Stilettos, Stoli & Scribbles ~ Served With A Twist

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Happy Memorial Day! While I haven’t forgotten what the day is truly about – remembering those who have served our country and made the ultimate sacrifice in times of war and its aftermath – it has come to mark the unofficial beginning of summer. With summer comes the urge to be outside in the warmer weather as much as possible, especially here in the Northeast where it can be fleeting. We want to do everything outside, including cooking and eating. Which brings me to the point of today’s post (finally, I hear you all saying).

I have been invited to a BBQ (yay!) and asked to bring “something” (groan).  There’s the rub: I always have a difficult time deciding just what it is that I should bring. I’d much rather be told “okay, you bring xxx” than “bring whatever you want”. Gah!

I end up running around like a magnetized football player on the metal playing field of my brother’s old game (that never seemed to function properly), between the recipes in my massive stash, until I become the March Hare. I always think now would be an excellent time to try this one…no, wait, what about this one? Whatever it is, you can be certain my initial choices include something exotic and will require specialized tools that I do not possess. Then I come to my senses.

In any case, I always come back from the grocery store loaded down with enough ingredients to make at least three of the recipes to which I’ve narrowed it down, save the one key ingredient I’ve invariably forgotten (or thought I already had, but didn’t) that would complete any one of them.  Don’t tell me to make a list – I made a list and still missed it.

It took me a week, but I finally settled on a recipe I came upon from one of my favorite food blogs, Well Plated by Erin (no, I’m not shilling, I just really enjoy her take on healthier versions of old classics, often using surprising ingredients I’d never have thought of).  I made a bowl of Sweet Potato Salad with Bacon, which is about as far afield from the Cheesecake Bars with Shortbread Crust I had originally picked out, as one could get. Oh well…BACON!

It was quick and easy to prepare and pretty tasty. Bonus points for being gluten and sugar free and relatively healthy!

Packed up and ready to go! The umbrella, you ask? Did I mention it’s raining?

Offering complete, I’m off! Enjoy your day, whatever it may include, and please don’t forget about our National Moment of Remembrance*.

Thank you for reading! I’d love to know if I’m the only one gets brain freeze when faced with the decision of what to bring to a gathering. Please feel free to let me know, in the comments, how goofy I am.

*The National Moment of Remembrance, established by Congress, asks Americans, wherever they are at 3 p.m., local time, on Memorial Day, to pause in an act of national unity for a duration of one minute. The time 3 p.m. was chosen because it is the time when most Americans are enjoying their freedoms on the national holiday. The Moment does not replace traditional Memorial Day events; rather, it is an act of national unity in which all Americans, alone or with family and friends, honor those who died in service to the United States.