June 28, 2025

WEEKLY MENU 06.29.25

Celebrating a Big Birthday during the Weekly Menu 06.29.25 ~

The United States of America celebrates the 249th anniversary of the publication of the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain during the Weekly Menu 06.29.25! The Declaration of Independence was announced on July 4th, although the signing didn’t occur until August 2nd. The colonies voted to accept it on July 2nd. So, the long, extended holiday weekend makes sense!

Here’s some fodder for themed conversation at the picnic.

Morbid but interesting…

Three American presidents have died on the fourth of July. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died on the same day, in 1826, just hours apart. They had been rivals in everything, even about who would live longest. Adams’ last words were about his long-time foe: “Thomas Jefferson lives!” In fact, Jefferson had died just five hours earlier, but Adams hadn’t gotten the message. The two actually became friends in their later years, with extensive correspondence. Their letters to each other are published in several books.

James Monroe is the third president to die on July 4th, but he died in 1831.
Farmers Almanac

Some other slightly obscure but wonderfully fascinating facts about the Fourth:

Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence.
John Hancock was the first person to sign the Declaration of Independence.
An estimated 2.5 million people lived in the nation in July 1776. (The current population of the United States is estimated to be 347 million)
The Liberty Bell hasn’t been rung since 1846, but it is tapped 13 times every Independence Day to honor the 13 original states.
Calvin Coolidge was the only president born on the 4th of July.
Our national anthem wasn’t ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ until 1931.
There have been 27 different versions of the U.S. flag.
Americans eat around 150 million hot dogs each Independence Day.
Coney Island hosts a famous hot dog-eating contest every July 4th. The Nathan’s Famous 4th of July hot dog-eating contest began over a century ago.

Sport?

We always try to watch the Nathan’s Hot Dog Contest on the Fourth of July. It’s absolutely disgusting, but I can never look away. And I don’t understand the whole “sport” of competitive eating. How do all of these people not weigh about a million pounds? Of course, we enjoy a fabulous lunch of hot dogs while the contest rages in the background. I usually cap it at two, but I’ve been known to go back for a third dog. Hot Dogs on the Blackstone are slightly reminiscent of gas station dogs that run around and around on their rollers, but much, much healthier. At least from a cleanliness and timeliness standpoint.

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Weekly Menu 06.29.25

We’re starting the Weekly Menu 06.29.25 with an easy Italian meal. Sausage Stuffed Peppers will get us primed for the main course of classic Spaghetti and Meatballs. We have a lively debate every time pasta is on the menu. Bert prefers angel hair, but the boys love regular spaghetti or bucatini. I’m a fan of pasta in any iteration, so I generally rotate through it. We had bucatini last, so I’m planning on thin spaghetti this week.

We’re having a big salad on Monday, with Pops Crispy Chicken and Tater Tots. We’ll smother that in Cheddar Cheese Dressing, which is simply Blue Cheese Dressing with cheddar subbed in. Sometimes I use the hand blender, which is the plan this week. It’s creamier and smoother with it.

Mexican Picadillo is ground beef with little cubes of potato in it. The spuds get fried up with the beef, and get super crunchy and delish. Wrap it up in a flour tortilla, sprinkle copiously with shredded cheese, and dinner is in hand. (Literally.)

4th of July Menu

The grand finale of the Weekly Menu 06.29.25 is on Friday this week (we’ll be eating leftovers on Saturday). It’s over the top, honestly, as all good celebrations should be. Luckily, Bert will be cooking all the protein, and that’s where most of the variety is. Burgers, hot dogs, sausage, and some chicken mean that he’ll need to use the grill AND the Blackstone. He’ll be in his glory.

And all the sides are make-ahead, which is how I roll when entertaining. We’re starting out with bright red Pomegranate Margaritas. I’ll rim those with blue sugar – so we stay in theme. And dessert is the same one we had on Memorial Day, but it also fits the theme, and is a family favorite.

We’ve got some friends coming in from out of town, so we’re including a couple of quintessential Erieland foods. Pepperoni Balls and Smith’s Hot Dogs can NOT be beat.