July 4th may be my favorite holiday. It has nothing to do with religion and everything to do with freedom. It's a chance to celebrate the founding of this country which, though seriously flawed and in grand decline, is still the place I choose to call home above all others. This year, we also raised a glass to gay marriage in New York! What a day. It dawned clear and warm after days of torrential rains and lightning storms. G had to stand outside in the downpour for hours the day before to smoke the first half of the 60 pounds of pork we served to the hoard of hungry revelers. It was nothing short of heroic. Gin cocktails were sucked down, pickles were scarfed, ice cream sandwiches demolished. Groups congregated in the screened-in porch, on the lawn and front patio, and even in the house. Dogs frolicked and begged. Screams of laughter rang out, joints were passed and kids got purple popsicle juice everywhere. In short, a great party. 
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We're expecting 60 people at our house for pulled pork on the 4th and I am up to my eyeballs in chores! The bustle around here is impressive. And guess what—THE BATHROOM IS FINALLY DONE!!!!! I even had a new shower curtain made from one of those antique batiks I got in Indonesia. I promise to post pictures very soon. Anyway, all this to say that I'm much too busy to be writing here, but I couldn't resist sharing a few snaps I took at a lovely party the other night. Cooking for such a crowd gives me renewed respect for caterers. How do they manage to keep doing it night after night, for people they don't even love? I imagine they work like dogs. This party we went to, a 50th birthday celebration for a dear friend of many years, was intimate and beautifully orchestrated. It didn't hurt that it was being thrown by hosts of impeccable taste and sophistication, in the most beautifully appointed pale-grey apartment. Would it surprise you to know the owner is one of the pivotal geniuses behind the Martha Stewart brand? And the other host is the co-author of this gorgeous tome. Every detail was perfection, including the artful nibbles by Gaylinn Fast. 
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I don't want to harsh your mellow, and I do know that Thanksgiving is a special day—a time to throw caution to the wind and loosen your belt—but I just read that "more than half of Americans will have diabetes or be prediabetic by 2020, at a cost to the US health care system of $3.35 trillion, if current trends continue unabated." Staggering, no? To what trends does this refer? Too much processed food, too much sugar, too much fat. So I'd like you to reconsider the cream-laden dips and greasy chips that seem to be so popular for snacking on before the big turkey feast. All those cheese plates and fistfuls of roasted nuts that go so well with the wine and cocktails you'll inevitably be knocking back. Look, I'm no killjoy. I want you to indulge! But I also want you alive and healthy and fitting into your skinny jeans. So ponder some of these options, starting with a plate of fresh, crunchy, spicy watermelon radishes—in season now!—irresistible when sprinkled with flaky Maldon sea salt and perhaps drizzled with a little green olive oil. It's the perfect way to really wake up your palate.
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The drinks were devoured at an alarming rate, G's barbecue was delicious, and the freezer went on the fritz endangering the ice cream sandwiches and liquefying the popsicles. All in all, our July 4th festivities were a great success, but I can't really attribute that to the menu. It was all about old friends (and new) coming together to enjoy each other's company, the haven of a cool porch in the summer heat, the lush green of the yard. There were excited dogs and kids underfoot, tours of the garden and lolling in the hammock. Laughter, loud music and the lingering smell of applewood smoke filled the air. A core group followed the last rays of the sun out to the front patio and somehow the bugs stayed away as we lit sparklers and celebrated our freedom. So, yes, the gin cocktails and "special" brownies certainly didn't hurt, but it was love and friendship that made the day.
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