Take Me Out To The Ballgame Burger Recipe

Independence Day is always a time for grilling out here at the Cottage, we've even been known to pull the grill up to the back door and grill during thunderstorms. We also don't believe in boring burgers- enter the Take Me Out To The Ball Game Burger loaded with tater tots, BBQ onions, lettuce, cheese and juicy burger patties. This is one of my favorite burgers!

What You Will Need:

Brioche Buns or Make Your Own - Recipe HERE-
Burger Patty
Lettuce
Mayonaise
BBQ Onions
Simple Truth Organic Potato Puffs or Tater Tots
Nitrate Free uncured Bacon (or your favorite bacon)
Colby Jack Cheese

Related Article: Lone Star Burger

Meat:

Ground Beef
Himalayan Pink Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder
Nutritional Yeast
Coconut Aminos
Mild Cheddar

Related Article: Pearl Harbor Burger

Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl and form patties. Cook until done and melt cheese over the top.

Assembly:

Spread mayonnaise over the buns, add a touch of bbq sauce. Place the meat on top of the bottom bun, spoon onions over the top. Cut bacon in half and place it on top of the onions. Slice tater tots in half and add to the top. Add the lettuce to the top and place the second burger bun on top.

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Basic Invites Baby Shower Invites

I don't know about you but a lot of our friends are expecting little blessings in the coming months which makes this baby shower season! Is there anything sweeter than a baby? Well if there is God kept it to himself!

I have to say we are really loving these adorable princess themed baby shower invitations from Basic Invites almost as much! The awesome thing about this company? They have almost unlimited colors! They also have flat and raised foil invites. And they don't just offer baby shower invitations for girls they have custom invitations for every occasion! Plus they are one of the few companies that allow you to order a printed sample of your card!

They also have over 40 different colors of envelopes and they all come and peel and seal - so long paper cuts! How cool is that?

Another great feature we love is their address capturing service that allows you to share a link on any social media and request your friends and families address. They then store it so you can use it any time you need! Goodbye looking for the address book that always goes missing when you need it... Seriously you'd think that book had legs or the ability to go invisible. They also offer free address printing on Christmas card orders!

Right now they are offering 15% off when you use coupon code 15FF51.

Find them on social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest

This post contains sponsored content.

Independence Day Decor At The Cottage

Here at the Cottage, we decorate for almost every holiday, Independence Day is no exception! Over the years we've been blogging you've probably gathered that we love this holiday. It's kind of extra special for us because it's kinda neat to see your ancestors names beneath the Declaration Of Independence and among the founding fathers. 

In our family history is very important to us, mom has spent years tracing our ancestors through history and then teaching us about the amazing men and woman in our family tree. Some well-known figures in history, not all made great choices- a few were whispered to be a bit batty in the belfry if you catch my drift (which explains a lot... just kidding!). Anyway, this holiday is very special to us at the Cottage and it isn't just for the fireworks (But we love those too!). For us, it's like a taste of home, its a breath from the past to thank all of those who have fought and sacrificed to keep this nation the land of the free. 

Patriotism runs deep in this military family, and the good ole' red white and blue is emblazoned on our hearts. 

We draped pennants and bunting from the room and over the banisters on either side of the porch. 

On the door, we went with a grapevine wreath, a metal sign, and a red ribbon to draw some of the colors from the bunting. I love the way it looks against the black door.

We kept the chalkboard and wagon in place but added pots of red geraniums. 

 On either side of the stairs, we placed the urns and filled them with red, white and blue flowers and a flag.

I always have so much fun decorating the dining room, and this holiday was no exception! As you can see we kept the chicken feeder from Burkes in the center of the table but changed out some of the pieces inside. 

We removed the small potted plants and a few nests from our spring look [catch it HERE] and replaced those with glass bottles with flags. We also filled two slots with some old books in our color scheme.

We wanted to keep some of the natural touches, so we left one of the nests and added a bit of leaf garland and dried hydrangeas from last year.

Related Article: 4th Of July Recipe Roundup

We left the chickens in it because we loved the country/farmhouse feel it gave the centerpiece.

We used a piece of muslin for the table runner, feed sack placemats we picked up at Walmart a few years ago and patriotic plates. We also used the cute little name tag milk jugs from Hobby Lobby.

We used daisy blue jean napkin rings [Tutorial HERE] and chicken wire napkin rings [Tutorial HERE] interchangeably around the table.

We kept much of the side table the same, just added our courage canvass behind the antique silver chocolate pot.

