Well our annual beach vacation is here and our feet are firmly planted in the sand. The great thing about this vacation is that even with so many people in one house for a week, it is pure enjoyment because of the togetherness. 

I may have mentioned at other times, that each night different family members cook. The menu is totally theirs, as is the music. No one has ever complained about what was served but if they did they knew there was always peanut butter and jelly for sandwiches. But the dinners have been deliciously memorable. 

So with this in mind we all gathered the essentials we needed for our surprise dinner.. We try to pack as many of the ingredients and utensils we will need beforehand to eliminate trips to the grocery store. 

There is one meal we can always count on that is not a surprise. Claudia and Gary always chose the 4th of July for their cooking night. So we always celebrate with the all-American meal of hot dogs, frankfurters , potato salad, cole slaw and beans. Maybe even corn on the cob. Because the grill will be hot and the kids, especially enjoy them, I remember to pack supplies for S’Mores. 

• Large marshmallows – I flatten them a little to fill the graham cracker 

• Box of 2 ½” square graham crackers 

• Milk chocolate bars. Some dark chocolate when I can find them 

• Skewers. 

Get 2 graham crackers and make a sandwich using a flattened marshmallow (use two if you like gooey) that you have skewered 
over the grill and, turning to toast evenly on all sides. Break a chocolate bar in half and place on top of the marshmallow. 
Gently squeeze sandwich without breaking the graham crackers and let the heat of the marshmallow melt the chocolate. If the chocolate isn’t melting, place a piece of aluminum foil on the grill and place the sandwich on the foil for a minute or two, turning once. 

As we devour these, we sing Happy Birthday to America and then we head down to the beach to watch the fireworks. 

Hope you all enjoyed a Happy 4th of July. God Bless America and God Bless Our Troops. 

Side note: A recipe for S’Mores dates back to 1917 in a Girl Scout’s Handbook. And it is claimed that S’Mores stands for “some more”.