Remember to Celebrate the 3rd of July

I come from Boston, a state steeped (get the tea reference?) in the history of these United States. The Tea Party (the original one, in Boston Harbor, with actual tea), The Old North Church ("one if by land, two if by sea"), Paul Revere's house, Plymouth Rock, Old Ironsides (The USS Constitution), the Revolutionary War battles of Concord and Lexington. I could go on and on. Suffice it to say that I grew up surrounded by our earliest history. 

Today I, like so many others in this country, am knee deep in Independence Day celebration preparations. I'm gathering up red, white and blue paper plates and plastic forks, lining the driveway with flags, checking on punks for lighting the fireworks, pulling out bug spray, forming burgers, and baking all things red, white and/or blue.

Blueberries and Cream Pie

I hear so much talk at different times of the year about how we often can't see the forest for the trees. People comment all over social media on days like tomorrow about their fear of, in our zeal to celebrate, our loss of the meaning of holidays like Independence Day (and Memorial Day and Christmas) in all the festivities. We are admonished for not remembering what exactly we are celebrating and why. Instead, social media posters lament, we've made it about eating burgers and lighting up the sky with pretty colors.
 

I'm going to have to disagree. I think that despite the party atmosphere, the vast majority of us do celebrate the roots of what this holiday is about. We remember that we are observing the genesis our democracy and the price our ancestors paid for it. We are cognizant of the fact that it's not just about celebrating independence, but being proactive in preserving it. The time off, the food, the parties, cookouts, festivities and fireworks, they are all reminders.

It's on all of those other days, the 3rd of July, the 9th of October, the 8th of April, the 19th of March and the 20th of November that we need those reminders. Our sovereignty, our liberty, our constitutional rights, our democracy, we should never take these for granted. Not just on the 4th of July.

Celebrate our freedoms each and every day. 

Oh, and vote.

Blueberries and Cream Pie         
                                    ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs
3/4 stick butter, melted

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp orange zest

1 pint blueberries
1 cup sugar
2 TBSP orange juice
1/2 tsp orange zest
2 TBSP cornstarch mixed with 2 TBSP cold water

Opt: whipped cream for garnish

Directions:
*Spray a 9 inch pie plate with non-stick spray. Mix the vanilla wafer crumbs with the melted butter ans pat into the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate.
*Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and 1/2 tsp orange zest until smooth. Carefully spread over crust. Refrigerate.
*Place the blueberries into a saucepan over medium heat with the sugar, orange juice and remaining orange zest. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, and simmer 1 minute. 
*Add the cornstarch/water mixture to the saucepan. Turn heat down to low and stir until it starts to thicken.
*Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature (can refrigerate to cool), then pour over the cream cheese layer. Refrigerate.
*Opt: Garnish with whipped cream for serving.