(7/2020) The month of July holds one of the most important holidays for our county. Often called "the 4th of July," it is the day that we celebrate our independence as a nation. I am one of those people who very intentionally called this holiday "Independence Day" because I feel that "The 4th" does not express fully the significance of that day.

The first violent clashes between the British army and the American militia were in the cities of Lexington and Concord in April of 1775. It was this battle in Concord that fired "the shot heard round the world" as penned by Ralph Waldo Emmerson. By the following year, war was full blown. It was then during this violence that the Declaration of Independence was written and famously adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. After many hardships and various battles, Great Britain recognized America’s independence on September 3, 1783.

This period of American history has always fascinated me. Growing up in New York state, I visited many historic forts from the Revolutionary War. As a child, I always thought they were so intriguing. I did not grasp much of the history then. However now, I am just in awe of the bravery that those men (and their families) showed in the face of such chaos and transition. I cannot imagine what life must have been like during those 8 years of war. But what I do imagine is that families must have had to declare their own independence privately, in their homes, before being willing to take the side of independence on the battlefield.

Then to consider what happened after 1783: I am just blown away! There were so many things that could have and should have gone wrong! When you observe history and war, many countries struggle badly even after a victory. Some countries face poverty and dictatorship. Some slowly recover but some continue with a steady history of warfare and turmoil. Yet the 13 colonies were able to unite, create a system of government under the Articles of Confederation and then, once it was seen that the Articles would not work, peacefully transitioned to a new method of government.

So why is Independence Day important? It is always important to understand your history before you can appreciate your present. I do not think you will find one person today who is 100% satisfied with everything that can be found in today’s America. But I do think that every American should try to grasp just what that amazing day of independence meant both then and now. Look at history. It never moves as quickly as we may want it. Change may be slow and take many attempts to get it right. But I do think that the change for a nation starts in your home just like I think that there must have been hundreds of mini declarations in homes before that famous 4th of July. So be encourage this Independence Day. Celebrate what the day means: it is a day of hope for our nation.

Corn, Avocado and Tomato Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked corn, fresh or frozen
• 1-2 avocados, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup finely diced red onion

Dressing:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lime zest
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Cooking Instructions: Combine the corn, avocado, tomatoes and onion in a large glass bowl. Mix together the dressing ingredients in another bowl, pour over the salad, and gently toss to mix. Chill salad for an hour or two to let flavors blend.

Basil Chive Cucumber Corn Salad

Ingredients:

• 3 cups cooked cut corn (from about 5 medium cobs)
• 2 cups cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped (about 1 large cucumber)
• 1/2 cup basil, chopped
• 1/4 cup chives, snipped
• 2 Tablespoons light mayonnaise
• Salt & fresh ground pepper, to taste

Cooking Instructions: In a medium mixing bowl, toss together the corn, cucumber, basil and chives. Stir in the mayonnaise. Add salt & pepper to taste. Serve within a few minutes … or store in a covered container in the fridge until serving time.

Easy Asparagus Casserole

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 6 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup milk
• salt and pepper
• 15 Ritz crackers or similar, crushed

Cooking Instructions: Place the asparagus, mayo, and cheese together in a large bowl.

In a skillet over medium heat, add the onion with a drizzle of oil. Saute the onion for about 5 minutes until soft and slightly browned. Sprinkle the garlic and flour all over the onion mixture. Stir to create a roux and let the flour cook for a minute or two. Very slowly pour the milk into the skillet, stirring as you go to incorporate the milk into the flour mixture. Let the milk sauce come to a bubble. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. When the milk sauce is slightly thick, pour it into the bowl with the asparagus and other ingredients. Stir to mix everything together, and pour the mixture into a baking dish, 9×13 or similar. Sprinkle the crushed crackers over the casserole. Bake the asparagus casserole at 375F for 40-50 minutes or until the asparagus is just tender and the cheese is bubbly. Broil the top for one minute if you’d like to brown the crackers.

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1-1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Streusel:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup cold butter

Cooking Instructions: In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla; mix well. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Fold in blueberries. Fill 12 greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, flour and cinnamon; cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over muffins. Bake at 375E for 25-30 minutes or until browned. Cool for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack. Serve warm.

Blueberry Red Pepper Salsa

Ingredients:

• 3 cups fresh blueberries
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro chopped
• 2 jalapenos minced
• 1/2 red onion minced
• 2 red bell peppers diced small
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 lemon juiced

Cooking Instructions: Pour your blueberries out on a large cutting board. Give them a rough chop. You'll miss plenty of the berries giving you a nice mixture of whole berries vs chopped. Put them in a large bowl. Add in your chopped cilantro, jalapeno, red onion, red bell pepper, salt, and lemon juice. Stir until combined.

Blueberry Lemon Poppyseed Broccoli Salad

Ingredients:

• 8 cups chopped broccoli
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 1/3 cup dried blueberries
• 1/2 cup cashews
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1 cup Lemon Poppyseed Dressing

Lemon Poppyseed Dressing

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons poppy seeds
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Cooking Instructions: Add all the ingredients to the Lemon Poppyseed dressing together in a bowl and whisk together. Set aside. Add Broccoli, blueberries, dried blueberries, cashews, green onions and lemon zest in a bowl. Drizzle the lemon poppyseed dressing onto the broccoli salad and mix. Refrigerate until you are ready to serve.

 Visit our website at www.hollabaughbros.com