A few bumps in the road here and there notwithstanding, pretty much every year since I moved away from home I've had an Independence Day cookout of one sort or another.
This year I had to stay close to home because of the ridiculously over-the-top neighborhood fireworks that absolutely terrorize the babies. And last night was no exception. It went on until almost 2AM. Arlee went out of town for the weekend, so that left me here by myself.
The fact that I was here alone did not deter me from throwing my annual barbecue! I prepared a full-on cookout, figuring I could celebrate the 4th all weekend long! Plus, Arlee can have some when he gets home tomorrow. And as it turned out, a friend came by Saturday afternoon and we enjoyed heated-up BBQ goodies.
I recently got a slicer/shredder attachment for my KitchenAid mixer. I had my first chance to use it for my purple slaw. It shredded that ol’ cabbage in no time!
Here’s what I made:
Pork ribs and chicken thighs
barbequed in home-made sauce
Barbequed baked beans (same bbq sauce)
Purple Cole Slaw
Baked Yams with pecans & raisins
Roasted Corn on the Cob
Deviled Eggs
A hummingbird has been hanging around a lot lately. There are actually a couple of them but one of them chases the other one away. I guess he was hot sitting in the sun, so he perched on top of a set of wind chimes under the balcony umbrella and stayed there most of the day, frequently darting over to the feeder for a refreshing drink.
Finally, here’s a photo of Dixie Sue striking a pose and then one of the three babies sacked out for a nap on the hot summer afternoon.
“A good time was had by all.”

















This year I had to stay close to home because of the ridiculously over-the-top neighborhood fireworks that absolutely terrorize the babies. And last night was no exception. It went on until almost 2AM. Arlee went out of town for the weekend, so that left me here by myself.
The fact that I was here alone did not deter me from throwing my annual barbecue! I prepared a full-on cookout, figuring I could celebrate the 4th all weekend long! Plus, Arlee can have some when he gets home tomorrow. And as it turned out, a friend came by Saturday afternoon and we enjoyed heated-up BBQ goodies.
I recently got a slicer/shredder attachment for my KitchenAid mixer. I had my first chance to use it for my purple slaw. It shredded that ol’ cabbage in no time!
Here’s what I made:
Pork ribs and chicken thighs
barbequed in home-made sauce
Barbequed baked beans (same bbq sauce)
Purple Cole Slaw
Baked Yams with pecans & raisins
Roasted Corn on the Cob
Deviled Eggs
A hummingbird has been hanging around a lot lately. There are actually a couple of them but one of them chases the other one away. I guess he was hot sitting in the sun, so he perched on top of a set of wind chimes under the balcony umbrella and stayed there most of the day, frequently darting over to the feeder for a refreshing drink.
Finally, here’s a photo of Dixie Sue striking a pose and then one of the three babies sacked out for a nap on the hot summer afternoon.
“A good time was had by all.”
















