![\"pheasant\"](\"https:\/\/marigoldonline.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/pheasant.jpg\")
<\/a>Manchester, VT has a spiffy new store featuring beautiful, pricey clothes that would look right at home at Downton Abbey.\u00a0 <\/span>The shop also sells guns, the kind that sportsmen carry, as well as jewelry, a smattering of Englishy home goods and boots that would be useful for walking the moors. (Walking anywhere here has been moot lately as, like many parts of the northeast, we\u2019ve had a really long patch of rainy weather\u2014the ground is saturated and both the hay and corn crops are in serious trouble.)<\/p>\nAs a marketing gig, last weekend, the shop held an event complete with hunting dog demos (a pointer demonstrated his repertoire),<\/p>\n
<\/a>Pointer doing nothing but looking good<\/p><\/div>\n
a bagpiper piped and a very nice spread was laid out on tables in front of the store. (Mercifully, this was one of the rare days that had a long dry spell.) The shop has a \u201cshooting grounds\u201d fairly near Manchester where it\u2019s possible to shoot clay pigeons or pheasant so one of the dishes offered was grilled pheasant on skewers along with cheeses and crackers, wine, sparkling water and various sweets.<\/p>\n
Pheasants originally came from Asia and are now found all over. The idea of shooting these beautiful birds repulses me but, in fairness, I did sample the grilled offering.<\/p>\n
One of the guests was this dog, a very Great Dane named Achilles. Rather than deal with cooking pheasant, I\u2019ll stick with an easy July 4th<\/sup> dessert. My own rendition will probably be less fancy but strawberries, biscuits or shortcake and whipped cream tend to be pretty well accepted. (FYI, if you\u2019re planning on strawberries, get going. The rain is also taking a toll on this crop.)<\/p>\n \u00a0 July 4th<\/sup> Cake<\/b><\/p>\n 1 regular package yellow cake mix<\/span><\/p>\n 1 cup heavy cream, whipped<\/span><\/p>\n 1 pint blueberries, rinsed and drained<\/span><\/p>\n 2 pints strawberries, rinsed and sliced.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Prepare cake according to package directions and bake in a 9×13 inch pan. Cool completely.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n Frost cake with whipped cream. Place blueberries in a square in the corner, and arrange sliced strawberries as stripes to make an American flag. Chill until serving. Garnish with sunshine and a smattering of fireworks. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u00a0Manchester, VT has a spiffy new store featuring beautiful, pricey clothes that would look right at home at Downton Abbey.\u00a0 The shop also sells guns, the kind that sportsmen carry, as well as jewelry, a smattering of Englishy home goods … Continue reading <\/a> He\u2019s as gentle as he is large and fit in with the surroundings perfectly\u2014aristocratic to the max. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n
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