Lookout Martha... here comes Julie!

The 4th of July is a special holiday for my family so spending it in another country is a bit difficult. In an effort to discourage my feelings of abandonment, I decided to host a 4th of July bbq for our team to celebrate! I bought a grill, decorations, downloaded an "American" ipod mix, and even attempted to plan a menu for the big event. Shopping started the Saturday before the big day and involved several trips to the market and other assorted stores to pick up the necessary components of the celebration. You have NO idea how heavy a watermelon is until you have to carry it 4 blocks! I figured that I could handle making most of the side dishes for this meal as long as someone else manned the grill. Even though Ingmar volunteered, his late arrival, allowed Patrick to step and help out. Belss his heart, Patrick grilled not only hamburgers but also corn for all of us! Mind you, my "patio" is only about 2 feet wide and the grill could only handle about 3 pieces of meat at a time so this was quiet the production.

The meal turned out pretty good but the best part was dessert - a flag cake!

It turns out I CAN cook (and bake too!)... but don't be getting your hopes up for a dinner party anytime soon... just because I CAN doesn't mean I WILL :)