Fourth Of July 2011...The Menu

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Unlike last year when we had a full house of adults, young people and dogs, this weekend should be a fairly quiet one.  By that I don't mean dull.  Starting this Thursday, the houses around us will be rocking with weekend guests and the lake will be full of activity, culminating in the Fourth of July Fireworks at Lake Lanier Islands.  It is a madhouse, only fit for the young at heart and the masochist.  On holidays like this, it is a blessing to be on a cove and be able to swim off our dock!

On the home front, there will be only two couples to take care of, my brother and sister in law and some friends of my daughter.  A breeze compared to other summer holidays.  I am planning a casual menu for eight on the 4th, early enough for a leisurely meal with plenty of time for those going to the fireworks to get there by boat.  This is one time when I don't bother too much with appetizers.   Chips and dips, maybe Kentucky Beer Cheese and chorizos on the grill.

The menu below is easily adaptable to a bigger crowd.

Ted's Baby Back Ribs

Cheesy Summer Squash Casserole

Creamy Cole Slaw With Caraway Seed

Tomatoes With Olive Oil, Balsamic and Basil

Easy Latticed Blueberry Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream

If you have killer home grown tomatoes from your garden, good olive oil and fresh baguettes, serve them as a first course while you are grilling.  They will go well with the grilled chorizo.

Photos # 1 Facebook #2 Everything Fabulous

Fourth of July Weekend... Charred Corn Salad

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Chances are you will have some leftover corn on the cob from one of the meals you serve your guests this weekend.   Don't throw it out...make this the next night.  This salad is wonderful with anything you throw on the grill, including hamburgers on the 4th; or bring it along next time you go on a picnic.  If you can't find jicama, skip it.

One thing you don't want to skip is chipotle chiles in adobo.  These are normally packed in cans with a sauce made of spices, vinegar, tomato sauce and sometimes other chilies. You can use the chiles, the sauce, or both in recipes. Don't worry, when I first made this salad, I had to look it up too!  You will find them in small cans in the Mexican section of the supermarket.  Have you noticed how this area is getting larger by the minute? My supermarket now has two sections!  People in this country have really fallen in love with all this hot and spicy food.  As for me, I have to look up most peppers every time they are included in a recipe.  It is soo confusing, all these peppers.  I have learned one thing though...habaneros are the hotest!

Serves 6-8 

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. fresh lime juice

1 Tbs. fresh orange juice

1 tsp. diced chipotle chili in adobo, plus 1 Tbs. adobo sauce

2 tsp. salt

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 tsp. honey

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. olive oil

6 ears of corn, husks and silks removed

1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained

2 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro, plus cilantro leaves for garnish*

2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered

1/2 cup diced jicama

1/4 cup diced red onion

Directions:

In a bowl, whisk together the lime juice, orange juice, chipotle chili and adobo sauce, 1 tsp. of the salt, the garlic, honey and the 1/4 cup olive oil until smooth. Set the vinaigrette aside.

Prepare a hot fire in a grill or preheat a grill pan over high heat.

Rub the ears of corn with the 2 Tbs. olive oil and the remaining 1 tsp. salt. Grill the corn, turning occasionally, until charred in spots, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a platter.

When the corn is cool enough to handle, remove the kernels from the cobs and place the kernels in a large bowl. Add the black beans, chopped cilantro, tomatoes, jicama, onion and vinaigrette and stir until well combined. Garnish with the cilantro leaves. Serve the salad at room temperature. Serves 6 to 8.

*I added 3 TBs

Recipe Williams-Sonoma Kitchen.

Easy Summer Desserts....Peach Amaretto Sundaes

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The height of the summer season is next weekend with the Fourth of July.  Chances are you will either be having guests if you live in the country, the seashore, or like me, on a lake; or you will be going somewhere as a guest.  If you are having guests, come on over to my country blog and check out my game plan, including easy menus and recipes, for the entire weekend.  If you are a guests, come and see what your poor hostess has to go through in order for everyone to have an enjoyable weekend..  It would be wonderful if you could alleviate her load and bring over some cookies, dessert,  muffins, jams or anything else that would make things easier for her.  You could bake some cheese wafers and stick them in a tin.  They would be great to have with cocktails over the weekend.  Yes, flowers and wine are wonderful, but what your hostess really needs is some help with the menu.

If you can't cook or bake, or don't have time for either before you leave, offer to make dessert one night.  This desert is one of those easy and simple recipes that look like a million dollars but can be prepared in a jiffy.  Some things you can bring with you but others, like the ice cream, will need to be purchased nearby.   Amaretto cookies can be made or they can be bought in a tin at most gourmet stores.  I see them all the time at Marshall's!  The peaches are beginning to show up at the markets and you can buy some early next week so they will be ready for the weekend. And the liquor, well you know where to get that! Put everything in a basket and presto! you have a nice and very original hostess gift!

