Success!

It was great! We however, made a small modification to the menu. Added bruschetta appetizers with grilled italian bread, mozarella, basil, and a cherry tomato topping. Rachel made a dried fruit couscous that went well with everything. Emily brought an awesome avocado, mango, black bean salad. For dessert, we had fruit skewers, grilled, and topped with cream. And grilled, halved bananas. And Rachel's blueberry-peach cobbler as well.

Things to remember for next time, bring more charcoal if you plan on grilling for 5 hours straight, and the corn takes freakin' forever! Otherwise, it was one of the easiest things ever, just a lot of prep work that was totally worth it in the end. Rachel and Jeremiah were there with me from the way beginning, and so were Emily and Pete. Helena and her friend Ellen stopped by for a good while, Nana came by with some quick entertainment from Morty, and finally Becca showed up with the hebrew nationals :)

Then, went to the harbor to see fireworks... who knew that the barge closer to the inner harbor would only have fireworks every 5 minutes?

Pre-View July 4th Picnic

So Rachel and I have been planning this for a while.

Recently got a mini grill so we could have a picnic for July 4th wherever we wanted, and the proper heating source as well.


Our plan: to find a nice place outside in the shade and have a great picnic, but as things often do in the culinary adventures of Hopkins Crew, things go from fun and simple to fun and extravagant


the current menu, estimated for roughly 8 and several hours of cooking fun:

grilled corn with lime butter. butter mixed with lime juice and fresh zest, spread over corn, which is then rehusked and grilled on hot coals to allow the butter to absorb while the corn maintains its moisture.

simple vegetable skewers. cubed zucchini, whole white button mushrooms, red onion chunks, bell pepper pieces. olive oil, coarse sea salt, freshly cracked pepper. fired up on the grill on bamboo skewers.

grilled herb shrimp, ina garten style. peeled jumbo shrimp garnished with fresh parsley, basil, garlic, and shallots, in a lemon-mustard marinade. skewered and quickly grilled after marinating overnight.

for dessert... possibly grilled fruit (yeah, going with the grilled theme here, nice and slow, we have all day) fresh strawberries, peach halves, large, sweet summer fruits, carmelized under flame.

and sandra lee style cocktail time. if I can find good peaches or nectarines.. making a white sangria to put on ice.. yum. peach nectar, lots of fresh fruit, a bottle of white wine, Cointreau, and bubbly club soda, on ice, garnished with more fruit.


comments: still deciding whether or not having shrimp as the only protein will be enough. granted its mostly coxswains and their friends, the meat fiends won't necessarily be an issue, but perhaps some chicken skewers in a similar citrus marinade will help placate any that might show up.