Goals, fireworks, and food

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."~Declaration of Independence

Friday I have a guest scheduled, so let's switch it up a bit and have a 4th of July recipe today...before the actual day if anyone wants to try it!

Zippy Summer Shrimp It's fun, fast, very summery, and goes with anything else you have on your holiday menu. If you like shrimp, I guarantee these will be a hit.

Prep Time: 10 Min
Cook Time: 10 Min
Ready In: 20 Min

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil


• 3 cloves garlic, sliced


• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes


• 2 teaspoons paprika


• 2 pounds shell-on deveined jumbo shrimp


• 1/4 cup lemon juice


• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil


• 1/2 teaspoon salt


• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat; cook and stir the garlic in the oil until translucent.


2. Sprinkle the red pepper flakes and paprika into the oil.


3. Add the shrimp and toss to coat.


4. Pour the lemon juice over the shrimp; allow to cook until the shrimp are bright pink on the outside and the meat is no longer transparent in the center, 1 to 2 minutes more.


5. Reduce heat to medium-low; add the basil and toss lightly.


6. Season with salt and pepper to serve.

Nutritional Information
Amount Per Serving Calories: 238 Total Fat: 13.9g Cholesterol: 230mg

Weekly goal:

• Stuff myself at my July 4th cookout with friends and family (and waterguns!)


• Enjoy fireworks


• Remember that this isn't just a day off, but a day to be glad we have the freedoms we do


• Finish The Devil's Pawn so I can get that off my checklist. We all know how I love my lists!

Patriotic-Sounding Place Names

Thirty-one places have “liberty” in their names. The most populous one as of April 1, 2010, was Liberty, Mo. (29,149). Iowa, with four, has more of these places than any other state: Libertyville, New Liberty, North Liberty and West Liberty.

Thirty-five places have “eagle” in their names. The most populous one is Eagle Pass, Texas, with a population of 26,248.

Eleven places have “independence” in their names. The most populous one is Independence, Mo., with a population of 116,830.

Nine places have “freedom” in their names. The most populous one is New Freedom, Pa., with a population of 4,464.

One place has “patriot” in its name. Patriot, Ind., has a population of 209.

Five places have “America” in their names. The most populous is American Fork, Utah, with a population of 26,263.