HAPPY 4th of JULY!!

If you live in Alameda and had to cast a vote for the most important holiday of the year it would be July 4th. Little did we know when we bought our house that the annual July 4 parade marched past the end of our block. The parade makes me feel patriotic. It represents everything that is good about our country where the Mormon float with its operating drawbridge can parade along with the Black Cowboy Association on horseback, Miss Teen Oakland, the Zydeco Pirates, a woman on roller skates dressed as a composting worm, the Small Dog Park with a theme of clean up the poop, the Forbidden Island Tiki Bar Float with the Meshugge Band in black hats and tallit playing Beach Party Klezmer Surf music, the police surveillance van, a bag-piper, penny-farthing cyclists, and that only describes a few of the 170 entries. Our neighbor was the grand marshall and rode with her family at the head of the parade in a horse-drawn carriage. Speaking of votes, given that this spirit of tolerance and hope is what we want to keep, the word from Dr. Sue's Kitchen is vote for Obama, PLEASE!!!

To celebrate we had our friends over for a party.

The Menu
Hors d'ouevres tray
Hummus, cubes of feta cheese drizzled with olive oil, carrots, snap peas, olives, pita chips
Sun dried tomato, spinach and pine nute roll-ups

Main Course
Grilled butterflied leg of lamb
Grilled chicken breast
Veggie BBQ "ribs"
Cous cous with raisins, onions, and cinnamon
Cucumber with yogurt and cumin
Green mesclun salad with vinagrette dressing
Acme bread rustic batard
Nudo olive oil from my own tree for dipping

Dessert
Fresh blueberry pie with whipped cream
Meyer lemon bars

Beverages
Lime flavored sparkling water
Proseco
Lillet blanc over ice


and the Signature Cocktail
PINKIES



I followed the principles that I learned from my Mom aka Bubbe who was fearless about entertaining crowds at home: prepare ahead of time, don't make anything too fussy, accept help from your friends, and be one of the guests at your own party. The food was delicious, but the Pinkies won the day. The recipe was a collaborative improvisation.

For this occasion, Dr. Sue decided at the last minute that we needed something festive in the red-white-and blue mode, not bitter like her favorite Negroni, not pure like her favorite Martini, and not Margaritas because we weren't having chips and dip. My daughter gave me a cocktails recipe book. I looked up the recipe for Cosmopolitans...they are pink aren't they?...sort of red white and blue...and they've been in the news because of Sex in the City.

I tried to follow the proportions for a crowd, so I mixed 3 cups of vodka, 1 cup of triple sec, one cup of blood orange juice (the recipe called for cranberry juice but blood orange juice is what I had on hand, a Christmas present still in the fridge) and some meyer lemons. Alas, it tasted terrible, something akin to pink gasoline. As the party went on the recipe evolved and the cocktail got a new name - Pinkies! If you want to make Pinkies for your next party, here is the recipe...I think....

PINKIES for a crowd
3 cups vodka
1 cup triple sec
2 cups blood orange or cranberry juice
1/2 cup Rose's lime juice
Fresh lemons
Fresh limes (essential)
Lime flavored sparkling water


Fill a wine glass about 1/3 - 1/2 with the pink vodka concoction. Add ice cubes, lime slices, and fill the glass with sparkling water. The pinker the Pinkie the stronger the Pinkie. Use caution when mixing. Enjoy!!

Happy 4th of July!!