EAT YOUR COLORS- Pride Issue

H. Luiz Presents…

EAT YOUR COLORS JUNE / JULY 2022

PRIDE 2022 Favorite Cocktails

Welcome to

CASA SOL

JUNETEENTH Independence Day

You Can Cook

with Your Kids

CONTENTS 10 JUNETEENTH What is the Significance of Juneteenth, Is It a Federal Holiday and Why Should We All Celebrate It

22 Our Favorite Cocktails You Know that We Love Our “Henry’s Sparkling Pear” but wait until you see the new “Casa Sol Cava” and other Cocktail Recipes- just in Time for Summer

38

Casa Sol Join Us as We Transform Our Home into the Beautiful and Inviting- Casa Sol! The “Feelings” that We Are After is Sunny and Positive Vibes Always

on the cover

PRIDE- A Deeper Love

20

I wanted to create a beautiful cover that not only represented EAT YOUR COLORS magazine of course, but to also represent PRIDE and the Pride Colors. A lot of sorcery, witchery and magic went into creating this cover! The blueberries were especially difficult to work with and the avocados gave me diva attitude. In the end, we got through it, although it was a very long afternoon.

In this issue, we describe what Gay Pride means (to me) and why is it still important to shout it loud and proud. We get into the history of it all, the Pride March in NYC and how amazing (and important) it is to see other communities support the cause.

hluizpresents@gmail.com

Editor’s Notes HAPPY PRIDE EVERYONE!! xoxo Gay Pride is more than just for gay folks.

In fact, PRIDE is about LGBTQIA or LGBQ+ communities. That’s why we say Happy “Pride” nowadays.

I love seeing more and more LGBTQ+ families demonstrating their PRIDE. It’s amazing how many other communities celebrate Queer folks these days as well.

In this PRIDE issue, I’m going to try to give you dates and information on what celebrations, parades and marches that may be going on in a town near you. The largest Pride March in the country, in fact in the world is New York City’s Pride March of course. This year the parade event will be held on Sunday, June 25th –please wear a mask. Covid related cases are up over 20% in the state of New York.

Oh My Goodness! We have finally moved into our NEW home- CASA SOL. It’s a beautiful Cape-Cod style house built in 1928 with the very best bones a homeowner can ask for in Maplewood, NJ. We have been talking about living in Maplewood for over 20+ Years and we’re finally here!

We named this property “Casa Sol” because we’d like to think that we try to live the most vibrant and sunny lives possible, sharing our joy and positive vibes always! The Spanish name is a nod to our Latino heritage. People often ask me, as a travel journalist, where is my favorite place. I always respond by saying- my home of course! And although we will miss our former home, SkyView in Jersey City, we are just over the moon sun about Casa Sol. -H. Luiz Martinez

There is nothing more refreshing than watermelon in the summer time. But it’s everywhereespecially for the 4th of July.

That being said , it can get a little boring. So, to ramp up the flavor profile and give the great tasting fruit a little kick, I came up with something a little special.

First, I pick out a great watermelon to purchase.

I look for an orange creamy field spot. The darker yellow field spot usually means it was on the vine longer and is full of flavor. If the field spot is white that's a sign that the melon is not quite ripe. Larger “webbing” or “sugar spots” means that the melon is seeping out sugar and is usually the sign of sweet melon.

That’s the one I choose.

Then I make sure I have a fresh orange or two (I like navel oranges or Valencias), some great honey and powdered ginger. Purchase those too if your not sure you have some on hand. I used to use frsh ginger but found that it didn’t melt into the watermelon like the powdered kind does. You can use a couple of tablespoons of orange juice from a container if you’re out of fresh ones.

It’s really easy to prepare…

I like to chill the watermelon for at least a day in the fridge. Take the watermelon out just before serving- the prep will be quick.

I carefully slice the watermelon into great little triangles. Place them on a platter, a large plate or even on a clean tray with walls.

This can get juicy and you don’t want to wet your surfaces with juices running off a tray.

Then I squeeze fresh orange juice over the top. The citric acid of the orange really brings out the sweetness in the watermelon.

Drizzle a light stream of honey over the slices. Then, add a light dusting of powdered ginger over the top- but just a little bit.

Serve immediately.

This watermelon treat is great in lieu of ice cream- it can really hit the spot. Sometimes, I’ll add berries or a drizzle of rum or alcohol. Sometimes, a sprinkle of red chili flakes.

