Last Minute Red,White And Blue Trifle

My daughter has been asked, at the last minute, to bring a dessert for a Fourth of July cookout. It seems the hostess underestimated the popularity of a lake house for tomorrow's fireworks display.   Seeing that she is working normal hours today, we thought this would be a cinch to make and great theater for the occasion.

This dessert is assembled in a spring form pan. Alternatively, you can layer everything in a trifle mold and use store bought pound cake instead of ladyfingers.  Sara Lee makes a good one.

Serves 8

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds raspberries (5 cups)
• 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice (from 1 large orange)
• 10 ounces mascarpone cheese (1 1/3 cups)
• 1 1/4 cups cold heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Fine salt
• 20 to 24 ladyfingers (from a 7-ounce package), broken into 1-inch pieces
• 3/4 pound blueberries (2 1/2 cups)

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, combine raspberries with 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar and orange juice. With the back of a fork, lightly mash berries to release their juices and let sit 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together mascarpone and 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar until smooth. Whisk in cream, vanilla, and pinch of salt and whisk until soft peaks form, about 4 minutes.
   
   
2. Cut one or two pieces parchment 1 inch taller than side of an 8-inch springform pan and line inside of pan. Place half the ladyfingers in pan and top with half the raspberry mixture. With a small offset or rubber spatula, spread half the whipped cream over berries. Tap pan gently on counter to remove air bubbles. Repeat with remaining ladyfingers, raspberry mixture, and whipped cream. Top with blueberries and refrigerate until whipped cream is stiff and cookies have softened, about
   3 hours (or, tightly covered with plastic, up to 3 days). To serve, unmold trifle and peel away parchment.
   

You can use cake sparklers on this trifle. They should only be used outdoors, according to package instructions; alternatively, look for sparkle candles, which will give you a similar look. Both are available from many online baking-supply stores.

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

Family Weekend On the Lake...Dogs Included!

Although I have been critical and snobby about pontoons, this weekend I have decided they are the best for family and lakes, particularly if every member of the family has a dog, or two.

This past Fourth of July weekend the lake house was full and hopping.  My daughter's dear friends from Connecticut, my brother and his family and of course, all the dogs came to spend it with us.  Three labs, one Westie and one...err. whatever (but he is my favorite) also shared in the fun.   The only way to survive one of these weekends is to spend a lot of time outside, which we did, thanks to a gap in the heat  and temperatures down to the 80's.  The fact that my brother brought his boat down didnt hurt either!

Everything went without a hitch.  The menu was great, except I did have to add one extra dinner at the end as some extended their stay an extra day, and now we have the memories, through these pictures, of a great weekend, well planned, well spent and much enjoyed.

Let's get going...I want to get a good seat...

but first one quick swim...and a beer, or two!

neighbors have a party too!

Popcorn, the newest member of the family and my nephew

and away we go...

Sister in law, nephew and...Popcorn!

He is soo wise!

and i'm not?

Ooops, almost forgot these two, they never moved!

Hey, isn't this Cocktail Cove?

Our private island (most of the time)

The welcoming committee...Remember when they were babies?

See you Labor Day!

Fourth of July Weekend...Game Plan

If you have a house on the lake, the seashore or the country you will probably be bombarded with overnight guests for three nights over the Fourth of July weekend..  If you are the hostess, that can translate into stress very quickly  unless you are well organized.

 Let's face it, the idea of a getaway out of the city in this heat is a top priority on everyone's list so invitations to the country are in high demand.  Before you commit to the weekend, make sure you have enough room for everybody.  I don't mean footage wise, but comfort wise for you and for them.   You don't want to have so many guests as to make it miserable for everybody, including the dogs.

Your job is to ensure that everyone is well housed, well fed and well entertained.  The latter is a cinch here at the lake, all you have to do is open the back door and there is a lake with plenty of toys to enjoy. The former is also no problem, plenty of beds and pillows, air mattresses and sleeping bags.  A big rec type room in the basement with its own full bath, tv. laundry and stereo that you can close off and never hear from them again.  Except maybe throw them a bone once in awhile...!  That's where my nephew and his friends stay when they come over and visit. For the hearty ones, there is alway a tent on the dock! Then comes my part, the well fed portion, and that is the one that can be tricky and an ordeal if you haven't planned ahead.

I have already sat down and made a list of menus with a shopping list and a schedule of all meals.  There will be six of us staying at the house and a few more for the 4th of July cookout.  Two of our guests will be staying nearby and driving up for the day, so that means meals for eight for 3 days. 

