Freedom Parfait

Freedom Parfait.... has a nice ring to it, don't you think?  Our friends had a 4th of July cookout on the 3rd this year and I offered to bring dessert.  Remember the dessert I talked about in my last blog?  You know, the one with the angel food cake, berries and pudding mix...Our friend, JP, sent out an email to all of the guests recapping what everyone was supposed to bring.  Next to my name was written, "Freedom Parfaits."  Well, when momma is asked, momma delivers.  I quickly morphed my original dessert idea into "freedom parfaits." 

I had about an hour and a half between work and the cookout starting, so I finished my work day and raced to Publix where I took the store by storm picking up berries, cream, angel food cake, plastic cups and little American flags.  I turned my original dessert into exactly what J.P. wanted. 

First, I made the pudding mixture (see last blog for recipe):

When you whip the heavy cream, make sure you whip it until it is pretty stiff like in the picture above.  Then, you mix the whipped cream with the pudding mixture:

I started assembling the cups and when I say I was working at a fast pace, I mean the sight of it would have made your head spin.  I was going from one side of the kitchen to the other - cubing the cake, slicing the berries (blueberries, strawberries blackberries and raspberries), filling the cups - layer of angel food cake, berries, pudding mixture, berries, pudding mixture....

Is that a Freedom Parfait or what!!?!


It was such a nice afternoon/evening with friends, music, good food and lots of laughter from the boys in the pool.  Everyone enjoyed the Freedom Parfaits!  Perhaps I should consult with J.P. on names every time I file a recipe in my recipe box.

Fourth of July was great.  The Davis family members were finally reunited after a month apart due to baseball.  We enjoyed grilling out and shooting off our own fireworks in the backyard- just the five of us.  My parents invited us up to their house for the fabulous fireworks show in their neighborhood, and we all loved it... all of us except for Brooke.  She  has never held me so tight - not out of love but it was rather her survival instinct kicking in out of intense fear of fireworks.  One day soon, she will love them and find them exciting and fabulous... this year, she was happy inside instead. 

What will the Davis family do this weekend without baseball?  Heading to the lake today (I made some twice baked Idaho potatoes and twice baked sweet potatoes to take up to the lake - I'll share the recipes soon!) and then tomorrow we (we meaning me) are hoping to tackle our home to-do list one line item at a time.  How quickly time passes - we moved in in February and it's already July and we're just now coming up for air.  It has been go-go-go since we moved in, and I am such a busy body that I constantly have to remind myself to really savor each and every day, especially when time moves so quickly - it's so easy to let the days pass without taking the time to enjoy your kids, your home, your neighborhood, etc.  After all, isn't this what we work so hard for?