If on the other hand you are the hostess, this is the kind of dessert you will definitely need to keep handy for the rest of the summer.  Trust me, you will be pulling it out all the time

Juicy peaches, crushed cookies and vanilla ice cream spiked with brandy and amaretto add up to the perfect summer dessert.

yield: Serves 6


Ingredients

2 pints vanilla ice cream, softened slightly

5 tablespoons amaretto

2 tablespoons brandy

6 ripe peaches, peeled if desired, pitted, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup crushed amaretti cookies

mint leaves for decoration (optional)


Preparation

Combine ice cream, 3 tablespoons amaretto and 1 tablespoon brandy in large bowl. Stir to blend well. Cover and freeze until firm. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Keep ice cream mixture frozen.)

Combine peaches, sugar, remaining 2 tablespoons amaretto and remaining 1 tablespoon brandy in another large bowl. Toss to coat. Let peach mixture stand until sugar dissolves, tossing occasionally, about 15 minutes.

Divide sliced peaches among 6 dessert bowls or wineglasses. Spoon vanilla ice cream mixture atop peaches. Sprinkle desserts with crushed amaretti cookies. Decorate with  mint  Serve immediately.



Adapted from Bon Appetit

Fourth of July Barbecue...The Menu

Pin It A special friend has asked me for a menu for his Fourth of July barbecue that should have a recipe for kids not involving beef. What a dilemma! To me the Fourth of July is hamburgers or ribs on the grill or if I am by the seashore, a clam bake.

Sometimes we are presented with these situations where a guest cannot or will not eat beef or fish and what do we do? All I can say is that a good hostess should be able to accommodate everyone's tastes, allergies etc. while at the same time not sacrifice the majority for a few. In this situation, since we are going to be cooking on the grill, it's not a big problem to throw a few chicken pieces on the grill for those who don't like meat and that is what i have done. Drummettes are easy for little kids to handle and they also make great appetizers for the adults. Serve them for the grownups while you are having cocktails and save a few for the kids while the others are having hamburgers. That way everyone gets what they were expecting and you come out looking like a princess. Problem solved!


Fourth of July Barbecue

Clam Dip with Potato Chips

Grilled Chicken Drummettes

Grilled Double Cheese Hamburgers with Vidalia & Horseradish Mustard

Grilled Corn on the Cob with Dill Butter

My Mother's Potato Salad

Beefsteak Tomatoes, with Balsamic Vinegar, Basil & Olive Oil

Peach Blueberry Crumble

Tinto de Verano


I am posting the menu early so you can start salivating and making plans! The recipes will be posted by tomorrow evening at the latest! The clam dip and Tinto de Verano have been previously posted on the blog. Just click on them or do a search on the Google box.

Just so you know, I will be making my brother's secret hamburger recipe with a new twist. If you are going to buy the hamburger meat early, get half ground sirloin and half ground chuck. That is part of the SECRET!!!

Honey Barbecue Chicken Drummettes

Pin It Depending on how many guests you are having, you may want to double or triple the recipe. The marinade is plenty for basting 20 chicken drummettes.

Yield 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

1 cup soy sauce

3/4 cup finely chopped yellow onions

1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons white sesame seeds
2 tablespoons chopped fresh gingerroot
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons sesame oil

Red Pepper Flakes to taste
12 skin-on chicken drummettes (about 3 1/2 pounds)

Directions

In a large bowl, combine soy sauce, onions, rice wine vinegar, honey, cilantro, red pepper flakes, sesame seeds, ginger, garlic and sesame oil, and stir well to combine. Place the chicken in a large plastic bag or baking dish and cover with the marinade. Toss to combine and place in the refrigerator, turning frequently, to marinate at least 6 hours.

Preheat the grill to medium and the oven to 350 degrees F.

Remove the chicken from the marinade, reserving the marinade. Pat the chicken dry, and grill the chicken, skin-side up, until browned, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, place the leftover marinade in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and simmer until slightly thick, about 10 minutes.

Turn the chicken, and grill until the skin is browned and crispy, about 5 minutes.

Baste the chicken with the marinade and continue cooking until done, another 5 - 10 minutes.

Arrange the chicken on a platter and put the leftover reduced marinade on a bowl on the side.

Hamburger with Double Cheddar Cheese, Grilled Vidalia Onion and Horseradish Mustard

Pin It This is a combination of my brother's and Bobby Flay's hamburgers on the grill. My brother's recipe calls for 1/2 chuck and 1/2 sirloin, which gives it a wonderful flavor and texture. His addition of bacon gives the hamburgers a fantastic taste not even Bobby Flay can match. He serves his hamburgers on English Muffins coated with olive oil and toasted on the grill. You can choose this alternative or regular hamburger rolls.