Remember that German prayer chair we picked up at the yard sale last week? Well, it found a home in this little corner of the house. We also hung these pictures of the Bill of Rights and Declaration Of Independence on either side of the wall unit. 

The mantel is always a fun challenge to conquer, sometimes it just clicks and other times we have to keep adjusting until something clicks.

We wanted to keep a lot of our neutral colors in here but still add the touch of red white and blue we love so much.

You probably remember the cottage sign we made a few years ago [Tutorial HERE], underneath the sign, we placed this gorgeous blowup of one of our pictures. I love this shot so much! It makes me smile every time I look at it.

 On either side, we have canisters in whites and creams filled with cotton stems and hydrangeas. For garland, we used a strand of cotton we picked up at Hobby Lobby last year and these adorable driftwood stars. In the center of the mantel we hung this rustic bunting we found at Aldi. I love the whole look so much!

The trunk we bought at the yard sale with the pray chair is for now at home right here in the living room beneath the troop pictures of my grandfather and great-grandfather. On it, we place a vintage camera, vintage silver candlestick holders, a patriotic canteen, and Mr. Cottage's medals.

In the kitchen, we hung a tea stained bunting over the sink and changed up some of the decor on the counters.

We sat this cute enamel tray on the end of the island and sat a tea pot and a bud vase with a hydrangea in it. Down further we filled a bread bowl with fresh veggies from the garden.

We added an America sign to this wall to add a touch of 4th Of July to the farmhouse look. 

Over the window seat, we hung cute pennants and we brought back the cotton wreath over the stove.

Do you decorate for Independence Day? What is your favorite room? Tell us in the comments!

Beautiful Girl, You Are Loved

Beautiful girl,

You are so incredibly brave, despite your own pain you never stop fighting for others. You are so strong, you hold the world on your shoulders and still find room to smile.

My soul sister I am so proud of you, you have more courage and love in your little finger than most have in their entire body. You walk a lonely road, you've been wronged over and over. The devil whispers you are worthless, that you aren't good enough but darling you rise like a lioness a mighty warrior every day and keep fighting.

You are loved.

You are enough.

You are a treasure.

You are brave.

You are a warrior.

Everytime you fall, you rise with dignity and honor.

Though others tear you down, though others batter your heart with their words you reach out to others with love and mercy.

You never stop fighting for those around you, even when your world is falling apart around you.

Beautiful girl despite the wind and the waves that batter you stand resolute, valiantly in the storm like a lighthouse pointing all to your father.

Soul sister your story isn't finished yet, His plan for you isn't complete yet. You are going to move mountains. You are going to change lives. You have a purpose written in stone You are carved upon His hands, He will never forget you.

Related Article: Hey You! You Are A Masterpiece

So beautiful girl hold your head up and keep moving. Keep dancing to His tune, keep being you. Don't let people look down on you because of your age,

Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. 1 Timothy 4:12 NIV

Stand, even when you are tired. Shine brightly even when it's hard. Be kind even when it hurts. Love even when it's a risk. Have mercy, even when it's difficult. Remember who He is, even when you aren't sure who you are. Cling to Him, even on the good days. Run to Him on the bad.

Ignore those who clamor to tell you what you should do, and where you should be on this path He has set before you. Only you can say how far you will go on the road He has placed you on. So follow His lead. Chase after Him with all your heart, even when it leaves everyone behind.

Our Antique Yard Sale Haul

If you have been following our blog for any stretch of time you know we LOVE everything vintage, chippy, "old", well loved and anything that has a history. Unique, antique, vintage and shabby chic are some of our very favorite words. Who needs coffee when you have words like that to wake you up! 

SOOOOOOOOOOOO when we happened to pop into the wonderful world of Facebook and noticed a local yard sale notification that contained the words "Primitive", "Vintage" and "Antiques" we knew how we would be spending our Saturday!! 

Mr. Cottage had to work that afternoon but he took mom anyway because the truth is he loves a good treasure hunt as much as we do. We've trained him well *WINK*.

They soon returned with two gorgeous wicker chairs, a box full of musty yellowed vintage pillowcases, silver cutlery, Christmas records and another carload waiting to be picked up. These are the days we opted for the Pathfinder instead of a little car like Mr. Cottage. I swear that thing is like the wardrobe from Narnia- it's bigger on the inside. 