I also serve the melon in cubes drizzled with the ginger honey-citrus sauce in glasses.

For a bit of childhood whimsy, I’ll insert a popsicle stick in them and serve them icy cold. It’s always a lot of fun.

Juneteenth On “Freedom’s Eve,” January 1, 1863, the first Watch Night services took place. Enslaved and Free African Americans gathered in churches and private homes all across the country awaiting news if the Emancipation Proclamation had in fact, taken effect.

At the stroke of midnight, prayers were answered as all enslaved people in Confederate States were declared legally free. Union soldiers, many of whom were black, marched onto plantations and across cities in the south reading small copies of the Emancipation Proclamation spreading the news of freedom in Confederate States.

Only through the Thirteenth Amendment did emancipation end slavery throughout the United States.

Even though the Emancipation Proclamation was made effective in 1863, it could not be implemented in places still under Confederate control. As a result, in the westernmost Confederate state of Texas, enslaved people would not be free until much later.

Freedom finally came on June 19, 1865, when some 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas. The army announced that the more than 250,000 enslaved black people in the state, were free by executive decree. This day came to be known as "Juneteenth," by the newly freed people in Texas.

The post-emancipation period known as Reconstruction (1865-1877) marked an era of great hope, uncertainty, and struggle for the nation as a whole. Formerly enslaved people immediately sought to reunify families, establish schools, run for political office, push radical legislation and even sue slaveholders for compensation.

Given the 200+ years of enslavement, such changes were nothing short of amazing. Not even a generation out of slavery, African Americans were inspired and empowered to transform their lives and their country.

Juneteenth marks our country’s second independence day. Although it has long celebrated in the African American community, this monumental event remains largely unknown to most Americans.

The historical legacy of Juneteenth shows the value of never giving up hope in uncertain times. The National Museum of African American History and Culture is a community space where this spirit of hope lives on. A place where historical events like Juneteenth are shared and new stories with equal urgency are told.

As of June 17th, 2021, President Joe Biden signs the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act. Evan Vucci/AP, making it a Federal Holiday.

Juneteenth is officially a federal holiday in the United States, commemorating emancipation of enslaved Black Americans. It is also often observed for celebrating African-American culture.

Originating in Galveston, Texas, it has been celebrated annually on June 19 in various parts of the United States since 1865.

It was signed into effect Friday, June 17, 2022

#BLACKLIVESMATTER

NEW VESSELS & TOOLS TO TRY Do not limit yourself to standard bowls for serving. If you have nice bowls, use them but also try to change it up with other things you may have. It will add to the experience even if it’s just for a moment.

Use your coffee mugs, pretty teacups and even shot glasses. Make use of your ramekins, mason jars, clayware and crystal if you have it.

I was gifted some food grade, stainless steel mini pots and pans to decorate my Christmas tree years ago. I have already used the 3 -inch mini stock pots to serve hummus, salsa and dips.

I have served lobster or shrimp shooters in my double shot glasses.

I’ve even used martini glasses for gazpacho and ceviche. One summer, I served cool cucumber soup out of a punch bowl. We ladled the delicious stew into cute little cups And of course, I use Mason jars- all sorts and sizes.

I make 10 overnight oats inside 10 1-cup sized jars every Sunday for the week. Henry really enjoys that.

I use the mini ½ cup size for my yogurt and berries. I use a non-dairy yogurt alternative now (use what you like) .

Sometimes I’ll use diced bananas and almond butter.

I squirt them with a bit of honey and maybe some oatmeal flakes sprinkled on.

Makes a great snack.

Happy Father’s Day I always wanted to be a Father, a Dad, a Papi to and for a child.

When I met my Henry, he came complete with the sweetest little boy at almost 5 years old. It was love at first sight!

Raising that child together has been the greatest joy of my life!

Our current workout / workday schedules had us leaving by 6am and back home by 7pm- but becoming custodial parents to a young child, something had to change. We wanted him to have at least one Father at home before and after school, so we decided that I be the one to stay home during those critical years. It also allowed me to finish my post-graduate education.

We were there for morning breakfast talks, afternoon homework & study prep and cooking dinners together. The weekends were everything! We had full, busy schedules but never regretted it.

