Kara's Cuisine: Independence Holiday

We traveled to Bismarck, ND for the 4th of July holiday weekend. Like many other families, our holidays almost always revolve around food in addition to socializing. My mom and step-dad are truly wonderful cooks and went out of their way to make our meals special.

My favorite meal on our trip:

Seriously, how pretty and simple is that? My mom boiled up some eggs and served them on top of toasted bread from Bread Poets with fruit on the side. We enjoyed our breakfast on her deck with the sun shining on us and birds singing in the background. Just lovely.

This was our spread for July 4th:

Ribs, chicken "in the rear," baked beans, fruit salad, coleslaw, spinach and strawberry salad, and cheesy potatoes. What a feast!

We did venture out to eat at some of our favorite local mom and pops as well. Bismarck is full of chain restaurants, but the true gems are the joints that have been open forever and keep things simple. A lot of Bismarck folks are obsessed with Big Boy. Don't get me wrong, I like pizza burgers (flying style) too, but I'm partial to the cheeseburgers at The Wood House. Their burgers and fries are consistently good, and the onion rings are the best I've ever had. Plus, they've still got the phones to place your order at the tables. The place has not changed since I was a kid. Love it.

Cheeseburger Platter

We normally eat breakfast out at Krolls Diner, but decided to try Little Cottage Cafe on this trip. It's a cute little place with just a handful of tables and was full of locals. Food was quite similiar to Krolls Diner-comfort food at a reasonable price.

Vegetarian Omelette (substitute swiss cheese)

Jack got sick on the last day of our trip, but really didn't want to miss out on Mandan's World's Largest Chicken Dance or the parade. Needless to say, he didn't last long, but he sure was a trooper. Courtland loves the Chicken Dance and is all smiles:)