Celebrate America. That is a deep subject for so many. Whether you are speaking with a generation who has fought for our freedoms in past wars, current wars or even those that are still learning about the history of America, we all remember things differently. However, one thing that doesn’t change is Food. The food we use to celebrate every Independence Day is a tradition. One that is thriving and reviving, especially after 2 years of isolation from family, friends and gatherings.
Celebrate America is what Independence Day is meant to be doing. Reminding us of our history of the principles our country was founded on. But why do we only celebrate America on 1 day? Why not everyday? What can we do to bring back the pride of America of what it is supposed to be? It’s up to us to keep traditions, the celebrations, the family alive.
Celebrations and Traditions in America
When you think back to your earliest memory of any celebration, whether it be weddings, family gatherings, even funerals, there are certain traditions that happen still to this day or at least discussion of a particular tradition. Perhaps your Grandma always made her mashed potatoes a certain way, or everyone could count on your Aunts’ homemade pies. In my mother’s family, there was a bowl that my mom and her siblings call the Mashed Potato Bowl. I now have it in my cupboards and always put my homemade mashed potatoes in that particular bowl. Nothing else goes in that bowl. Only mashed potatoes.
When it comes to celebrations and traditions, food will always be the thing to tie it all together. We do the same thing when pairing our vast variety of wines from our Wine of the Month family with our meals. We literally turn every meal into an event or celebration!
Creating New Traditions
On July 6, 2022, my team is taking this to a whole new level as we are going to Celebrate America! You see every Wednesday evening at 7:30 Central, we gather on Zoom at https://TheWineandDineShow.com to learn more about our Wine Club and the wines themselves. We also show how to make a meal into an event. We try to showcase an Appetizer, Entrée and a Dessert with at least one of our amazing wines. However, you do not have to wait until July 6 to come watch! Come every Wednesday before and after too! It’s something different every week!
Come and get ideas on creating new traditions in your family whether it be for a holiday, a family reunion or just a backyard BBQ! While we are just after the Independence Day Celebrations, we hope you tune in and enjoy and get some ideas on the fun we have here!
Celebrate America with Food
When we hear of Fourth of July Celebrations we think of parades, city-wide celebrations picnics, but more importantly is the food we find during this time. As with any good gathering, the beginning of the gathering just standing around a table full of munchies with a refreshing beverage is the best way.
For us, we love to gather with our friends (well online family really) and meet up on Zoom every Wednesday night. When we do, a few each week cook in their own homes (or backyard BBQ); and share with us foods they love and to them says celebrate America. So, on July 6, we are featuring foods that are just that.
Appetizers that need no plate
Every summer gathering, whether outside or indoors, needs to start off with appetizers. They are even better when they are easy to make and simple to grab. In addition, allows for the socializing to reach full status. Barbara chose 2 such bite-size appetizers. The first one had my attention from the beginning, Bacon Cheese Bites. Bacon is always a winner in my book, however, this one is out of the ballpark incredible. Additionally, being from Minnesota where our fair food is always on a stick, this could be a new opportunity for a booth at a fair! However, just grab a bite in one hand and a glass of incredible Pinot Noir.
Why are we choosing a Pinot Noir, because it is a very flexible, easy to pair, light on the tastebuds, with amazing flavors and aromas that goes with almost anything! In fact, we are sticking with a Pinot Noir for our entire event. We have a couple Pinots we are going to pair with these items, our Nile Eddy and our Discoveries Gran Cru. We’ll get in to those in just a bit.
The second appetizer she is going to tempt our tastebuds with is Chicken Parmesan Bites, which is going to be a great lead in for our main entree! This little bite will even please the fussiest of mouths, and with the chicken it has some great healthy benefits. What’s great is because of the red sauce, pairing this with a red wine, more specifically a Pinot Noir just makes sense!
Finger Lickin Chicken
Gatherings in the summer mean amazing BBQ’d chicken on the grill, or perhaps a quick run to the nearest KFC! Whatever way you prefer, but this recipe Rick writes about is amazing. Smoked BBQ Chicken is sure to have our mouths watering! I love that Rick is takes the time to tell us how to even get creative with a gas grill to be able to smoke the chicken. I am already adding a stainless steel bowl to my list of things to add to my future outdoor kitchen.
But seriously, you need to try this at least once, but I suspect you will find this recipe a winner winner (for a chicken dinner) and become a family favorite. However what is even better is that once again, a Pinot Noir is a perfect pairing with this chicken! It will enhance the smoke, the bbq flavors and just overall blend well with your tastebuds.
A Dessert America Celebrates
In the summer, when it is hot, humid and everyone is just looking for ways to cool down. Why not try something refreshing and delightful? This amazingly simple dessert is so light and simple to make. And with the strawberries that it will seem as though its from the heavens. Its a perfect ending for celebrating America. Brings the tastebuds alive with the berries and sweet whipped cream, but not overly sweet with the Angel Food cake. You really need to go check out this incredible Strawberry Dream Dessert and start dreaming of the next time you can eat it again!
Celebrate America with a Toast
It is so easy to turn a simple meal into a celebration by choosing an amazing fine wine. When it came to figuring out which wines to open for this event, I reached out for some advice from the primary person I know absolutely LOVES Wine! Our very own Tanya Ricord, co-owner of our Wine Club as well as Compliance Officer. We love her true enthusiasm when it comes to high quality wines; and it is truly contagious and fun to learn.
Our wine club offers different labels of Pinot Noir throughout the seasons. My favorites are the 2019 Nile Eddy and the 2019 Discoveries Gran Cru vintages so far. I have to caveat that because our fine wines are boutique wines, meaning our vintages are true vintages. Unlike mass-produced or retail store wines, each vintage of our wines will have different tastes and aromas. More over, when its gone, its gone. Our winemakers are true wine artists, preserving ages long traditions in the processes of wine making. They allow the natural processes of wine making to take lead on our wines and nothing is rushed. We do not bottle until it is determined that specific wine is ready, a process that can take 3-5 years.
Celebrate our Freedoms America
Being a Military Mom since 2012, our Freedoms mean so much more to me. Especially knowing our sons literally signed up to protect what we have here from foreign lands. While they actively serve, we all need to remember those past generations that sacrificed lives and livelihoods. One of my favorite wines literally has Lady Liberty and our Stars and Stripes proudly portrayed on the label. This wine is just a small part of our celebrations each month, each week as we gather for our Wine Club in so many ways. Interested in knowing more about our Wine Club and where you can expect amazing wines each month? Perhaps you are looking at a way to make an income as well, whether it be Full-time, Part-time or anywhere in between, I invite you to learn more Here.
As you reflect on the Nation’s holidays each year, please take a moment to appreciate all that others have done for you. Cheers!