I can’t help but sneak in a quick post on this year’s 4th of July celebration in Sunset Hills. My friends Jamey and Phil invited well over the entire neighborhood and friends to their annual 4th of July celebration! They must have made over 100 hotdogs and hamburgers and I’ve never seen so many pasta salads in my life. I ate enough pasta salad to serve the whole city!

I brought my annual 4th of July Coconut Cupcakes which satisfied all the sugar and butter deprived guests. One change I accidentally made this year was I used unsweetened coconut instead of sweetened (careless grocery store buyer). My friend Melissa, and Spring Garden Bakery head honcho, said the unsweetened actually made them lighter and not as overwhelmingly sweet. I wasnt brave enough to eat one, so I’ll take the expert’s opinion (look at the recipe and you’ll understand). They must have been just as good because  Jamey mentioned that the kids were claiming the cupcakes inside away from their parents!

This year was particularly special for my good friend Masha. She became an US citizen a couple of months ago and we thought there wasnt a better way to celebrate than to enter a float into the neighborhood parade in her honor. Those fancy new Toyotas decked out in garland and baby pools had nothing on our Russian July Queen in an F150! What could be more American than a 1977 Ford pickup truck?

It was one of the best 4th of Julys I’ve had in a long time. And I hope it started Masha’s official Independence Days with great memories!