Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Patriotic Picnic

Written By: Pascale Kanaan 


A year ago last Thursday, we waited anxiously for Chantie to return to her beloved U.S. of A. I had an All-American home-cooked meal waiting for her on the table as we welcomed her to Scottsdale. After leaving our hometown of Orlando (and everything familiar) behind and moving our lives to Lebanon for over two years...it was time for us to come home.  Maurice and I were the first to make the journey back, then our aunt Sandy, then our Chantie. It wasn't exactly easy for her to uproot herself yet again, leave the nest and start over in a new American city. And as if that wasn't tough enough, she literally made the decision within 16 hours, threw what she could fit into a couple suitcases and didn't look back. It would be an understatement to say that she has seen her share of ups and downs this past year, with the stresses of helping us prepare for the wedding and her struggle to find her footing. But now, I can honestly say that I have watched her grow so much over the past year. She was my rock during times of struggle and continues to inspire me everyday with her passion and persistence. So in honor of her "Coming (back) to America" anniversary, I decided to throw her a patriotic picnic in the park across the street from our place.   


We started out this perfect summer afternoon with some spiked Sour Cherry Lemonade and sangria as Mo fired up our handy dandy little red grill. Our spread included Mini Turkey Burgers, Chicago-style Hotdogs with all the proper toppings, Southern Mac & Cheese in ramekins and Lemony Potato Salad
  

We ended with some homemade organic Red, White & Blueberry Pops, an iconic apple pie and a little sparkler action to satisfy our fireworks fix. 


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