The Fourth of July holiday, which really stretches out over a two week period– the week before and the week after– is all about tradition. Many families in St. Louis will be barbecuing pork steaks, many will watch the Cardinals game, the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest (info below) and of course there will be fireworks displays around the area. For those who can’t go out there are fireworks shows on television. To find out where to watch the fireworks in St. Louis CLICK HERE
BASEBALL:
For the Independence day weekend, the Cardinals are in the City of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia– the same place that on July 4, 1776 the Continental Congress formally adopted the Declaration of Independence, which had been written largely by Thomas Jefferson. On Saturday they brought their own fireworks with that crazy game of four consecutive home runs in the first inning– with two outs.
Monday they move on to Atlanta. Game time is 6:20 St. Louis time. Dakota Hudson will be on the mound for the Cardinals.
HOT DOGS:
Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest: A Fourth of July Tradition
Three years after the start of the pandemic, it looks like a sense of normalcy has gotten back with the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest. The 2022 Nathan’s Famous Contest returns to its traditions at the iconic Nathan’s Famous flagship restaurant –corner of Surf and Stillwell avenues in Coney Island. During the height of the pandemic, the contest was moved to alternate locations in 2020 and 2021.
The event, an American holiday tradition, will take place on Monday, July 4, 2022, from 9:45 a. m. to noon (central time) at 1310 Surf Avenue. The women’s competition gets underway at 9:45 a.m. central, while the men’s event starts at 11 a.m. (Check local listings to verify)
ESPN3 will show the women’s contest, while on-air coverage will begin on ESPNews at 11 a.m.. It will also be streamed on ESPN.com and the ESPN app.
According to MajorLeagueEating.com: At last year’s event, Chestnut consumed 76 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes, beating Geoffrey Esper, who finished in second place, and Nick Wehry, who finished third. Michelle Lesco of Tucson, AZ, won the women’s contest last year by eating 30.75 hot dogs and buns. She will defend her title against the world’s number-one-ranked female eater Miki Sudo, whose personal best is 48.5 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes.
APPLE PIE:
Apple pie is about as American as you can get. Our Travel/Food Editor Suzanne Corbett has a favorite Apple Pie recipe– and since July is blueberry month– this recipe combines apples and blueberries.
“Here’s one of my favorites from PIllisbury,” she said. “I’ve used in many classes I have taught. Enjoy.”
Apple Blueberry Pie
1 Pillsbury pie crust
Filling:
4 cups sliced peeled baking apples
¾ cups sugar
¼ cup flour
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Topping:
1 cup flour
½ cup packed brown sugar
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 cup butter
Place sheet of foil on rack below middle oven rack to catch drips. Heat oven to 425°F. Place pie crust in 9-inch glass pie pan as directed on box for One-Crust Filled Pie.
In large bowl, mix filling ingredients; set aside.
In medium bowl, mix topping ingredients with fork until crumbly. Spoon fruit into crust-lined pan. Spoon topping evenly over fruit.
Place pie on middle oven rack over foil; bake 50 to70 minutes or until apples are tender and edge is bubbly. After 20 minutes of baking, cover entire pie loosely with foil to prevent excessive browning.
Cool on cooling rack at least 2 hours. Serve warm or cold.
And if you are thinking of the old “Baseball, Hot Dogs, Apple Pie and Chevrolet commercial…
CHEVROLET:
Under this heading, there is a ’57 Chevy on display at the National Transportation Museum. On the Fourth of July or any other day they are open you can see the historic collections of trains, cars and even a plane. To see the cars on display, CLICK HERE.
