HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY
The photo above is one of the Artist Trading Cards that I made for a Fourth of July Swap. It was a lot of fun to make. I used some patriotic patterned paper, patriotic sticker and rubber stamps.
Fourth of July Quotes
None of us who have always been free can understand the terrible fascinating power of the hope of freedom to those who are not free. --Pearl S. Buck
We hold these truths to be sacred and undeniable; that all men are createdequal and independent, that from that equal creation they derive rightsinherent and inalienable, among which are the preservation of life, andliberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
~Thomas Jefferson~
There are no necessary evils in government. Its evils exist only in itsabuses.If it would confine itself to equal protection, and, as Heaven doesits rains,shower its favors alike on the high and the low, the rich and thepoor, it would be an unqualified blessing.
~Andrew Jackson~
Fourth of July History
THE HISTORY OF AMERICA'S INDEPENDENCE DAY
America was born on July 4, 1776!
July 4, 1776 was the birth of our nation, The United States of America.
On this very important day the Continental Congress adopted the final draft of the
Declaration of Indepndence.
This day was preceeded by a battle between the colonists of our original thirteen colonies and the British contorl over them.
According to Kenneth Davis, there is evidence of this horrible battle from as early as the year 1676.
During this year a man named Nathaniel Bacon created a document that spoke against the British and their unfair taxes.
This document was called the "Declaration of the People." Nathaniel Bacon not only wrote against the
British but also led troops of poor farmers, slaves and free blacks against the British (Davids, 1991).
Dispite this and many other rebellions of the colonists, the British continued to impose these unfair taxes.
In the mid 1700's the colonists were finding it harder to be ruled be King George III, ruler of Britain.
They desided they were not going to put up with these taxes any longer. Many colonists boycotted these taxes.
In response, the British sent troops into the thirteen colonies.
This led to the Boston Massacre in 1765, where British soldiers fired gun shots into a crowd of people that were
through stones and calling them names.
In 1773 another event occured called the Tea Party. The British put a tax on tea sold in the colonies.
Some men, including Samuel Adams, from Boston dressed as Indians, boarded three ships full of tea and dumped in over into
the Massachusetts Bay. Soon after the Tea Party the Revolutionary War began.
The First Continental Congress created a list of complaints against the King, in 1774.
George Washington was in command of the Continental Army and began the fighting against the British.
The Revolutionary War lasted eight years, with black men, white men, and even women who fought for their right to freedom.
During the war the Second Continental Congress began another list of complaints against the King
This list was called the Declaration of Independence, and was first signed by the president of the Seconde Continental Congress,
John Hancock. This was made public Juy 8, 1776 and was celebrated by bells, the firing of guns, candles and firecrackers.
However, the war continued until 1783, and in this year Independence Day was made an offical holiday.
Today we celebrate America's Independence Day the was John Adams felt it should be celebrated. He said it would
"...be celebrated by pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires andilluminations from one end of this continent to the other..."
Personal Opinion
It seems to me that we had the Boston Tea Party to get rid of unfair taxes. Now we are being taxed to death by our own government each year. Isn't it about time that we had another Boston Tea Party and rid ourselves of the unfair taxes of today???????????
Fourth of July Vegetarian Picnic
Mint Tea Punch
Note from Cheri: Fresh mint can make ordinary ice tea special, so you might opt to stop after the first step of the recipe and completely eliminate the extra ingredients. Try this punch for something even more memorable. It's the prefect refreshment for a hot summer afternoon.
8 tea bags8 fresh
mint sprigs1 C sugar2 quarts boiling water2 1/2 C pineapple juice1 can (6 oz.) can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawedadditional mint springs for garnish
Makes about 3 quarts
Combine tea bags, sugar and mint sprigs. Pour boiling water over tea mixture. Cover and let steep for at least a half hour.
Remove and discard tea bags and mint springs. Transfer to a large pitcher or punch bowl and add pineapple juice, cold water and lemonade concentrate (undiluted). Stir well, serve over ice garnished with mint sprigs.
