The 4th of July
I squeezed about 20 lemons by hand (4 full cups) and grated a half-dozen small beets (1 cup) to make Beet Lemonade!
Rusty, Maddy and I each had a little taste, and it declared it DELICIOUS!
About mid-morning, I loaded it and a bunch of other stuff into my car and ran off to do the next thing.
And everything was great until the jug fell over and dumped the lemonade all over the back seat. I heard it, realized what was happening, and watched it slosh, but there was nothing I could do about it. Ugh. It was a quadruple batch, so that would be about two gallons. There was maybe a quart that didn't spill. The rest was on the floor, soaked into the seat, dripping out of the pocket on the door.
Not good. A big mess. I was hurrying = not thinking. I also had to change my clothes about 3 times in the span of :30. There was about an hour where I was coming off the rails!
DEEP BREATHS... and ReaLemon to the rescue. I just didn't have it in me to start over with the lemonade. I floated a sliced lemon and some strawberries on top to make it look pretty. meh.
Meanwhile...
It was a beautiful day. No doubt Mom would have made a few tweaks, but I think she'd have approved of our 4th of July decor. I am especially happy about the two small buntings on the window box -- she'd have loved that!
There was plenty of food! We had grass-fed beef patties and Johnsonville Brats (the best), and I made some pulled pork with some of my favorite Howling Wolf BBQ Sauce, along with baked beans, potato salad, cole slaw, chips, lots of fruit, some cheese, cookies, and...
PIE!! Apple, Blueberry, and Cherry! Rusty made them on Friday morning; the cherries freshly plucked from Ali & Rod's back yard tree on Thursday.
I'm not a big beet fan, but your lemonade does sound interesting and is so pretty! I'm cringing thinking about your back seat. Your array of food looks stunningly delicious; I even like the (vintage?) bowls that you served your salads in. You did your mother proud!
Posted by: Bonny | 07 July 2014 at 02:18 PM
I'm not a big beet fan, but your lemonade does sound interesting and is so pretty! I'm cringing thinking about your back seat. Your array of food looks stunningly delicious; I even like the (vintage?) bowls that you served your salads in. You did your mother proud!
Posted by: Bonny | 07 July 2014 at 02:18 PM
That is a damn shame about the lemonade. All that work not to mention the cost of those lemons! Terry had this at her house on Saturday but I did not try it - now I wish I had!
Posted by: Carole | 07 July 2014 at 02:29 PM
Oh no! I love beets and adore the idea of beet lemonade.
Posted by: claudia | 07 July 2014 at 03:55 PM
I'm not gonna go on here about the spilled lemonade; seems petty when you've put up such a brave face about it (but I do need one small "eek" :-) the rest of the party looks like it came off without a hitch. the decorations are lovely (I noted those window buntings myself and love!) and the pies...I'm sure they tasted even better than they look. happy 4th my friend!
Posted by: Mary | 07 July 2014 at 09:08 PM
Even with a rocky start to your day you pulled off a grand party. The decor looks masterful and the food unsurpassable! You'll have to make up another batch of lemon-beetade to create a good memory of the tasty delight. Happy July, Vicki!
Posted by: margene | 08 July 2014 at 09:41 AM
Too bad about the lemonade. Younger Son spilled the large bowl of marinara sauce in the back of my station wagon (beige carpet) on the way to our Fourth picnic. Cars + non-Tupperware containers = not a good combination. But your picnic looks like a fabulous success!
Posted by: kmkat | 08 July 2014 at 04:03 PM
All things, even spilled lemonade, can be made better with bunting.
Posted by: Kim | 09 July 2014 at 03:31 PM
Oh, you can cry over spilled beet lemonade! Looks like a great day otherwise. Those pies are very impressive! And my 1840 house needs some bunting next year for certain!
Posted by: Patty | 10 July 2014 at 02:56 PM