Henry and I, although we couldn’t believe it possible, grew even closer- raising this child has bonded us in ways that made being a Parent all that much sweeter. We promised each-other to not lose each-other on this adventure called fatherhood. Our son is nearly 30 years old now, but I swear he was just 5 yesterday,

I want to take this time to thank Henry and our beloved Baby Boy, Jonathan. They have given me the honor and the opportunity to be the best Papi (Henry is titled “Daddy”) that I can be to the most wonderful son in the world.

I wish all of you a very Happy Father’s Day- every day as well!

My Greatest Loves

Sunday, June

th 19 ,

2022

COLOR with KIDS in the Kitchen

When you color with your kids, you’re giving them the tools that they really need for a colorful life. Children, as young as 3 can learn to color in the kitchen. They can have fun while learning important life skills. They can be taste-testers, they can count out ingredients, such as how many chocolate chips, they can even start to learn about different flavors and all about tastes- salty, sweet, sour, bitter and umami (earthy flavors like mushrooms).

You can teach them about the various food groups and start to introduce them to a more-conscious nutritional lifestyle. Start to show them where food really comes from.

Maybe start a little herb garden- a sunny windowsill will do nicely.

I bet you that your kids would start eating all kinds of herbaceous goodies. Kids will eat what they make, prep and grow.

Give older children a night or two per month to prepare family dinner with you until they’re old enough to “make dinner” all on their own. My son was making chicken cutlet parmesano with pasta at age 14. Go the extra mile, like we did by giving them a $10-$15 grocery budget for the meal that they will prepare. You’d be surprised how creative they can get and it shows them how to start budgeting for groceries. Nobody teaches that- my parents didn’t teach me. No shade- it’s just something most parents do not think about doing.

I remember walking into the grocery store as a 16 year old, the prices for fresh fruit and veggies floored me. I had no idea how much produce cost. And the price of meat? Forget about it!

*COLOR with KIDS will be available in September 2022 You have just read an excerpt of Color with Kids. It’s less of a children’s cookbook but more of a fun guide for parents to share with their children.

Of course, it will be filled with recipes, prep and budgeting (financial & resourceful) information tailored for kids and their parents. Above all, it can be a great gateway for parents to connect with their kids through food.

Eat Your Colors and COLOR with KIDS!

Pride is more than just marching in a parade and feeling fab for a day / weekend. Pride is a selfaffirming feeling where one feels free of shame, free to love and simply put- free to be!

Gay Pride, LGBTQ+ Pride and now more commonly said Pride- is an institution. It’s a chance to show visibility and to demonstrate to the younger generations that all will be okay. There are still bullies out there but it really does get better. Visibility also helps others see that LGBTQ+ communities are really just like everyone else. We are as wonderful, strange, positive, negative, beautiful and ugly as everyone else on the planet.

“We are more alike than unalike.”

-Maya Angelou

Being a positive role model may inspire and affect change, not only in LFBTQ+ Communities but in general.

I cannot tell you how many times I’ve crossed paths with homophobes and bigots.

Usually, I find out after they tell me how the used to bebefore “we” became acquaintances.

I am always in shock when they tell me. Most of the people, in my case, start out by telling me that I was the only gay person that they have met. Then they segue to (or so they tell me): I’m not really down with gay folks- but he’s cool.

This is where I get them. I say, I cannot be the only cool gay person in this world filled with gays, right? Trust me, there are others out there- maybe not as cute, but they’re out there. This usually gets a chuckle out of them but it also gets them thinking.

Most admit that they were bigots, homophobes and some even racist because they were “brought up” that way. Yes- all those terrible ways to “be” is learned behavior, usually starting in the home.

They way their role models (parents, family, society, etc.,) were is who they became. Well, that’s what “role-models” doright or wrong. Their prejudices that were grandfathered to them, kept them from getting to know someone (or anyone) who is gay.

Then they explain that, I have influenced them to strive for a more positive life. They tell me that they really enjoy my stories regarding my beautiful relationship with Henry. They really enjoy when I speak about my son and the stories of my childhood crack them up.

Always live your best life (gay or straight)- you never know whom you’re influencing. Happy Pride!

The Casa Sol Cocktail • • • • • •

2 very ripe mangoes pureed or 2 cups of mango juice ¼ cup of fresh lime juice sugar to taste (we use ½ cup) 1 bottle of Cava (any brand) ½ cup of vodka (we use Tito’s) Mango and lime slices for garnish

Casa Sol Cocktail: place your peeled mango slices in a blender with lime juice and sugar- quantity depending on the mango’s sweetness.

