4th of July

Cousins Gus and Ann always invite their extended family to a 4th of July cookout, every year, at high noon.  Gus roasts pork shoulders on the grill.  Ann decorates their garage in patriotic colors and makes gallons of sweet tea and probably does 90 million other things in the kitchen while Gus minds the grill.  The family starts pouring in around 11, bearing their specialty dishes, just about the time the shoulders are ready to be pulled apart for sandwiches.

If you have never been part of a shoulder-pullin', you have missed one of the most orgasmic food experiences in the world.  The skin on the outside of the shoulder is charred and crisp; the meat on the inside is warm and moist and fall-apart tender.  Juice runs down your arm when you sneak bites.  Heaven on earth. 

As always, I picked my brain for side dish ideas.  With so many people bringing food, it's hard not to duplicate.  We picked up a watermelon and a store-bought cherry pie while we were browsing the supermarket for ideas.  We ended up getting ingredients for a cool tropical fruit and marshmallow salad, with loads of pecans and coconut and whipped cream.  Thirty years ago, this salad showed up at nearly every family dinner, but I haven't seen it for a while. 

On the gardening front, my garden is still a mess.  I did some good work last week but didn't finish, and it has rained again (almost daily) since then.  My new "hula hoe" arrived this week, and I'm interested to see if it can make any headway against the grass.  Following some online video suggestions, The Husband sharpened the blades for me.  I may try it out this afternoon, if I'm not too full to move.