The Fourth @ LIC

The night before the 4th some friends and I were invited to Brooklyn to enjoy an actual backyard BBQ with other Nebraska transplants. It was great! A bit of home away from home. And the weather was just right.

Dug out some cooking supplies to make goodies for the BBQ and my roommates. Both recipes went over well -

Hot Fudge Pudding Cake (Served Warm or Cold - Can top with ice cream/whipped cream)
1 package chocolate cake mix
1-1/2 C. mini marshmallows
1-1/2 C. brown sugar
3-4 T. cocoa
2 C. boiling water

Mix cake mix according to directions on box. Grease 9x13in. or 11x15in. pan. Pour marshmallows over bottom of pan and set aside. In a small bowl mix together brown sugar and cocoa. Set aside. Pour cake batter over marshmallows. Sprinkle brown sugar/cocoa mixture over all. Pour boiling water over all. Bake according to directions on cake box.

Cheerio Treats
3T. butter/margarine
1 (10 1/2 oz) pkg mini marshmallows
1/2 C. peanut butter
5 C. Cheerios
5 C. M&Ms

Place butter and marshmallows in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave, uncovered on high for 2 mins. or until marshmallows are puffed. Stir in the peanut butter until blended. Add the cereal and M&Ms. Mix well. Spoon into a greased 13x9x2 pan. Press down gently. Cool slightly before cutting. Yields 15 servings.

July 4th's weather was not typical July 4th weather - it was cold and rainy. There were some doubts about whether the fireworks would happen if it would REALLY down pour.

Some friends and I headed to Long Island City to watch the fireworks near the pier. Before we headed over to the pier area, we grabbed a bite to eat at McReilly's. NFT called it "A local pub with the best burgers in LIC." And they were pretty good! Served with steak fries by waitresses who actually had an Irish brogue (ironically not often found in Irish pubs). Plus fresh, warm raisin (soda?) bread was served with the meal too. A good place to stop in for a drink and eats if you ever find yourself in Long Island City... ;)

Then we weaved our way towards the pier and were stopped for a bag check - yes, bag checks even happen for firework watching I guess...

It was a sea of umbrellas and there was concern about where best to stand to not only avoid trees and whatnot but also obstructed views from umbrellas. Thankfully the rain let up just in time for the 3 Macy's barges to start shooting off their numerous fireworks.

Wow! Besides the typical array of colorfully exploding fireworks, they also had some explode into smiley faces and hearts. (Maybe that's something that is common, but it was new to me...) At times the sound of their sparkling and crackling sounded like beach waves.

Then once the fireworks were done - the rain decided to resume. Cops were posted at every subway stop we passed headed to ours - the cops at the one we waited at were talking about the series finale of The Sopranos! ;)

Happy 4th of July!

See More Pics via my friend's blog.