Half-fill glasses with puree and add ice. Top it off with the Cava.

I promise you’ll have the most refreshing cocktail ever!

Sparkling Tequila Sunset • • • • •

¼ cup of the best Tequila ⅓ cup of fresh OJ or otherwise squeeze of lime squirt of honey beer (we use Modelo Especial)

*These proportions are for 1 serving Place your ingredients in a large glass, add ice and top with beer.

I came up with this one while in Mexico. Henry wanted a little taste of something but we couldn’t find what. I asked for the ingredients plus seltzer water- I’m not a fan of beer. They didn’t have any seltzer so I used ginger ale. The cocktail was pretty good. The next evening, they were out of ginger ale so I used Modelo Beer. This worked out well- Modelo Especial has orange blossom notes and honey. Perfect! I’m still not a fan of beer but am a fan of Modelo!

Pride Rum Punch See if you can use all the Pride Colors to Sip Your Colors with this Punch • Red: strawberry, raspberry • Orange: oranges, cantaloupe • Yellow: lemons • Green: green apple, kiwi • Blue: blueberries • Purple: grapes • Fruit Juice (we use Cran-Grape) • Lots of Rum (we use Bacardi) So this is basically my rum punch recipe revamped for Pride. I use the same fruits I have used for the cover of this Pride Issue. Pour in as much rum as you like and see if you can use all the pride colors.

The Watermelon Cooler This is a very refreshing cooler.

It is nothing more but a delicious watermelon infused water with slices of lime or lemons.

Carefully slice off the rind off an entire small watermelon. Then thinly slice the round-end side and place it flat in a large pitcher or water dispenser.

Then add lots of citrus slices on top- I usually use limes. On top of that, add lots of ice then your best water fill to the top. This is a great non-spirited option for your parties. Happy Pride and Happy July!

#SipYourColors

You can my cookbooks only on

AMAZON They are filled with recipes of course but both books (4 more coming) are filled with pictures, videos and great hacks and tips.

My favorite part of the cookbooks are the stories that I share. I wanted cookbooks that not only inspired readers to create great-tasting foods but to let them in on what inspired me to create and include them among my repertoire.

Just like EAT YOUR COLORS magazine, these cookbooks are all digital making them more accessible to all. Although the magazine is FREE, these great cookbooks are both about $6.

Click on the covers to get your copy and thank you on behalf of

H. Luiz Presents… Charities.

by H. Luiz Martinez

Happy Pride 2022

Was Abraham Lincoln Our First Gay President?

Most would say: absolutely not!

Some would say: I don’t know- who cares?

A few would dare say: yaaaaaassssssssssssss!

There are many persistent rumors that have lasted during Lincoln’s time and throughout our times, that he was in fact, gay. However, we would never really know either way.

Yes, there are letters, colleagues, friends and historians who claim there was “a lavender streak” to good ol’ Abe, but it’s still hard to say for certainty.

I’ll give you one example for and against the gay rumors of Lincoln.

28-year-old Abe Lincoln arrived in Springfield, Illinois in 1837. He locked eyes with a 23-year-old bear cub named Joshua Speed. The two were so taken with each-other that they immediately rented a sunny little apartment. Records show that they rented a cozy 1 bedroom and that the two slept in the same bed. Yaaaassssssssssss!

But the honeymoon was halted a couple of years later because Joshua announced plans to return to the family plantation in Kentucky. Lincoln was frantic! On January 1, 1841, he broke off his engagement with Mary Todd and followed his man friend to Kentucky. Yassssss!

In 1926, writer Carl Sandburg published a biography of Lincoln in which he described the relationship between the two men as, “Just as soft as May violets.”

Eventually, Joshua Speed would marry a beard woman named Fanny Henning. Although the marriage did last for 40 years until Joshua’s death in 1882, they have produced no children. (Uh-huh!)

Abraham Lincoln, now President Lincoln, met a zaddy bodyguard from the Pennsylvania Bucktail Brigade named Captain David Derickson. Unlike Joshua Speed, Derickson was a father, married twice and sired ten children (c’mon Top!) Like Speed, Derickson became a close friend of the president and also shared his bedoooh Abe has no shame, hunty! It was rumored that while Mary Todd was away from Washington, President Lincoln and Captain Derickson slept in the same bed. Yaaaassssss!

