. Realistically, Betty and I certainly don't need to eat a cake like that, so I decided to make it for today gathering. The cake is a spice cake with fresh peaches and pecans on top. I haven't tasted it yet, but it sure looks great (see picture). I'll let you know how it tastes tomorrow.

Peach-Pecan Upside Down Cake

I hope everyone has a safe and sane 4th of July!