Pig Out on the 4th!

Despite the kind of rainy/gloomy weather that descended upon us, we had a really fun 4th of July. We pretty much just stayed inside and ate all day!

I turned to my fabulous blogfriend Cathy from Noble Pig for some fun 4th recipes--and, as usual, she didn't disappoint.

But before I get to that, here are a couple pics of the kids decked out in their patriotic get-ups:

Pickle and Gooser on the stairs:
Group shot:
Close-up of Miss Pickle:
So first up, we made Cathy's contest-winning peach margaritas. I can't even begin to explain how good they were! Do yourselves a favor and make them. Like right now!
They were so good in fact that we made them twice--once earlier in the day and again later after the fireworks...

Then for a midday snack, I went with the Reuben dip from Noble Pig. Totally delicious! By the way, Cathy's pictures are a million times better than mine--I was so hungry it's a wonder I managed to take any pics--the quality is not so great...

Then it was onto chili dogs
and sliders...
I told you it was a pig-out! A NOBLE pig-out! Get it!? Recently, I've pretty much cut out red meat from our diets--except for special occasions--and I considered the 4th a special occasion so we really got our beef on!

Then onto dessert--again from Noble Pig--the brilliantly brilliant Pop Rocks cupcakes.

What kid wouldn't totally love these??
I will admit that I went "off recipe" and just used a yellow cake mix which turned out great--but I'm sure they'd be even better with the homemade version.
I think those raspberries and blueberries were the only healthy thing we ate all day...unless the peaches in the margaritas count too? Do you like my rabbit plates?

Also, Teddy and Patrick got a bee in their bonnet to make a red velvet cake (I have no idea where this came from) so they made one all by themselves and they did an amazing job!

Here's Teddy with his masterpiece:
And here's a nice pic he took of the inside:
After the feeding frenzy, it was time for Don to take the four boys to the fireworks show (the rain finally cleared up!) and for me to put Pickle to bed. Then I settled in to watch my absolute favorite movie--Rosemary's Baby. This has become my new tradition on the 4th of July!

Wow--I love that movie. I want to be a Minnie Castevet type (minus all the devil stuff!) when I'm old! I love her wacky style and her crazy get-ups.
So that's it! We're just finishing up the last of the margaritas...

I'll leave you with frosting-face Pickle!
Would it be creepy if I watched Rosemary's Baby again? Don says yes it would. Maybe I'll wait until tomorrow... Maybe I won't...

4th Festivities!

We had a very laid-back 4th of July. Don used the cookbook I gave him for Father's Day and he did some Bobby Flay style grillin'. He made:

Grilled Filet Mignon with Fig Cabernet Sauce (that's a grilled fig on top!):

and Asparagus with Prosciutto and Mint Pesto:Plus I made a smokey potato salad and homemade ice cream. It was all crazy delicious!

Then we went for a nice walk and found some beautiful mulberry trees along the way. Pickle ate a few...

We stopped by a park we like that has a pretty fountain.
Pickle loved splashing her feet in it. There were some beautiful flowers: Later, Don took the boys to see a spectacular fireworks show and had a great time! I stayed home with Pickle because she goes to bed so early--it was actually fun just having time to myself! I watched Rosemary's Baby which is creepy, I know, but one of my very favorite movies. I love so many things about that movie--the mid-60s New York setting, the Dakota and their apartment,Ruth Gordon and Sidney Blackmer as the Castanets...I could go on and on!

I read that they might be remaking this movie in the next couple of years and I kind of hope they don't--some movies just don't need to be remade (Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is a perfect example--I won't even see that remake because I don't want to taint it).

I'm getting totally off track here so I'll just say hope you had a happy 4th!!