Homefries...and God Bless America!

What a long weekend we've had. To me, 4th of July has always been such a special significance of our country's freedom, unlike other some other countries in the world. We have the freedom of speech, the freedom of religion, the freedom of economic... I won't delve into that one, with our economy spiraling even more, downward.

Our forefathers paved the way for us, when they embarked on a New World, to flee from England, to be free from religious persecutions. They took the long voyage on the Mayflower ship, and landed on Plymouth Rock, in 1620...and settled there. Not too many survived the harsh winters, the diseases, and according to history, the constant attack by Indians?! is still a debate, history is not always correct.
Ironically, a year before that, African slaves were brought to Jamestown, which was the first English Colony of the New World. Not only were the Africans enslaved, but the Indians, by the thousands, as well!

Not until 1776, did we as Americans, gain our Independence from the English colonies! The rest is history, and we are finding out more and more...probably a lot more that was "hidden" from us. But at any rate, we all came here as immigrants...our forefathers, our fathers, and many more over the last 235 years.
Although a lot of people claim their ancestors came here on the Mayflower...they have yet to prove otherwise, because not too many of the very first generation have survived.

Fast forward. Are we like a "dysfunctional family" in this "free" land of ours?...I would have to say yes!
We may be a large number of dysfunctional people, not just in our very own homes, but in this land of ours that we should all appreciate, and work together to make it a better place...after all, we owe it to each other. We are all at fault for what has become in our nation, and not to point fingers at "individuals" who caused chaos in the government, our health care system, stop blaming our president...when he is the last person on the "totem pole" to be making decisions on what needs to be done...and yes, do blame your false politicians, and the Congress, and do have your voice heard! Get out there, and vote when you must! Every vote counts!
Our soldiers have fought too long and hard for our "freedom"...it's time to bring them home, and thank them for protecting us, and our freedom. We have to be there for each other, when things go from bad to worse, but mostly, every day in life. Never forget where you came from, never forget who you are, never forget that no matter how tough times may be, but knowing that things WILL get better.
This is the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA...and we should stand up for this country, love, and honor it, and  love one another...so God Bless America!
Amen to that!

I had ample time to be thinking about this 4th of July, I only spent part of the day and part of the evening alone, my son and family came back early afternoon from South Beach, and Joe stopped by the house to check to see if I'm all right. (what a wonderful son)...he said they were ordering Chinese, so if I want to come over, please do. After the delicious Chinese early dinner, again, I just hung out with the doggies at my daughter's house, and by 8:45 PM I decided to walk to the Intracoastal just about a block away to see if I can catch some fireworks coming from downtown further north. No sooner than the fireworks finished, it started to pour rain, by the "buckets." Got so soaked to the bone, my cell phone battery totally died....good thing it's insured...my camera would not take good pictures, but at least I got to see the fireworks...yeayy
Happy Birthday, America!
Lora called this morning and saide she saw my post in Italy...(about woe is me..LOL) spending alone time on 4th of July. Was not so bad...really! A lot of time to gather my thoughts.
Hope you all had a wonderful 4th!

Now for the promised Homefries recipe...step-by-step photo directions.

I used about 4 small red skinned potatoes per person...8 in total for 2 servings.
Cut unpeeled potatoes in quarters and place in a bowl of cold water.
You can use any type of potatoes, you can also peel them if you like.

Chop a medium onion, and set aside.


Pre-boil potatoes for about ten minutes...(al dente)

Start sauteing your onions first in vegetable oil, about 3 Tbsp for a few minutes before adding the potatoes. Saute on medium high, add potatoes when onion strarts to get transclucent. Add the drained potatoes, and add salt, pepper, (I added a little garlic, paprika, as well) you can add spice of your choice.

Let the potatoes and onion cook on medium high stirring frequently until they get nice and brown, but not burned. If potatoes are still not fork tender, and crispy, add about 1/4 cup of plain water, and watch how it cooks down, gets into the potatoes, and makes it nice and rosy. Just don't add any more oil, otherwise it will get greasy, and soggy!

It is so incredibly delicious served with french toast, or egss, as a sided dish to meats, or by itself.

Very easy to make, in less than 30 minutes. I really enjoyed this, and so will you!

If you've never tried this exquisite barbecue sauce, you must try it...it's not cheap, $6.99 for this med. size jar, but oh, soooo good!

On Sunday, the day before the 4th, I made barbecued chicken quarters in the oven, and on 4th of July, I still enjoyed it. with a side of baked beans...(no Lizzy, it's not your slow cooked baked beans ...next time!
This was a large can of Van Camp's original baked beans...buy one-get one  FREE, a super great deal, and it was so good with deli cole slaw, and potato salad...a swim in the pool, getting drenched walking back from fireworks...dead cell phone, due to rain, but all worth it!