According to an 1895 regimental history written by a gossip queen one of Derickson’s fellow officers: “Captain Derickson, in particular, advanced so far in the President’s confidence and esteem that, in Mrs. Lincoln’s absence, he frequently spends the night at his cottage, sleeping in the same bed with him, and it is said- making use of His Excellency’s night-shirt!”

Another source, the well-connected wife of Lincoln’s naval adjutant, wrote in her diary: “…there is a Bucktail Soldier here devoted to the President, drives with him, & when Mrs L. is not home, sleeps with him.’ What stuff!”

Even Lincoln’s stepmother Sarah thought he didn’t like girls. Was quoted as saying that good ol’ Abe was enamored with the boys.

But to be fair, America in the mid to late 1800’s was a very different time. What is simply homo-social behavior (men hanging out with other men- going to sporting events together; women hanging out with other women to go shopping or to the hair salon are examples of homo-social behaviors) can be misconstrued as homo-sexual. Throw in some minutia and you can really create scandalous narratives.

Take, for example, Lincoln’s habit of sharing his bed with other men- today, that invitation would be assumed to be homosexual in nature, right? But in frontier-era Illinois, nobody gave a second thought to two young bachelors sleeping together. It’s obvious to us today that such a sleeping arrangement would lend itself to sexual relations, but shared sleeping was perfectly unremarkable in that time and place.

Sharing a bed with a married young soldier, however, is a somewhat different matter when you’re the President of the United States. While bachelor Abe Lincoln’s arrangements with Joshua Speed are understandable, his new arrangement with his bodyguard, Captain Derickson, may be harder to explain. Sharing a bed with a married young muscle-queen soldier is peculiarespecially if you’re the new Prez! There really would not be a need for two married men (again, one being the President) to sleep in the same room, much less the same soft and cushy bed. Yasssssss!

So what are we left to believe? I say, you cannot measure the past by today’s standard of what it means to be gay.

There are historical figures that we’re still trying to discuss their sexual natures- nearly 500 years later.

Take Leonardo Da Vinci’s (14521519) public scandal of sodomy in 1476. Leo and 4 other males were accused of sodomy with a wellknown male-prostitute. Charges were dropped for there was no evidence- just an accusation.

Being accused of sodomy today, connotates images of sexual abuse.

But sodomy simply means oral or anal sex. Back in the Age of the Renaissance, sodomy was outlawed and illegal because of moral and religious values were strongly against sexual acts with no procreation properties. Basically, The church and/or authorities controlling what we can and cannot do with our bodies.

Since that date much has been written about Leonardo Da Vinci’s presumed homosexuality and its role in his art, particularly in the androgyny and eroticism manifested in Saint John the Baptist and Bacchus and more explicitly in a number of erotic drawings.

It was also expressed throughout his lifetime that he had intimate and sexual relationships with his pupils at the time. However, mentors in those times, had relations with their apprentices. During the Renaissance, it was common practice.

Before the 1700s, Europeans presumed that all males desired both women and adolescent boys. Starting in 1700, some Europeans began to think that most men desired only women and that only a deviant minority desired other males who might be either adults or adolescents. This is documented in legal, literary, and visual sources.

The new sexual regime first appeared between 1700 and 1750 in England, France, and the Netherlands

(1475-1564) Michelangelo’s profound and public love affair with the young Tommaso dei Cavalieri, is still discussed today in 2022. I mean, Michelangelo's best work and expressions were attributed to Tommaso. The largest sequence of sonnets, madrigals and poems that Michelangelo has ever written were about his love for young Tommy.

Tommaso also expressed his love and devotion to Michelangelo as well.

50 years after Michelangelo’s death, his grandnephew, Michelangelo Buonarroti the Younger, has republished the poems changing the pronouns from him to her in 1623.

They were re-republished with the correct gender pronouns by John Addington Symonds (1840-1893), but scholars today state that these poems were just words written in romantic prose of the times, citing that the relationship between the two was not physical. But does being gay mean that you have to have a sexual relationship? Aren’t virgins, straight or gay, still straight or gay- depending on which genders they’re attracted to?

If Heavens forbid that I stop having sex in my 90’s with my gorgeous Partner, does that mean we’re no longer gay?