Deviled Eggs
Serves 6 as an appetizer
Cut each egg in half and carefully scoop out the yolk. Mash yolks and remaining ingredients together to make a paste. Wether to make it completely smooth, or leave small lumps is a matter of personal taste, much the same way that some people, myself included, like lumpy mashed potatoes. If you're in the smooth camp, you can make the egg yolk mixture in a
food processor.
Once you've finished the egg yolk mixture, it's time to carefully spoon it back into the egg white. For more decorative eggs you can put the egg yolk mixture in a
pastry bag and pipe it back into the white. Sprinkle with a little paprika for color and flavor.
*Note: Vegetarians should use vegetarian Worcestershire Sauce or eleiminate this ingredient.
Mexican-Style Chickpea Salad
4 cups cooked
chickpeas , or 4 cups drained canned chickpeas (from two 15 oz. cans), rinsed1 med.
onion,
minced2 cloves
garlic,
minced or
pressed3
jalapeno chiles, seeded and minced2 canned
chipotle chiles in sauce, rinsed, seeded and minced (optional)3 medium
tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped (optional)4 T
extra-virgin olive oil4 T fresh lime juice, or more to taste3 T chopped fresh
cilantrosalt and freshly ground black pepper
Makes 8 side-dish servings
Combine all the ingredients and let marinate for 2 hours. Adjust the salt and pepper and the lime juice to taste. Serve slightly cool.
Caprese Sandwich
Caprese is a traditional Italian combination of tomatoes, fresh mozzerella and fresh basil. Serve it on crusty bread or focaccia.
2 crusty bagguettes or 4 large crusty rolls or 4 servings focaccia bread1/4 cup
olive oil1/3 cup fresh
basil leaves,
chifonnade4 ripe fresh
tomatoes8 oz. mozzerella cheese, thinly slicedsliced
kalamata olives (optional) salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Serves 4
Cut bread in half. Layer sliced tomatoes and sliced cheese and (if desired) olives. Sprinkle basil over sandwiches. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Easy Strawberry or Peach Shortcake Squares
4 C
strawberries, hulled and sliced
OR
4 C sliced peaches1/4 C sugarCake 2 C flour1/3 C sugar1 T
baking powder1/4 tsp. salt1/2 C
butter2/3 C
half and half1
egg, beaten
2 C whipped cream (or 1 can Redi-Whip®)
additional sliced strawberries or peaches for garnish
Serves 6
Combine sliced fruit and 1/4 cup sugar, mix well and chill.
Preheat oven to 450° F. Lightly
grease an 8 inch square baking pan.
Combine flour, sugar,salt and baking powder.
Cut in butter with two knives or a pastry blender until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.
Mix half and half and egg and mix well. Add to flour/butter mixture and stir just until moistened. Spread the mixture in the bottom of the prepared pan and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes before transferring cake to a
wire rack to cool completely.
To assemble:Cut the cake into six squares and cut each square in half horizontilly. Place bottom half of shortcake, cut side up, on plate, top with prepared fruit and dollop of whipped cream, top with second half of cake, cut side down and additional fruit and whipped cream. Repeat for remaining squares.
HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY
It's the second week of the Greeting Card Challenge at Scrap101. I've completed a few more cards to upload. This has been a lot of fun for me. I've never made greeting cards other than digital in a card program. I enjoyed using some of my tea-bag folded medallions on the cards. On a couple of cards I just used 3 sections of the medallion to create a top and bottom design. I have some more cards but I'm having trouble uploading them. I'll try later this afternoon to upload them.
These ornaments were fun to make. I didn't have any photos to put int he top two.......so I printed out some clipart. The bottom one is Bandit. He loved green M&M's. The bow is one of his that he got in his top-knot after being groomed.
I made the Cooke Tin out of a coffee can. These will be cute for Christmas cookies.
Snack box.....These will make cute little boxes for Homemade Candies or Caramel Corn.
I ran across this photo of a little Mutt. It reminds me so much of my little friend, Bandit. We got Bandit at a flea mart when he was about 6 weeks old. He was a fluffy little ball of fur in brown and white. He had the cutest little black mask around his eyes..........so naturally we named him Bandit.
Bandit
