Hey USA- Happy Fourth of July

This weekend we went to visit our relatives in Pennsylvania. They live up on a mountain surrounded by lots of land and trees. For my husband, children and I- it's an adventure compared to suburban life/urban life. We had a great weekend and so did our dog! The first day we arrived we drove down to where our cousin was going to have her graduation party. On the way there, in the middle of the road was a black bear. A fairly huge black bear- staring at us, in surprise. We were surpised too. I knew the bears had moved in around the area some time ago but I never thought I'd see one. We looked at the bear for a while and the bear looked at us for a while in disbelief. If our dog could have wheedled out of the two inch window opening, she would have bolted for that bear. Maybe it's in her blood as she is part Akita (once used for bear hunting in Japan). I really don't want to think of her going up against a bear though.

We decided to sleep at my relatives cabin- no running water, no electricity and an outdoor bathroom. Kind of glorified camping. We wanted our girls to check out the experience. It was a lot of fun. They really enjoyed it. We told stories before bed time from our imaginations. The girls really liked that part.

The last night we were there I woke up to a bunch of coyotes yipping, probably for some meal. If my girls weren't so tuckered out, I think I would have woken them up so they could hear it. I thought it was pretty neat. Not something we hear in our neighborhood.

One of the highlights of our weekend was seeing our dog run out into the woods without a leash and then come back to us.  We were a bit afraid that she might not come back but were kind of sure she would return.  She did.  And boy did she have a blast coming and going and exploring.  I love seeing that.  A little independence for our big pup!

Someday it will be our children running off and us hoping they come back again.  Safe and a little more confident...  Right now I really don't want to think about that though.  I just want to hold them.

This sorbet will really make you pucker.  If you love lemons- this is the sorbet for you.  But if you are turned off by the sour don't even bother to make this.  Once you get into a few bites the pucker factor will decrease.  I find it to be very refreshing.  Next time I make it I think I will do lemon and ginger for a different flavor.

Lemon Mint Sorbet

Adapted from this recipe at Eating Well

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup chopped fresh mint

Zest of 1 lemon, removed with a vegetable peeler

1 cup water

1/2 cup lemon juice, (4-6 lemons)

In a saucepan bring water, sugar, mint and lemon zest to a boil. Remove from heat, cover and let steep for 20 to 30 minutes, then strain through a fine sieve into a bowl. Stir in lemon juice. Chill until cold.

Pour into the canister of an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s directions. You can also place it in a 9 x 13 dish. Remove from freezer periodically to scrape and loosen as it freezes.

3/4 of a cup 308 calories

This is basically what we saw.  Picture source:   Wildlife Management and Habitat Management