July 1, 2023

WEEKLY MENU 07.02.23

Big Birthday during the Weekly menu 07.02.23 ~ and we’ve got summer picnic menus for days!

The United States of America celebrates the 247th anniversary of the publication of the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain during the Weekly Menu 07.02.23! The Declaration of Independence was announced on July 4th, although the signing didn’t occur until August 2nd. The colonies actually voted to accept it on July 2nd. So the long, extended holiday weekend makes sense!

How about some other fun facts about the big day?

Three American presidents have died on the fourth of July. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died on the same day, in 1826, just hours apart. They had been rivals in everything, even about who would live longest. Adams’ last words were about his long-time foe: “Thomas Jefferson lives!” In fact, Jefferson had died just five hours earlier, but Adams hadn’t gotten the message. The two actually became friends in their later years, with extensive correspondence. Their letters to each other are published in several books.

James Monroe is the third president to die on July 4th, but he died in 1831.
Farmers Almanac

Some other slightly obscure but wonderfully fascinating facts about the Fourth:

Thomas Jefferson was the main author of the Declaration of Independence.
John Hancock was the first person to sign the Declaration of Independence.
An estimated 2.5 million people lived in the nation in July 1776.
The Liberty Bell is tapped 13 times every Independence Day to honor the 13 original states.
The Liberty Bell hasn’t been rung since 1846.
There are 33 places in the United States with the word “liberty” in their names.
Calvin Coolidge was the only president born on the 4th of July.
It didn’t become a federal holiday until 1870.
Americans eat around 150 million hot dogs each Independence Day.
Our national anthem wasn’t ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ until 1931.
The One World Trade Center in New York was designed to be 1,776 feet tall.
There have been 27 different versions of the U.S. flag.
Coney Island hosts a famous hot dog-eating contest every year on July 4th. The Nathan’s Famous 4th of July hot dog eating contest began over a century ago.

We always make sure to watch Joey Chestnut eating hot dogs on the Fourth of July. It’s absolutely disgusting, but I can never look away. And I don’t understand the whole “sport” of competitive eating. How do all of these people not weight about a million pounds? Of course we enjoy a fabulous lunch of hot dogs while the contest rages in the background. I usually cap it at two, but I’ve been known to go back for a third. Hot Dogs on the Blackstone are slightly reminiscent of gas station dogs that run around and around on their rollers, but much, much healthier. At least from a cleanliness and timeliness standpoint.

Of course dogs are part of the plan (more than once) during the Weekly Menu 07.02.23…

Weekly Menu 07.02.23

It’s graduation party season, so Sunday dinner is more of a backup plan than anything else. (Affiliate links precede and follow – see Disclaimer Page for Details.) The Perfectly Grilled Chicken is named thusly because, first of all, Bert will be manning the grill, and he is amazing at it. But secondly, this easy marinade really does create one of the best grilled chicken we’ve ever had. It has a teeny tiny bit of sugar in it, and I think that’s the secret.

We’re celebrating the Fourth of July on Monday. That way we can rest, relax and watch Joey Chestnut on the actual day. Both days we’re grilling and leaning heavy on the sammies and salads, which is a pretty great method for summer eating. There will likely be some hold over of salads from Monday on Tuesday.

Must. Have. Sweets.

We’re going real easy on the desserts: store bought ice cream sandwiches dipped in red, white and blue sprinkles make an easy, delicious dessert that the kiddies can make. We’re having the Oatmeal, Macadamia, Cranberry Cookies too, but I’ll add some dried blueberries to keep up with the theme. And we’re making some Fireball Cake Balls because it’s been too long since we’ve had them!

Corn on the cob isn’t in season yet here in beautiful Erieland, so we’re adding a little vegetarian “burger” to the menu with some corn fritter sandwiches. Get your carbs here!

There are two variations of sloppy joes on the menu, although they don’t taste even vaguely alike. We opted for some pizza and wings last week, so the Shredded Chicken Joes didn’t get made. We did have the fabulous Roasted Red Pepper Pasta, so we’re subbing in the Asian Peanut Noodles as a side. In a family wide survey, the Roasted Red Pepper Pasta usually wins out, but only by a hair. The Italian “Sloppy Joes” are basically meat sauce on Italian bread, fully smothered. Sloppy for sure.