Even going waaaaaaayyyy back, as far back with Alexander the Great- we have been speculating over the sexuality and/or sexual behaviors of these great historical figures. Did Alexander have a very-close romantic relationship with his pretty childhood friend Hephaestion? Maybe. Did Alexander kiss / sleep with beautiful young men- probably. But that was not so unusual for 330’s BC. Male bisexuality was widely permitted and ruled by law, and generally not frowned upon by the public. For the Greeks "homosexuality was not an exclusive choice. Loving another man was not an option out of the norm, different nor deviant. It was just a part of life experience. You loved who you loved. Period!

Intimacy was very personal and private between 2 people, no matter the gender. Sexual relations between young men were just signs of strong sex drives. It’s when that intimacy reaches far into adulthood is when things become complicated. In those days, a man out of adolescence was expected to produce heirs.

Using today’s lens, we try to see and analyze the sexual practices of centuries past and try to explain it in modern terms. We need to really understand that customary and contextual practices cannot be inferred by today’s way of thinking towards sexuality.

So- were these historic figures (and countless others) gay? Maybe, maybe not. We will never know with certainty, but how fun!!

#EatYourColors

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Welcome to Casa Sol

We finally did it- bought a house in Maplewood, NJ. We’ve been talking about it for the past 15 years, we wanted a home there.

We had a friend, who’s brother had a beautiful Colonial Style home, here in Maplewood and it was fantastic. We met other friends there as well. When we would visit, we would say- looks like a great place to live.

Maplewood is a small town in Essex County, has a population of just over 25,000 and filled with homes built in the 1920’s.

Maplewood was originally formed as South Orange Township on April 1, 1861.

Portions of Clinton Township and what was then the Town of Orange were taken to form South Orange Village- May 4, 1869 within the township and then became fully independent on March 4, 1904. The name changed to Maplewood on November 7, 1922.

YES- Maplewood turns 100 years young this November 7th, 2022.

Our Tudor-Revival style house was built in 1928 by Kenneth Dalzell.

Dalzell built over 300 homes in Maplewood. We are told that the Sunroom was probably added in the 1960s.

Casa Sol Sun Room

We decided to call this home Casa Sol which means sun house in Spanish. We wanted the house to reflect positive energy, our sunny disposition and a feeling of warmth as soon as you walk through our “morning sunshine” (yellow) painted doors.

“Sol” is waiting to be hung, left of the door and then joined by about 3-4 plants in the Casa Sol Sun Room.

The Salon still needs a few more things but it’s basically finished too.

Casa Sol Salon (Living Room)

Our dining room, 2 Bedrooms as Offices and the entire 2nd floor Primary Suite are not fully decorated yet, but the Kitchen and 1st floor full Bath is ready to go. We have replaced all the hardware in both full Baths and the entire House was painted and some of the walls needed to be repaired. I will show you the Kitchen in the next coming issue. I’m featuring it for an article called “Make Your Kitchen Work for You.” The original hard wood oak floors were redone as well as the stairs leading to the Upper Floor with a rich dark walnut stain- it looks like chocolate. These floors are delicious!

I have a sliding barn door that slides across the entire hall. I thought of it because there was a door (leading to the upper Suite) that was just uggghhh! It would block off the hall space and literally close off one of the offices. I asked our Contractorhow do people deal with this?

He told me, they just remove the door altogether. Whaaaat?

So I came up with this sliding barn door, using reclaimed wood, original to the house for the header. Now the primary bedroom Suite has a proper door- in Morning Sunshine yellow of course! jajajajaja!

In the front, we had the Landscaper to put in 5 tall hydrangea plants to the right of the house. A cluster of tiger-lilies were already there to the left. The grass was already vibrant green.

Much attention was given to the little outdoor areas. We have added 27 6-foot evergreen trees and 6 hedge bushes to soften the corners in the yard near the flower beds In the garden area, there are daffodils, spray roses, tiger-lillies and other shrubbery plants that I can’t identify yet. I’m also having put in a small 4x6 greenhouse installed on the sunny side of our detached garage. I want to plant my potted herbs there as well as some veggies to grow all year long and be protected from Winter frost and pests.

As a Traveler, Filmmaker and Journalist- I’m often asked where is my favorite place. My answer is always the same: my home.

HOME really is where the Heart is! Give thanks to your space, show your appreciation- a smile runs across my face every morning. I am filled with joy as enter the doors of my home.

