Good morning from Colorado on this third day of July. I’m grateful to do things independently most days of the year, and tomorrow I will continue that appreciation by attending the most charming parade in downtown aspen, wearing a rainbow skirt, boomeranging some fireworks and probably eating a plant-based protein in a bun.
I am a Wikipedia enthusiast, and upon googling Independence Day, I was reminded that the thirteen colonies declared their freedom from Britain 243 years ago, and John Adams wrote to his wife of the day ‘It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more’. We got ya John. I feel like he’d enjoy Katy Perry.
And another fact you can share at your cookout: Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, original signers of the Declaration of Independence, and US presidents, both died 50 years later, on July 4th 1824.
another item to share at your cookout: a tomato pie I baked one last week and posted some pics on IG, prompting several people to ask for the recipe. Heretofore unreleased – here’s the deal:
– preliminary point – if you live in Raleigh, just order a pie from The Salted Tomato They’re great, easy and she delivers
I’m on a pie island, rather mountain, so I was forced to pioneer I asked my step-mother for advice and she suggested the ritz cracker innovation A combination of googled recipes predicted the rest
- 5 medium sized tomatoes, cut into slices
- a box of Ritz crackers
- a big bag of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup of mayo (I’m sure I used more)
- three shallots (I carmalized them for about 30 minutes)
- some hot wing sauce from the pizza place in basalt (this was a rogue addition but welcome)
- a store bought pie crust
- salt, pepper and red pepper flakes
rather than just crumble the crackers on the pie, I decided to achieve and also line the pie crust bottom with them There was no scientific support for this, I just did it.
i sliced the tomatoes and let them hang out on paper towels for about 30 minutes to absorb the moisture = science
in a mixing bowl I dumped in about 2 cups of cheese, probably more, the mayo, buffalo wing sauce and I seasoned it. Combine this into a big cheese ball type moment and then start to layer the pie – crackers, then shallots, then tomato slices, then cheese goop, then tomatoes, and then all the cheese goop. top it with ritz crackers that you smash in a ziplock bag to bits.
I baked it at 350 for about 45 minutes, but I’m on a mountain so you may need to play with the timing a bit.
when the top is nice and brown without being worrisomely burnt, take it out, let it sit for about 30 minutes and then under his eye, cut in and the pie is not soupy and you can actually serve it in proper put-together pieces. that’s really just our goal for everything, isn’t it?
in closing, two more things of note:
be sure to check out furbish’s instagram masterpiece we crafted last night, announcing the new resource ‘the edit’, where you can check out round-ups of shoppable finds on everything from what to pack for a jaipur journey, to how to get a turnt-up table at your next diner party. this is a lot of fun to put together, and I’m excited to share it. I encourage you to check it out, and often because we’re adding new picks weekly, from me, from my friends, and from all of my favorite brands. ole!
and lastly, furbish’s July 4th sale started today – take 20% off anything and everything, including a lot of good-looking new arrivals, like this pastel kilim rug that comes in a plethora of practical sizes (seriously, go look, it’s pretty), these neon striped pillows and this chic ottoman that comes in two colors, and sizes!
have a fantastic fourth. wear sunscreen. instagram about your time. pet some dogs, and try to celebrate the good things about our country while educating yourself on all the bad things. knowledge is so much more powerful than speculation, ya heard?
Leave a Reply