Fourth of July fest; corn, potatoes and okra

After leaving the wild world of being a staffer on a political campaign, the Fourth of July has become one of my favorite holidays. As a staffer, the day was filled with marching in up to three parades (always hot and humid) and just a blur of red, white, blue, stickers, and flinging tootsie rolls. Now, I can relax and enjoy and reflect on how lucky we are.

We did do the West Des Moines parade. We rode in style in the classic car that KIOA is giving away- a custom 64 Buick Rivera- and can I ever stress enough how much cuter one looks in a really smokin' hot car?

On the Fourth, I smoked some bone-in chicken breasts that morning and fixed some potato salad. Alas, the Iowa sweet corn still wasn't ready due to all of the wet weather. We went to a movie (how indulgent!) and saw Get Smart which was by far one of the best comedies I have seen in years, and volunteered at the 80/35 musical festival for Planned Parenthood. After running a couple of errands- we grabbed dinner and watched the fireworks at West Glenn- very nice display and no traffic-woohoo!

Due to being so busy- it took me a couple of extra days to finish James Rollins latest- which was a little frustrating because it was a good read. I just started the new James Bond, Devil May Care by Sebastian Faulks. I've been a huge Bond fan since I was, hmmm 10, I think. Yeah, in Junior High when the other girls were curled up with Teen Beat, I was immersed in Ian Flemming's classic Bond books.

I did finally get my first batch of sweet corn yesterday. I roasted it in the oven, which is my favorite way to do corn since I don't have a handy grill outside. I shuck the corn (which how excited were the cats to help shuck? Very!) and wrap it in foil with a little olive oil (so it doesn't get stuck) and seasoning of your choice. Roast at 375-400 for about 45 minutes or until it gives a bit when you squeeze it.

One other thing I tried this week- after work, I ate at the salad bar at Jason's Deli Monday before headed to my night yoga class. Great choice for a quick veggie loaded meal- they have really great roasted red pepper hummus on the salad bar- yum! I tried pickled okra, as a nod to my Grandma who was obsessed with pickled okra, and it was okay. I'm probably not going to run out and buy a jar- but maybe I will to get Ben & Abby to try it.

I did check out from the library the book New Vegetarian Grill by Andrea Chessman which looks very scrumptious. Grilled angel food cake- I think I gotta try it!

Here's the recipe for the potato salad I made- courtesy of Penzeys Spices.

Very nice for a picnic or an indoor meal when it is still chilly outside. Dill Weed adds a bright and springy flavor to any dish.

2-3 lbs. small new potatoes
11/2 quarts boiling salted water
1/4 Cup strained cooking liquid
1/4 Cup chopped SHALLOTS or onions
1 TB. wine vinegar
1 tsp. DILL WEED
1 tsp. ENGLISH PRIME RIB RUB
1-2 TB. olive or vegetable oil

Bring water to a boil. Add 1 tsp. salt. Wash and scrub potatoes. Peel a stripe around the center of each potato. Place in boiling water, cook until fork tender (about 8-12 minutes). Drain, reserving 1/4 Cup strained cooking liquid. Return potatoes to pan, cover and let dry about 2 minutes. Combine the cooking liquid, SHALLOTS or onions, wine vinegar, ENGLISH PRIME RIB RUB and DILL WEED. Whisk. Place potatoes in a roomy bowl, cover with dressing and stir gently. Let stand 10 minutes, then add 1 or 2 TB. of vegetable oil. Toss and serve. The flavor is great warm or chilled.
Serves: 4-6. Prep. Time: 10 minutes. Cooking time: around 10 minutes

I halved the amount of potatoes and kept the dressing amount the same, cause I like it tangy. Also, cook the potatoes starting in cold water, then bring up to a boil- they'll cook more evenly. It's a great, fresh alternative to the heavy mayo laced gloppy mushy potato salad. Enjoy!