Happy Fourth of July Eve!
My family loves Eves; you know what they are? The day befores – of course, Christmas Eve is our favorite but the list of Eves also include the day before Thanksgiving Day, more importantly Eves embraces everyone’s birthday – a birthday doesn’t go by without someone being wished A Happy Birthday, Eve, on the day before their birthday; the proper response is “don’t call me Eve! LOL!
Fourth of July is no exception – so
Happy Fourth of July Eve!
I listed some salads for the festivities – Enjoy!
Avocado and Tomato Salad print-friendly recipe
(Did I mentioned how I love this salad; this is my favorite salad; I thinks it’s healthy or healthier; no oil just a squeeze of lime; and avocado is the good fat, right?) SO YUMMY!
Two avocados ripened (I buy them when they are hard… on Saturday my shopping day), that way they are perfect by mid-week, and tonight; they were manageable and well ripened. I also leave the avocados in the basket in my kitchen; do not store in fridge. Slice up about four Roma tomatoes, season with salt and pepper. Cilantro (optional), slice thinly about 1/3 cup of red onion, add crushed red pepper, (also optional). Squeeze on some limejuice, about one lime, toss the salad,
serve!
String Bean and Potato Salad print-friendly recipe
Ingredients:
2 lbs. of fresh string beans
8 or 10 nice size potatoes peeled and cut up into chunks
1 red onion sliced
1 can of black olives pitted
Salt and pepper
1/3 cup of red wine vinegar
¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil
Clean the string beans and blanch them for about 3 minutes in salted water.
Strain well and you can then, run them under cold water.
Peel and cut up the potatoes, and, boil in salted water until firm, fork tender (no need to make them mushy) they need to hold their form.
Place both the potatoes and string beans in a large bowl and let cool.
Slice onion and add as much as you desire
Rinse olives and add to the bowl (again the whole can or ½ of the can)
Dressing:
In measuring cup add the red wine vinegar; add a pinch of salt and black pepper, and a small pinch of oregano (dried oregano is fine)
Whisk with a fork the extra virgin olive oil with vinegar
Once the string beans and potatoes have cooled to, around room temperature, you can add the dressing; how I add the dressing is I stream it on the side of the bowl not directly on top of the string beans and potatoes. This is so the potatoes won’t soak up all of the oil and vinegar. You may sprinkle a pinch of black pepper or 1 or 2 turns of freshly ground pepper.Stir and serve.
This is a great salad for summer time barbecues; this salad travels well too. You can put it all together at home, except for the dressing, leaving it for when you get there, or add it right before you are ready to serve the salad.
The ingredients can be cut in half for a smaller crowd.
Cucumber & Mango Salsa (Salad)
Cucumber and Mango Salsa
Ingredients
1 Mango – peeled and cubed
½ English Cucumber diced
¼ cup of diced red onion
Juice from lime
½ or 1 tablespoon jalapeno pepper diced small (seeded and deveined) optional
1/4 cup or less cilantro (optional)
Salt and Pepper
Peel and cube or dice 1 mango, dice about ¼ of a very small red onion, dice one-half of an English cucumber, and dice the jalapeno.
How I cut the jalapeno; cut it in half, clean out the seeds and the white membranes or veins, then I cut the half in half, I used ¼ of the pepper and diced it in tiny little squares, at this point, I taste one of the squares to gauge the heat. I added about a tablespoon, you can add as little or as much as you like – depending on the heat and not only your threshold but everyone that will eat it as well. Remember it needs to be tasty but also comfortable to the palette.
Frozen Margarita Jello Shots print-friendly recipe
I found the recipe on line and up until I finished making them we were calling them the Margarita Jello Shot Recipe; Nick & I made so many; little 2oz plastic containers were stacked in aluminum baking trays, we asked ourselves can all these fit in the fridge, um no! So it hit us to stick them in our freezer, voila Frozen Margarita Jello Shots! We’ve been doing these since 2008 and they are good!
Recipe from DrinkStreet.com, it is no longer listed but that is where I have it from.
Margarita Jello Shots
6 ounces of Lime Jello (large box)
16 ounces Water (boiling)
6 ounces of Tequila
2 ounces of Triple Sec
1 ounce of Lime Juice
1 ounce of Water (cold)
Mix the jello mix with the boiling water until the powder is fully dissolved. Add the rest of the water and alcohol. We pour about 1 ounce of mixture in 2 ounce plastic containers and cover them with lids; you can purchase the containers and lids at any party store. Makes about 35 shots. Please be advised these are not for children; the alcohol is optional and drink responsibly!
Mangia, Mangia…No Talk!!!
Sometimes, the eve is better than the holiday.
Funny you do the "don't call me Eve" thing. My mom and I always do the same thing when one of us says "Surely, …" I think we stole it from the movie Airplane.
Marisa,
that mango and cucumber salad looks so refreshing.
I have to laugh about that eve.. You know just today I took Tealyn to get vaccinated and as I was sitting in the waiting room , a lady asked the girl at the counter "are you excited about the 4th of July. and the lady at the drs counter responded " When do we celebrate 4th of July? I wanted to pee in my pants..
so I butted in and said usually on the 4th of July… and she said not the EVE?
Uhmmmmm I let her co worker explain LOl I couldn't stop laughing.
OH!
these are so beautiful simple and healthy!
well… maybe not the margarita jello shots… but hey… delicious!!!
happy 4th eve to you too eve! LOL.
Surely Airplane is one of the funniest, and silliest movie LOL…I think the eve thing started many years ago between me and my husband and then we started adding more people my sisters, cousins their kids and all it is , is a Happy Birthday Eve or Happy Birthday, Eve – Have a great 4th of July !!!!!
OMG Marissa – I read your post at work in my email and I giggled all afternoon… that so funny did Tealyn looked at her and said come on lady I'm 8 months and i know it's tomorrow! LOL! ( I know she is very smart) Anyway thank you for the laugh is was very funny – and I really need a good laugh especially at work which are far and few! 🙂
They are delicious and always requested now for the jello shots they are good for you but in moderation of course and they have a tendency of sneaking up – boy do they ever ! Please be well – have a wonderful 4th – XO XO – 🙂