Upon further investigation of the box, it turned out we had scored 30 beautiful pillow slips, all matched sets and all needing a good soak. Mom put them in the tub to soak (tutorial coming soon!) while Mr. Cottage and I picked up the rest of our treasures.

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Mom and I swapped so that I could help Mr. Cottage lift the rest into the car -let me pause here to say that Mr. Cottage and I are both enablers... when we left home it was to pick up a wicker table & love seat and a prayer chair, we returned home with a few other treasures...

This amazing chair was originally from Germany the lady selling it found it and 8 or 9 others in Florida, they've been sitting in her garage until the yard sale. She thought it was from the 1800's!!

Once there (PS the house was absolutely drool-worthy!!!!!) we loaded up the rest of the wicker and prayer chair and then I got the bright idea to look around. And then I saw it. A chippy-gorgeous-must-have-little-white chest. Now I've had an addiction to trunks since I was six... so of course I HAD to have it.

Related Article: Mile Long Yard Sale

 It just so happens I didn't stop there- my purse probably wishes I did but without mom to be the voice of reason and Mr. Cottage urging me on I continued through Antique Heaven drooling all the way. And suddenly stopped in my tracks, Mr. Cottage practically stumbling over me. I grabbed his arm with a little more force than necessary and shook it as if to pass on some of my excitement. For a minute I was speechless, taking it all in...

There before me, was one of my great loves!

Stacked as tall as I am.

Vintage, chippy, worn, well loved... in all of their glory- SUITCASES! 

Not the brand spanking new ones you find in stores, OLD ONES.

Old ones with stories and a musty haven't been opened in years, well traveled and well worn. Just the way I like them! Immediately  I drug dad over and fell in love with the big black one at the bottom of the stack, with initials embossed next to the handle and rusty latches.

We are going to have a blast incorporating these beautiful pieces into the house! Stay tuned to see where they end up!!

Patriotic Cherry Pie

Cherries are in season here at the Cottage!! I have so many fun memories of picking cherries with my family and friends. One year a friend was staying with us and we decided to pick cherries, we couldn't reach the higher cherries so she shimmied up the tree to get them.  She looked a monkey clinging to the thick part of the tree and stretching to reach the little red treasures with the rest of us telling her to be careful from below. Dear Anna is fearless and will not be outdone (love you girl!).

We have three cherry trees, so we usually freeze a bunch of them! But this year we decided to bake a cherry pie too! With Independence Day right around the corner, we decided to make a patriotic one kind of like the blueberry pie we made a few years ago. Even mom who isn't a big fruit pie fan likes this pie. It's sweet but not too sweet, the crust is flaky and delicious and it's pretty easy to make. 

What You Will Need:

2 Pie Crusts (Recipe below)

Cherry Pie Filling (Recipe Below)

Pie Pan

Grass Fed Butter

1 Free Range Egg (beaten)

Basting brush

Crust:

Ingredients:

(makes 1)

1 1/4 Cups Organic All-Purpose Flour

1/2 Teaspoon Himilian Pink Salt 

1/3 Cups Grass-fed Butter

3-4 Tablespoons Cold Water

Related Article: Lone Star Burger Recipe

Directions:

In a medium size, bowl combine flour and salt. Slice butter thinly and toss into flour, work with your fingers until crumbly. Add water tablespoon at a time while mixing until it forms a ball. Roll out on parchment paper and place in the fridge for 1-2 hours. Lay dough across the pie pan (roll dough bigger if necessary). Trim away excess dough.ago.

Filling:

Ingredients:

4 Teaspoons Tapioca Flour
1 Cup Raw Sugar

3 (1 1/2 lbs) Cups Pitted Cherries
1 Teaspoon Lemon Juice

Directions:

In a medium-size pan over medium heat cook cherries, sugar and lemon juice until sugar is dissolved. Once dissolved add tapioca flour, wait for it to start to boil stirring frequently. Remove from heat when slightly thickened.  

Related Article: Conney Sauce

Cherry Pie:

Preheat oven to 375. Roll out chilled dough to the size of your pie pan, slip into the pan and press against the side of the pan. Trim of excess dough. Place cherry filling on top of the crust, dot with a bit of butter. Roll out the second dough, use a star cookie cutter to cut 5 stars in the dough. Place the 2nd crust on top of the pie carefully so that you don't stretch out the stars (I got Mr. Cottage to help me). Trim of excess dough, roll the scrapes back out and use the cookie cutter to cut more stars. Add them to the top of the pie. Brush egg over the top of the crust. Bake for 25 minutes.

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