4th of July

Key Lime Pie for Mexican Night

The lake was lit up with fireworks last night.  They looked majestic above the trees and reflected on the still water.  Today it’s quiet and we’ve had several spectacular thunderstorms.  I love a rainy day on the water. 

Tonight we’re having a guest for dinner, a lady friend of Bob’s whom I’ve not yet had the pleasure of meeting.  Derek is going to grill a pork loin and season it al pastor for tacos.  The tacos will be accompanied by guacamole, salsa and chips, and I may throw together a little salad with a lime cilantro vinaigrette, to keep the flavors authentic.  I wonder if it’s OK to eat Mexican food on the 4^th of July!  Earlier I drove in to the grocery store in Rocky Mount.  It’s about a half hour drive on a winding country road and it’s quite lovely.  It’s become a tradition that I make a key lime pie on Mexican night, and it’s always been a challenge to get the zest! off of the lime and into manageable sized shreds, so I broke down and bought a microplane-type zester, one of my essential kitchen tools.  We can leave it here fairly certain that it won’t be used again until next summer.  In the interest of keeping it simple, I bought a pre-made graham cracker crust and some whipped cream in a can.  I can’t wait to lick the yummy sweet/tart mixture off the sides of the blender; that is the cook’s privilege and reward.

Happy Independence Day, everybody!