4th of July Picnic!

Happy 4th of July!

I hope all of you were able to enjoy the day with your loved ones. I decided at the last minute to make a big day of it for us and thankfully Justin was up for it. We had our first picnic yesterday! I could not wait to get into the kitchen and start cooking Friday. Our menu read as follows:

BBQ Chicken

Potato Salad

Macaroni & Cheese

Baked Beans

It is a lot for two people, but it was our first 4th of July in our new home. It seemed like the perfect excuse to cook up a storm! While Justin went to fix up the yard (one too many problems Thursday= us mowing in the dark= BAD yard job) Friday morning, I set to work on the chicken. Y'all, I made this recipe by accident two weeks ago and Justin is in love with it now. It's great for me because it is SO easy.

Looks so much better!

After a little more yard work we stopped for lunch. Justin suggested hotdogs because according to him, and I quote, "You can not get anymore All-American than that". I made lunch, we ate, and then I was off to the kitchen again. If I were my mother, I could have made up the small menu all at once and probably within an hour. That said, I am her less-experienced daughter who is still finding her way in the kitchen. Nevertheless, I worked as quickly as I could for the sake of my husband, our picnic, and for the simple fact that rushing around in the kitchen fills one with a great sense of purpose. In other words, it was fun! Justin helped mashed potatoes and then took over dish washing for me. Since neither of us care for homemade mac n'cheese, we bought boxed. Also, because I keep forgetting to ask my mother for her baked beans recipe, I do not yet feel confident enough to share my method with you on that recipe either.

By 6 o'clock all was done. Justin and I had decided to dress up for our 4th of July picnic. Though we have no pool, I chose to wear my cute patriotic Esther Williams swimsuit with a pair of jeans and my blue and white polka-dotted flats. Justin hasn't a single pair of shorts (long story), but I convinced him to try on his swim shorts he bought last year for our honeymoon. I went back to the kitchen and began packing up utensils, napkins, and plastic containers of food. My dinner plates would not fit in the basket (too tall, too wide), so I grabbed the smaller ones and we agreed to eat one thing at a time.

Y'all, it was wonderful! Justin was amazed how few flies will bother you when you keep the containers covered (again, long story) and the weather was absolutely perfect!

I know any chef would comment that the plate lacks color, but, trust me, it makes up for it with flavor!

After dinner, we tried to relax and lay back on our quilt. The breeze blew every once in a while. The sun was out of sight. There were hardly any clouds, leaving nothing more than brushes of white in a cheery blue sky. I was happy laying beside him with his arm wrapped around me...in our yard...our home. We had just begun to talk of the life we might one day see in our backyard, sighing away with contentment, when "SMACK"! The mosquitos began to attack. Justin had had it by that point. Neither of us wanted to go in, so we decided to run to the store and buy mosquito repellant. You know how those trips are though. You run first to the one that can not help you and then become distracted in the next one that is filled with everything you need and more. We actually ended up catching a few fireworks and then coming home.

It was by far one of the best 4th of Julys I have ever had. I hope all of you are enjoying your weekends. Did you cook up anything special?

P.S. If you haven't checked out the Operation Christmas Card contest yet, please stop by for a minute.