July Fourth was the ONE day of the year that my dad, a man who never spent money frivolously, took us to the drive in to see a movie. (This was a man who had to be begged, repeatedly and loudly, to stop at Twin Kiss, the local ice cream place in the summer. Begging didn’t always work. He’d say, “Oh, we have better stuff than that at home as he smoothly drove past.”) But on the Fourth of July, at the drive in, he’d occasionally crack and let us buy popcorn from the concession stand.
He did this because my mother’s birthday was also the Fourth and she’d have never let him live it down if he didn’t treat her and the kids to a movie. It always seemed like the day was simply to celebrate her, but the combo was perfect. Mom was an absolute firecracker herself, so sharing this day with our country couldn’t have been more appropriate. And we always had to get a shot of her with the American flag because she was a very proud American citizen.
Excitement grew as the evening turned navy and fireworks shot across the sky. My sister and I sat in the backseat waiting for each explosion of color, then loudly oohed and aaahed. My dad sat in the driver’s seat quietly appreciating the show while Mom exclaimed, “Oh my, how beaudeeful!“
As the fireworks grand finale came to a smoky end, dad rolled down his window to hold the metal speaker, adjusting the knob so we could hear the movie. We saw The Road to Hong Kong with Bob Hope and Bing Crosby, The Beatles in A Hard Day’s Night, Dr. Zhivago and a few others at the Spotlight 88 Drive in Theatre in New Brighton.
Sadly, it’s no longer there. What a bummer because I’d love to go back again and hear the gravel crunch as the car rolls through like it used to all those years ago.
I wish my mom could be here for the 250th birthday of the United States. But, it would be her 113th birthday and even she would admit it’s best she’s resting instead.
I’ve done a lot of thinking about our country lately and my Fourth of July thoughts are summed up in an essay coming out on the Fourth of July in the Huffington Post. Just click that highlighted Huffington Post link and you’ll be connected to the publication. You’ll probably have to put my name in. It’s about not always feeling like you fit in in this country and why that sometimes turns out to be the best thing for you.
I can’t help it, I’m a pathetic optimist. I believe truth, honesty, kindness and integrity do eventually win out, but it does seem to take forever. I think our country has had plenty of difficult times and we’ve gotten through them. If we can just get back to respecting each other without finger pointing and disparaging the other party, or those we perceive to be different from us, we’ll be OK.
My mom always said, “Yunz a gadda get along!” She was talking about our family of course, but it applies to our country as well. After all, we are the United States of America.
I wish you all a very Happy Fourth of July and a great 250th Anniversary! And because I love you I am including a recipe for a fantastic cake I made a while back for my sister-in-law, Donna. (My cake decorating has not improved in 40 years, but I swear I will take a decorating class one of these days!)
Even I was surprised at how positively scrumptious it was. It’s a French vanilla cake with pastry cream, hazelnut liquor, cream cheese frosting and toasted hazelnuts on the outside. It’s one of the best cakes I’ve ever made. (I was inspired because Donna said her friend Judy made the best cake and told me what it was made of…so I improvised.) Once you taste it, you’ll know it was worth the trouble. (I use Betty Crocker cake mix because it’s easy, really good, and at the time I wasn’t sure I could follow Judy’s recipe. She is a great cook!)
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Vanilla Hazelnut Cream Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Note: You might want to make the cream first so it has time to cool. But the cake has to cool too, so give yourself 2 to 4 hours to make this recipe. I usually make it with 9 inch cake pans.
Betty Crocker's instructions say preheat oven to 350 for aluminum or glass pans and 325 for non stick pans. Grease the bottom only of a 13 X 9 pan or the bottom and sides of all other pans.
Mix the cake mix, water, oil and eggs in a large bowl on medium speed, or mix vigorously by hand for two minutes. Pour it into the pan.
Bake a 13 X 9 24 to 29 minutes. Two 8" rounds bake 24 to 29 minutes. Two 9" rounds 20 to 25 minutes. A bundt cake bakes 34 to 39 minutes and cupcakes bake 13 to 18 minutes. Cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
While warm, remove the cake from the pan by running a sharp paring knife along the edge of the pan to loosen the cake. Place the plate on top of the cake pan and flip the cake onto the plate. Then flip the cake onto another plate so it's right side up. Do the same with the second cake. Cover both cakes with plastic wrap and let them cool.
Over medium heat combine milk, whipping cream, egg yolks, vanilla, cornstarch and sugar. Cook, stirring with a whisk constantly, over medium heat until mixture thickens. Immediately cover with lid and place in refrigerator until cool.
Beat softened cream cheese, and butter with a mixer until creamy. Add powdered sugar, vanilla, whipping cream (or half and half) and mix thoroughly until smooth and thick enough to spread. If needed, add more powdered sugar, or whipping cream/half and half. Add salt to taste.
Make sure the cake and the cream filling are cool. Then uncover one of the 9" cakes. If it's raised at the top, cut off the dome so it's level. and place it on your cake platter. Drizzle the cake with 2 to 3 tablespoons of Frangelico liqueur.
Take 1 to 1 1/2 cups (or more) of the cream filling and spread it on top of the first cake on the platter. Uncover the other cake (this one can keep it's dome) flip it over onto a plate and drizzle the bottom with the remaining Frangelico. Carefully place this cake on top of the cake with the cream filling on it (dome up!). Ice the cake all over with the cream cheese frosting.
Take a handful of the chopped, toasted hazelnuts and press them onto the sides of the cake, going all around until the cake is covered. Place in the refrigerator to stay cool.
1 Comment
Petrea Burchard
July 3, 2026 at 6:03 pmYou bring back memories of being with my family on a blanket on the grass at Hopkins Park in DeKalb, Illinois, listening to the municipal band playing the national anthem while the fireworks made us “oooh” and “aah.”