Happy Fourth of July! It’s that time of year when we get nostalgic and also when we think of “red, white and blue” in flags, clothing, décor and even food. It’s that last part that I’m thinking of as I write this.
Growing up in the ’60s and ‘70s, my family was super traditional in what we ate. I’m not sure how much was a sign of the times, part of being in the suburbs or how much was just my parents’ comfort zone.
I didn’t know that lettuce was available in any form other than iceberg. With the exception of Kaiser rolls now and then, all of our breads were in bags with “Stroehmann” stamped on them. The jelly in the fridge was always strawberry or grape. I remember it being a pretty big deal that we occasionally bought La Choy’s canned Chow Mein which was pretty adventurous for us!
But over the years I have learned to try and enjoy a much more vast variety of foods. English muffins make for great burger rolls, toasted bagels are among my favorite carbs, salads with nearly every type of lettuce imaginable, very little canned foods, lots of ethnic goodies and there’s more than one way to make a grilled cheese sandwich. I’ll try a lot, though a friend laughs at what she refers to as two of my food rules…. I don’t do veggies in jello and I can’t grasp the concept of fruit in a salad.
Now I prefer blueberry, raspberry and blackcurrant jam. Blueberry jam always reminds me of when I cruised to Bar Harbor. As Maine is the world’s largest producer of wild blueberries, a jar of locally made blueberry jam seemed like a good choice of souvenir to pick up for someone who enjoys trying local foods. See, blueberry and blackcurrants jams not only taste good to me, but they invoke memories of trips which is neat when I’m home having a PB&J sandwich made with one of them.
Growing up in the ’60s and ‘70s, my family was super traditional in what we ate. I’m not sure how much was a sign of the times, part of being in the suburbs or how much was just my parents’ comfort zone.
I didn’t know that lettuce was available in any form other than iceberg. With the exception of Kaiser rolls now and then, all of our breads were in bags with “Stroehmann” stamped on them. The jelly in the fridge was always strawberry or grape. I remember it being a pretty big deal that we occasionally bought La Choy’s canned Chow Mein which was pretty adventurous for us!
But over the years I have learned to try and enjoy a much more vast variety of foods. English muffins make for great burger rolls, toasted bagels are among my favorite carbs, salads with nearly every type of lettuce imaginable, very little canned foods, lots of ethnic goodies and there’s more than one way to make a grilled cheese sandwich. I’ll try a lot, though a friend laughs at what she refers to as two of my food rules…. I don’t do veggies in jello and I can’t grasp the concept of fruit in a salad.
Now I prefer blueberry, raspberry and blackcurrant jam. Blueberry jam always reminds me of when I cruised to Bar Harbor. As Maine is the world’s largest producer of wild blueberries, a jar of locally made blueberry jam seemed like a good choice of souvenir to pick up for someone who enjoys trying local foods. See, blueberry and blackcurrants jams not only taste good to me, but they invoke memories of trips which is neat when I’m home having a PB&J sandwich made with one of them.
Get some free blueberry jam & jelly:
To give our clients a “taste" of your upcoming trip, we have teamed up with Bar Harbor Jam which is producing specially made gift boxes only for our clients which include their award-winning Wild Blueberry Pepper Jelly and their Wild Maine Blueberry Jam. When you book your Canada / New England cruise sailing this year with Connie George Travel Associates by July 30, tell our agent where you read about getting your free gift box and we will be sure you receive your free jam and jelly gift box (one box per cabin). Maybe you’ll also get hooked on blueberry jam!
Meanwhile, to help you celebrate the holiday, I want to share some terrfic free recipes for some great looking “red, white and blue” deserts I found on Food Network's website. Amaze your family and friends with this weekend with some red, white and blueberries. Enjoy!
Meanwhile, to help you celebrate the holiday, I want to share some terrfic free recipes for some great looking “red, white and blue” deserts I found on Food Network's website. Amaze your family and friends with this weekend with some red, white and blueberries. Enjoy!
