I think the most memorable 4th of July I've ever had was the one I spent in Zambia, three years ago. I celebrated it a day or two early, and my dear Canadian friend Candy celebrated Canada day a day or two late (I can't remember the precise details anymore...) One of the short term helpers was going to be leaving that week, so we decided in a burst of patriotic fervor and sorrow at the parting of our friend and math tutoring buddy that we would make some cakes, decorate them as our respective countries flags, and make my mom's famous peanut butter fudge recipe.
Well, we mixed up the spice cake and made two square cakes ('cuase that what pans we had) and then spent a long time deciding how to decorate them with very limited resources. We found something to use as cake boards and managed to cut the cakes into remotely flag shaped rectangles. Candy had a maple leaf cookie cutter she could use as a pattern for her cake, and I after briefly considering accurately rendering the good ol' stars and strips with nothing buy my wits and a knife decided to take the cowards way out and do a Texas cake instead.
We only had red food coloring to do the icing with, and because we were being creative we committed some heinous icing crimes the only one of which I'm going to speak of was using kool-aid to color a bit blue for the Texan flag. Folks, do NOT try that at home. It produces icing so potent and sour that it could knock down an elephant at ten paces! (I must admit half the fun was watching unsuspecting people taste it!)
Here is a picture of the final products:
The Texas cake with the Icing Of Doom
Notice anything funny? Candy decided to be funny and reverse the colors on the flag.
Here is the pan of failed but still pretty good fudge we made as well after ordering PEANUT BUTTER from town and waiting with baited breath for it to arrive (lots of simple things are more exciting when you live in the bush).
If you ever make my mom's fudge recipe, using mini marshmallows instead of fluff is fine as long as the marshmallows aren't rock hard stale...
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Flynn and I were talking today about how one of our least favorite parts of the 4th of July is the part where its in JULY. We were like, "Crazy founding fathers--couldn't they have held off till like October or something? Good grief!"
Note to self: If I ever start a national holiday, choose a temperate month for it...
Happy 4th all!
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And whoever got the insane idea that the appropriate way to celebrate Independence Day was by broiling yourself in the hot sun while standing over a grill full of red-hot coals? I ask you! It surely wasn't a Southerner!