This year, my daughter has begged me to cut back on the cooking so I can enjoy myself.  Most of the time I am exhauted by the second day and this time I am going to keep it simple and fun for me too.

Friday night is tricky since you dont know when everyone will be arriving.   Keep it a very simple and casual  meal.  This is not the time for a barbecue, the traffic everywhere this particular weekend is unpredictable.  If there are guests that will be delayed, you can always cook their pasta when they arrive.  Others may leave early and arrive mid afternoon.  Have a treat for them after their long drive.

Friday

Afternoon tea and pound cake

Dinner

Pasta and marinara sauce

Caesar Salad

Garlic Bread (buy frozen)

Chocolate and pistachio gelatos

Cookies

Saturday

Breakfast

Orange juice

Bagels and muffins

coffee and tea

Picnic Lunch on the island

Cuban Sandwiches

Potato Chips

Cookies
Watermelon 

Dinner

Cocktails

Southern cheese wafers

Sliced Pepperoni rounds with honey mustard

Grilled Chicken mojito*

Zucchini and tomato casserole

Saffron Rice

Rustic Blueberry Tart

Vanilla Ice Cream

Sunday 4th Breakfast/Brunch

Fresh fruit

Smoked Ham, Gruyere & Caramelized Onion Frittata

English Muffins & Jams

Cookout on the Dock

Appetizers

(brought by friends and neighbor guests)

Hamburgers with Double Cheddar Cheese, Onions & Horseradish Mustard

Bobby Flay's Cole Slaw

Baked Beans with Molasses and Bourbon (Bush makes the best ready made!)

Cheesecake Brownies

Lemon Squares

Monday

Breakfast

Orange juice

Muffins

Coffee and tea

Lunch

Cold Leftover Chicken Mojito

Green Salad

Leftover brownies & Lemon Squares

Afternoon tea and leftover pound cake

Dinner

Grown Up Mac And Cheese
Cold Sliced Tomatoes With Vinaigrette
Lemon Ice

Plan of attack!

Do as much as you can this weekend to get the house in shape.  Bake and freeze!

1.  This weekend, change beds, lay out clean towels.  Make sure guest bathroom has new soap, kleenex and toiletries for your guests.  Lay out some fun magazines and books  in bedrooms and coffee table. Wash lake towels and lay out in a hamper by lake door. Make marinara sauce and freeze

2. Monday -  Bake pound cake and cheese wafers and freeze

3. Tuesday -  Bake lemon squares and brownies and freeze

4.  Wednesday -  go grocery shopping

5.  Thursday - Get everything ready for the 4th cookout including, tablecloths, napkins, plates, serving dishes, glasses etc and set in a corner in basement or garage so you don't have to worry over the weekend.  REST UP!

Of course, this is all nice and dandy for those of us who don't work.  Plenty of time to sit and worry.  If you are not that lucky, use the menu as a benchmark and buy everything! The good thing about it is that it is casual and economical so it won't kill your budget if you go out and buy ready made things like coleslaw, brownies and pound cake.  Make sure you relax and enjoy yourself,  Otherwise your guests will feel your stress and it will dampen the weekend..

*Make enough to have cold for lunch on Monday

Photos #1 Getty images #2 Martha Stewart

Lake Lanier Islands 4th of July Fireworks!

Although there will be many events taking place on the lake for July 4th, the largest firework display in North Georgia, and perhaps the most well-known in the region is the Light Up the Lake Fireworks Independence Day Celebration hosted by Lake Lanier Islands.

All-day live entertainment, games, and family fun will precede the fireworks extravaganza. The park opens at 10 a.m. and the fireworks are scheduled for 9:40 p.m. Overnight packages and regular daily admission tickets are available. For more information, call Lake Lanier Islands at 770-932-7200, or visit their website. The Islands are located at 7000 Holiday Road in Buford.


Have a splash all day with the exciting FunDunker®, an interactive water attraction; Wild Waves, Georgia’s largest wave pool; and numerous waterslides. The Kiddie Lagoon featuring Wiggle Waves are perfect for pint-sized guests. Don’t forget to scope out a spot on the half mile sandy white beach, the best spot to watch North Georgia’s largest fireworks display, which will be presented at dark.


After 3:00 p.m. Fireworks Pricing

Beach & WaterPark Admission - $14.99* per person


After 7:00 p.m. Fireworks Pricing

Lake Lanier Islands Resort Gate Price - $10.00 per vehicle

Beach and WaterPark Admission - $10.00 per person


*Price is per person and does not include tax.