July 4 Weekend

Hello! How is your weekend going so far? We had a lovely 4th of July. The pugs, The Hubby, Lovely Daughter #1, her Med School Bestie, and I all participated in our neighborhood parade. It's a darling, home-grown affair, with kids, dogs, a high-school band, decorated bicycles, and a police escort:

The parade ends at the local park, where the crowd enjoys free corn dogs, cupcakes, and watermelon. My pug boys all LOVE watermelon:

Lovely Daughter #1 snapped this shot of a very hot Mu Shu and my toesies, as we sat in the shade to cool off.

For dinner, we barbecued a spatchcocked chicken. It sounds kind of naughty, but it's basically just a whole chicken with the backbone cut out, then splayed flat on the grill so it cooks evenly. Before putting it on the coals, we slathered the chicken with this sauce:

Delish! I didn't know we had it in the fridge, but I'm so glad we did. (Turns out, The Boy bought it the last time he was home.) It is sweet and smoky, tangy and umami-ish, all at the same time.

A few days ago, The Hubby and I grilled skewers of vegetables as a side dish:

They look so pretty and cook up so easily. Just drizzle a little olive oil on them before setting them over the coals. Turn once or twice during cooking, then salt-and-pepper them before serving.

Be sure to soak the bamboo skewers in water for 20 minutes or so before threading on the veggies--that prevents the skewers from burning.

Is there a barbecue in your weekend plans?

Have fun!