Amazing Fourth of July in Brooklyn

I hope that everyone, American and non-American alike, enjoyed a lovely July 4th! I was fortunate enough to spend my Fourth of July in Brooklyn with close friends. My best friend E is currently back in the USA visiting, she moved to Australia last September, and she and her family were gracious enough to host a party. It was a moderately intimate affair, a total of 10 people, however, E and her family outdid themselves --- as per usual! 
(I took this photo from E's instagram)

On arrival, the feasting and drinking began. I was delighted to see that E had made my favorite summer drink -- Pimm's Cup! For those who are not familiar, a Pimm's Cup is a British drink and it sort of resembles sangria. It's made from Pimm's, ginger ale or sprite, and fruit/cucumber (basically). It is really yummy and refreshing and I absolutely love it! E made three pitchers and we drank them all! 
E's lovely Pimm's Cup

E's family enjoys eating and their hospitality is unbelievable! Although there were only 10 of us, there was enough food to feed double that number! We had potato salad, broccoli salad, pasta salad, summer salad (I made this), lamb chops, cheeseburgers, bratwurst, and chicken burgers! There was also a plethora of drinks ranging from Prosecco to soda to beer to Pimm's to water! When dining with the H family, no one goes hungry. 
Various salads -- mine is the colorful one on the left
Yummy grilled lamb chops
Brats and burgers
Chicken burgers
My very full plate

After gorging ourselves and making merry, we moved our party to the East River. One of the guests, P, is an old high school friend of E's, and she lives on the East River (basically). Since the fireworks this year were going to be on the East River, she graciously invited us over to her place to view them from her roof. The view was spectacular and so were the fireworks! 
The view of lower Manhattan and the East River from P's roof

The fireworks lasted for maybe 20 minutes or so, and we loved every second! There's nothing like sipping Prosecco and watching fireworks with friends. We hooted and hollered and generally made merry -- all while basking in the glow of fireworks! What an amazing night!

When the fireworks display ended, we made our way back to E's house to enjoy some coffee and desserts. Who knew fireworks could work up an appetite? Like the impressive dinner spread, dessert was just as plentiful and delicious! We had two fruit plates, as well as a pavlova (meringue), cupcakes, and peach crumble -- all baked by E. My dessert contribution was my patriotic rice krispie treats. I was particularly impressed by the pavlova, which not only looked beautiful, but tasted amazing! It was crunchy on the outside, but soft and gooey on the inside. Absolute perfection! 
I don't think I've ever enjoyed Fourth of July more. From start to finish, this was a really really really fun party! I loved every second. Besides the delicious food and drink, I loved spending so much time with my friends -- some new and some old. There was a lot of laughing and smiling and wonderful memories made. This is definitely a highlight moment of my 20s. 

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