Casa Sol is already giving us positive vibes. I’m even more gleeful than usual and Henry is leaving work a little early to return to Casa Sol ASAP. Those glorious evergreens and the hydrangeas out front just makes it a little bit more special. Thank you Casa Sol.

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INDEPENDENCE INDEPENDENCE DAY DAY

I have asked some young family members and their friends, what is actually celebrated on the 4th of July. The tweens said that they didn’t really know, then asked me to pass the BBQ sauce. Some teenagers said it’s a day to celebrate BBQ, Burgers and Hotdogs! One actually said, it’s the day that fireworks are allowed to be set, lit and displayed.

I asked if they were being serious and their honest reply was,

“What do you mean, Uncle H?” Here’s a hint, I said- pay attention to the word in the title!

The next time you’re at a 4th of July BBQ, ask some folks under 20, what is the holiday really about and see what they tell you. Be prepared to be shocked!

Yes- we do enjoy a great BBQ on July 4th but there is more to it then just good food.

We also enjoy a dazzling fireworks display, but the 4th of July is more than pretty lights.

Now I did agree, my homemade BBQ Citrus Honey sauce is reason enough to have a party but that was not the reason the families got together.

So, this is what I told them- don’t worry, I’ll try not to bore you too. jajajajajaja

Independence Day, aka the 4th of July has been a federal holiday in the United States since 1941.

The tradition however, dates back to the 18th Century.

When the initial battles in the Revolutionary War broke out in April 1775, many colonists desired complete independence from Great Britain.

Congress appointed a five-man committee- Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Roger Sherman, Benjamin Franklin, and Robert R. Livingston to draft a statement to break with Great Britain.

Though the vote actually took place on July 2nd, on the 4th, Congress formally adopted the Declaration of Independence.

July 4th became the day that was celebrated as the birth of American independence.

The tradition of fireworks on the 4 of July began in Philadelphia on July 4, 1777.

Ship’s cannons fired a 13-gun salute in honor of the 13 colonies.

This is why we celebrste July 4thit marks our great Independence as a nation.

th 4 of July BBQ!

It’s funny how we Americans love to throw a 4th of July BBQ then get frustrated when certain kinds, types and cuts of meat we undercook (raw), overcook (tough), burn (char to black) and don’t get me started on half the meat stuck to the grill.

Those scenarios are my actually my point. Most of us grill our food outdoors, we don’t actually barbeque. There is a major difference between the two techniques.

Grilling is done with the lid up You’re cooking with direct heat (usually by charcoal or wood) at the bottom of the grill. Grilling is better suited for quick cooking of the tenderest meats like ribeyes and skirt steaks. T-bones are great for quick grilling too. If you’re grilling fish and/or vegetables- more finesse is involved in your technique. That’s when a 2-zone heat sources may benefit you.

When you barbecue, you are cooking with a slow circumvented unit of hot air with the lid closed. Your food is heated through and being cooked from all around- much like an oven. Barbeque is low and slow (low heat temps for longer periods. Your larger, tougher meats are best suited for barbeque. I’m talking pork shoulders, beef briskets, roasts, slabs of ribs, even a whole turkey.

“I think the real confusion comes from the fact that you can grill, BBQ and smoke all with the same equipment- the grill.

And calling all the wet sauces ‘BBQ sauce’ does not help.”

-H. Luiz Smoking meat is another technique, much like barbequing, where you use certain woods to flavor the meats- such as hickory or mesquite. You can over-smoke meats too so be careful there.

Once you start hanging out with outdoor cooks on July 4th, it won't be long before someone points out that grilling and barbecuing aren't the same things. When that happens, it's only a matter of time before someone tries to explain how smoking is different from barbecuing and grilling. The next thing you know, instead of cooking, everyone's arguing, and you're all going hungry. So, the next time you’re invited to a “BBQ” and someone hands you a grilled burger, just smile and say thank you and enjoy the day.

Tacos & Tequila

What a winning flavor combination- tacos & tequila!!

You can pretty much put anything inside a tortilla and it’s going to taste great. I make my own corn tortillas and I use any leftover meat(s) and/or veggies to fill them. Top them with avocado crema and cilantro and you are as good as gold.

Now I just started drinking tequila so I like to sweeten it up with some fresh OJ and a drizzle of honey. We top it with Beer to give that bubbly we like so much!

Click here to see how I make these wonderful tacos and tasty tequila!

While you are there on my youtube channel, don’t forget to Like & Subscribe.

Eda Minerva

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