Party for Two

I love the 4th of July!!! The red, white and blue, the festive parties, celebrating our nation's continued freedom and the great people that have made it possible, BBQ'ing and sunshine!

As I posted before, this particular 4th was different for us... being in Scotland and all. But we certainly made the most of it. Our past week had been super busy, neither of us being home after work for about five days in a row. So we made plans to enjoy some down time and celebrate the holiday together with several of the things we'd normally enjoy at home.

That's starting with American food, of course! We headed to TGI Friday's on Saturday evening for some appetizers then caught a movie at the theater across from the beach. (I'll admit we saw the new Twilight installment, Eclipse - it was pretty good!) It was one of the warmer, sunnier days that Aberdeen will get. Summer will be over here shortly after we leave in August...

"I'm having a party

A party for two

Invitin' nobody

Nobody but you!"

I thought of Shania Twain's lyrics when Mike and I got started with our day today. A little grilling, some great movies, a couple drinks, some cornbread (courtesy of my mom's care package!) and some Coors Light makes for one great way to celebrate the 4th in Scotland!

Speaking of, we just started Independence Day so I better go get comfy on the couch. This is one of my favorite movies to watch with my mom, we love quoting it:

What do you say we try that again?
Yes, yes. Yes. Without the "oops". Thataway.
 
Forget the fat lady. You're Obsessed with fat lady. Just get us out of here!

Here's a little collage of our "4th Abroad!"
 

What did you do for the holiday? Post a link to your blog entry about your Independence Day celebrations in the comments section, and let freedom ring!!!

Happy 4th, y'all!!

Aberdeen may be cast in a state of gray,

And all our friends and family so very far away,

But though my country is apart from me,

I'm as American today as I'll ever be!

HAPPY 4TH Y'ALL, LET FREEDOM RING!!!!!!!!

My Recipes: Mean Green Chicken Tortilla soup

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There's still time to join my blog and leave your comment!***

I recently made this tried-and-true Rachael Ray recipe for a going-away dinner for one of our fellow American friends who's been living in Scotland the past several months. He's already back on home soil as we speak! I'm so jealous.  :)

Like all recipes I ever attempt to follow, I changed this one up dependant on what's available in my fridge or what I feel like adding or taking away. For instance, there are absolutely no tomatillos in Scotland. (I can hear them now: "What's that you say? A toma-what?").

So instead, I subsituted these friendly little orange sweet tomatoes I found.

The recipe is called "mean green" because the original green tomatillos add a very pretty green color to the dish. But my soup turned out a bit more colorful, which is just as well, since I also had to use purple onions instead of white.

Plus I doubled up the ingredients since I was feeding several hungry boys, so I had two huge pots going at the same time!

Here's the ingredient list I used:

•2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

•1 package small tomatoes, rinsed and chopped
•1 zucchini, chopped
•2 medium purple onions, chopped
•Handful of jalapenos slices from a jar, chopped
•1 heaping tablespoon of chopped garlic out of a jar
•1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin (half a palmful)
•Salt and freshly ground pepper
•One 12-ounce bottle Mexican beer (I like to use Corona, but only had Coors Light!)
•1 quart chicken broth
•6 sprigs fresh thyme (I used dried)
•1 package of chicken breasts, chopped into bite-size pieces
•One 8 ounce bag tortilla chips (8 ounces)
•Shredded cheese
•1 lime, cut into wedges
•4 scallions, finely chopped
•Cilantro, chopped (a generous handful)

In a large soup pot, heat the EVOO, 2 turns of the pan, over medium-high heat. Add the tomatoes, zucchini, onion, jalapeños and garlic and season with the cumin and salt and pepper. Cook until the onion is softened and the tomatoes become very soft, 7-8 minutes. Add the beer and cook over high heat until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth and thyme, cover and bring to a boil. Stir in the chicken and cook at a low boil for about 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Crush a handful of tortilla chips into 4 bowls and sprinkle with the cheese. Ladle the chicken stoup on top. Squeeze a lime wedge into each bowl and top with the scallions and cilantro.

And because I forgot to take a picture of the finished product, I snagged this lovely shot from RR's website.

Photo by Tina Rupp

Think it's time to finish watching Julie & Julia ;)

"The only real stumbling block is fear of failure.

In cooking you've got to have a what-the-hell attitude."

~Julia Child

'Ello, Guv-nuh!

I was so excited to see my latest articles in the fall/winter 2010 editions of Dallas Brides and The Atlantan Brides magazines.

One even includes Gov. Rick Perry. Well, more like his son and new daughter-in-law and their fantabulous wedding blowout in Dallas!

Piqued your interest, have I? Read on, dude.

Click on each image and, once it's loaded, click again to zoom in and read.

Don't forget to enter my pretty turquoise giveaway! I need all the help I can get!

Dreaming of red, white and blue...

It just occurred to me a few days ago that the 4th of July is nearly here! And it also just occurred to me that I'll be missing out on the American celebrations for the first time in my life. Which, of course, I'll have to do my best to remedy by making a playlist of every patriotic song I can get my hands on and cleaning off my stove-top grill for some steaks and chicken. Or I might have to consider burgers... this bad boy from MarthaStewart.com looks pretty good.

We'll load up on some Coors Light at the store and rent a movie like Top Gun or some other classic American film. Any suggestions?

I think it's time to start streaming 99.5 The Wolf and think red, white and blue thoughts.

Patriotic gazebo from MarthStewart.com

These are some shots of our 4th of July party last year with some friends in Katy. Gosh, I'd give anything to be in that hot Texas heat, enjoying a nice cold pool and a fresh beer right now! I also miss my precious dogs, Jersey and Shiner!

Yep, this will be the "leanest" Fourth we'll ever have. No BBQ grills or fun-filled swimming pools, no Bud Light and, sadly, none of our friends. But we will remember this Fourth for a long, long time. Like during every patriotic get-together after this, when Mike and I will turn to each other and say, "Remember when we celebrated Independence Day, just the two of us, living in Scotland? That was so crazy!"

We are proud Americans by default, Texans at heart.

I still get misty-eyed when I think about all those who have loved and lost so that we can experience the freedom we have today. The freedom to think for ourselves, to pursue our dreams, to live our lives the way we choose, to simply be.

Not everyone in this world gets to experience such freedom. It's a well-earned commodity that often comes at a high price. Our nation's forefathers were the ground-breaking thinkers of their time, the strong-willed cornerstones of a greater America.

"...one nation under God, indivisible,

with liberty and justice for all."

It pains me to think that there are actually people out there who want to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance. Have you lost so much faith in your country, in your fellow mankind, that you have become cynical enough to forsake the very being that brought you life? Shame on you.

We sit in our office chairs or behind our teacher's desks, we live in a world where electronics are our mainstream, our life source and means of communication. We live freely, with the ability to travel in our cars or planes anywhere we choose to go. We say what we think, we pursue what we want, we spend time with the people we deem important in our lives.

This was not always the case.   

There once was a country full of lion-hearted patriots, men and women who proudly lived and died for their land. Who bravely fought for their right to simply speak out, to set an example, to showcase their passion.

They have passed this nation onto us, laid it in our hands for safe-keeping and nuturing. And if we're not careful, we'll tear it apart from the inside out. There are still brave souls in this country, most of them are across the ocean fighting a war they are no longer supported in. Isolated from their America, criticized by their countrymen.

Is this what our great America has come to?

Stand up and be proud of your soldiers, be proud of your freedom. Be proud of your country.

Be proud to be an American.