FOUNDING BROTHERS

Some books are harder to get through than others- I would put our April 2002 selection in that category. Here is the synopsis from Barnes and Noble website:

In this landmark work of history, the National Book Award—winning author of American Sphinx explores how a group of greatly gifted but deeply flawed individuals–Hamilton, Burr, Jefferson, Franklin, Washington, Adams, and Madison–confronted the overwhelming challenges before them to set the course for our nation.

The United States was more a fragile hope than a reality in 1790. During the decade that followed, the Founding Fathers–re-examined here as Founding Brothers–combined the ideals of the Declaration of Independence with the content of the Constitution to create the practical workings of our government. Through an analysis of six fascinating episodes–Hamilton and Burr’s deadly duel, Washington’s precedent-setting Farewell Address, Adams’ administration and political partnership with his wife, the debate about where to place the capital, Franklin’s attempt to force Congress to confront the issue of slavery and Madison’s attempts to block him, and Jefferson and Adams’ famous correspondence–Founding Brothers brings to life the vital issues and personalities from the most important decade in our nation’s history.

If you love history, get this book. If you don’t love history, you should….

Alisa and Vicki prepared an all- American meal for us- grilled shrimp, corn on the cob, salad, rolls, and apple crisp for dessert. The appetizer was cheese cubes with American flag toothpicks stuck in them- clever!

The door prize for this month was a red/white/blue canvas bag with picnic products and 4^th of July decorations…

Grilled Shrimp

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 medium yellow onion, small diced

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

1/4 cup minced fresh basil

1 tsp dry mustard

2 tsp Dijon mustard

2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 lemon, juiced

2 pounds jumbo shrimp (16-20 per pound), peeled and deveined, with tails left on

Combine the garlic, onion, parsley, basil, mustards, salt, pepper, olive oil and lemon juice. Add the shrimp and allow them to marinate for no more than 1 hour. (Lemon juice will "cook" the shrimp if left too long).

Brush the grill rack with oil, preheat grill. Either skewer the shrimp or put them on grill individually. Grill for 1 1/2 minutes on each side. Absolutely easy and delicious!

All American Apple Crisp

6 McIntosh (or other) apples, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch pieces

The juice of 1/2 lemon

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg, or ground nutmeg

2 Tbsp granulated sugar

1/2 cup flour or fine graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 stick butter, softened

1 pint vanilla ice cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a 9x12 inch baking dish, combine apples, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar. In a small bowl, mix flour or graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and butter together using the times of a fork and your fingers, working until small even crumbles form. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over apples, and bake 15-20 minutes until they are just tender and topping golden brown. Serve with vanilla ice cream and sing America the Beautiful...

                                                               Jeanne and Roxanne

Next blog will be The Nanny Diaries (May 2002) and since my daughter worked as a nanny I cannot believe the stories in this book. But, of course, they were in New York, not the good ole South....