Karen’s Opinion

Have you ever noticed that around the holidays we tend to hear music that fits with that season? Take for instance Christmas. We hear enough Christmas carols to fill our needs for ten years. Around Valentine’s Day, it is fun to listen to all the love songs. Have you noticed that there are not as many patriotic songs played during our patriotic holidays?

We can change that by downloading the 30 songs from the digital album, A Salute to America. For one day only, July 3rd, Amazon is reducing the normal price of an MP3 download, $9.49 to just $1.99 on this particular digital album.

The album is available now but by ordering on the 3rd, you can save on your purchase through their Amazon MP3 “Deal Of The Day.”

The album includes many of my favorites, which include The Star Spangled Banner, God Bless America, God Bless the USA, and America the Beautiful. Feel your heart swell with pride as you listen to this wonderful album. The music is played by the famous 100 Strings Orchestra, known for their lush, soothing sound qualities.

Get your patriotic cake baked, hang out your flag, don your red, white and blue t-shirt and listen to “A Salute To America!”

Every year around the fourth of July, I think I will make this cake. Perhaps, this will be the year! It sounds yummy.
Flag Cake
from the Barefoot Contessa
Ingredients

* 18 tablespoons (2 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
* 3 cups sugar
* 6 extra-large eggs at room temperature
* 1 cup sour cream at room temperature
* 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
* 3 cups flour
* 1/3 cup cornstarch
* 1 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1 teaspoon baking soda

For the icing:

* 1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
* 1 1/2 pounds cream cheese at room temperature
* 1 pound confectioners’ sugar, sifted
* 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

To assemble:

* 2 half-pints blueberries
* 3 half-pints raspberries

Directions

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter and flour an 18 by 13 by 1 1/2-inch sheet pan.

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed, until light and fluffy. On medium speed, add the eggs, 2 at a time, then add the sour cream and vanilla. Scrape down the sides and stir until smooth.

Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda in a bowl. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until just combined. Pour into the prepared pan. Smooth the top with a spatula. Bake in the center of the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool to room temperature.

For the icing, combine the butter, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mixing just until smooth.

Spread three-fourths of the icing on the top of the cooled sheet cake. Outline the flag on the top of the cake with a toothpick. Fill the upper left corner with blueberries. Place 2 rows of raspberries across the top of the cake like a red stripe. Put the remaining icing in a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and pipe two rows of white stripes below the raspberries. Alternate rows of raspberries and icing until the flag is completed. Pipe stars on top of the blueberries.

I serve this cake right in the pan. If you want to turn it out onto a board before frosting, use parchment paper when you grease and flour the pan.

My husband and I watched an interesting documentary on Christmas trees last evening. The program told how evergreen trees became to be known as a symbol of Christmas. The custom of putting up a Christmas tree can be traced to 16th century. The trees were not decorated in the way most of us decorate our trees today. Most early trees were decorated with apples, nuts, dates, pretzels and paper flowers. Trees were also decorated with candles. Candles were sometimes dangerous as women and young girls would bend over the tree and were more apt to catch their clothing on fire. Adjustments were made to the candle holders to make them safer but it wasn’t until the invention of the electric light that lighting on the trees became a safe practice.

Christmas balls were beautiful creations made from blown glass. It was a luxury to be able to afford this type of decoration. Most trees were garnished with home made crafts and still used natural products such as nuts and fruit. Candy canes were also used to decorate the tree although they were all white and not the red and white striped ones we see today.

The United States’ National Christmas Tree is lit each year on the South Lawn of the White House. Today, the lighting of the National Christmas Tree is part of what has become a major holiday event at the White House. The Tree at Rockefeller Center is an annual tradition in New York City’s Rockefeller Center, and is lighted in early December or late-November, an event broadcast in recent years on the NBC television network in the United States as well as internationally. Another famous Christmas tree is Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree. It often represents the way we feel after days of shopping and baking. It still has the spirit to look beautiful. I think it envisions hope for the feeble and weary.

It doesn’t seem possible that it has been almost four years since we visited the Resorts in Wildwood NJ and the Jersey Shore. Hubby and I had never visited the east coast until our daughter graduated from basic training. We had some time to look around before her graduation ceremony and we went driving. It amazes me how different parts of the United States can be so different from one another. From the beautiful homes built at the turn of the century to the sandy beaches, the Jersey shore is a part of American history. I can picture old-timers in their pantaloon style bathing suits enjoying salt water taffy, funnel cakes, and popcorn the same way we do today.

Morey’s Piers is the king of entertainment. They offer a holiday sale that makes staying in one of the many Wildwood motels and hotels offered on their website, very affordable. Most people think of Wildwood, New Jersey for their Jersey Shore beach vacation and now they can spend their Christmas holiday there too. From December 1 through January 9 Morey’s Pier is offering a 40% discount on a Season Pass to both water parks. Just think of the cherished memories your family will retain for a lifetime when you pack up everyone and head to the Jersey Shore.