The cheese and the Vidalia Onions are Bobby Flays and my idea, long before he was a glimmer in his mother's eye! He can take credit for the horseradish mustard!

Yield
8 servings

Ingredients
1 pound freshly ground chuck
1 pound freshly ground sirloin
8 bacon strips
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 slices white Cheddar, sliced 1/4-inch thick
8 slices yellow Cheddar, sliced 1/4-inch thick
8 hamburger buns or English Muffins
Horseradish Mustard, recipe follows
8 leaves Romaine Lettuce
Grilled Vidalia Onions, recipe follows
Dill pickles, sliced
Ketchup

Directions

Preheat grill or a cast iron skillet to high.

Combine the sirloin and the chuck

Divide the beef into 8 (4-ounce) burgers. Shape and with your thumb create a dimple in the middle, it helps it cook evenly. Season on both sides with salt and pepper, to taste. Lay a strip of bacon around the hamburgers. Grill or cook in the skillet for 3 to 4 minutes on each side for medium-rare doneness. During last minutes of cooking add 2 slices of cheese to each burger, cover grill and let melt, approximately 1 minute.

Place burger on bun and top with Horseradish Mustard, lettuce, Grilled Vidalia Onions, pickles and ketchup.

Horseradish Mustard:

1/2 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish, drained
Whisk mustard and horseradish together in a small bowl.

Grilled Vidalia Onions:

2 Vidalia onions, sliced crosswise, 1/4-inch thick slices
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Brush olive oil on both sides of the onions and season with salt and pepper. Grill the onion slices for 3 to 4 minutes on each side until golden brown.

Corn on the Cob

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Yield
12 servings

Ingredients

12 ears corn, silks removed, husks left on, and

soaked in cold water for 20 minutes

1/2 pound unsalted butter, slightly softened

1/2 cup chopped fresh dill

Salt and pepper

Directions

Heat grill to high. Remove corn from water and place on the grill. Close cover and grill until just cooked through, about 20 minutes. While corn is grilling, combine butter and dill in a food processor until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Remove husk and slather with dill butter.

Lindaraxa's Note: Make sure you turn corn every five minutes while grilling

Watch Bobby Flay Grill corn!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/videos/grilled-corn-with-dill-butter/28860.html

My Mother's Potato Salad

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Serves 8

8 Baking Potatoes cut in 1 inch cubes
6 Hard boiled eggs chopped and cooled
2 Cups finely chopped Celery
1 tsp celery salt
Pepper
1 1/2 - 2 Cups mayonnaise
chopped chives
Sliced radishes for garnish (optional)


Boil the potatoes until done but still holding their shape. Drain and cool completely. Combine with the eggs, celery, celery salt and pepper. Combine with mayonnaise. Use your discretion with the mayo adding one TB at a time. You don't want a dry potato salad.  Add chives. (the radishes are only for decoration and can be easily skipped)

Make sure you make the potato salad first thing in the morning so that it has ample time to cool. You can make the night before.

Tomatoes with Balsamic, Olive Oil, Basil

Pin It You can use cherry, beefsteak or homegrown tomatoes.

Serves 8

4 Tomatoes thinly sliced

Olive Oil

Balsamic Vinegar

Chopped Basil

Salt & Pepper

Combine vinegar, oil, chopped basil, salt and pepper in a cup and drizzle over tomatoes. It's that simple!

Peach Blueberry Crumble with Vanilla Ice Cream

Pin It The good thing about a crumble is that you can assemble it in the morning, put it in the refrigerator and bake it late in the day. Then you can warm it in the oven as you are grilling your hamburgers and leave until ready to eat. Make sure you have some good vanilla ice cream to go on top!

Serves 8

Ingredients

2 pounds peaches (6-8 peaches) cut in 1/2, peeled, pitted, and cut in 1-inch wedges
2/3 cup granulated sugar, divided
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
2 tablespoons orange juice
1/2 pint fresh blueberries
1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup sliced almonds, plus extra for sprinkling

Vanilla Ice Cream


Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the sliced peaches, 1/3 cup of the granulated sugar, 1/4 cup of the flour, and the orange juice and toss well. Add the blueberries and toss lightly. Pour into a 9 by 12 by 2-inch baking dish.

For the topping, place the remaining 1 cup of flour, the remaining 1/3 cup of granulated sugar, the brown sugar, and the salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the butter is the size of peas. Pour the mixture into a bowl, add the oats, and work it with your hands until it's in large crumbles. Add 1/2 cup of the almonds and mix well.

Spread the topping evenly over the peaches, making sure the fruit is covered. Sprinkle with some extra almonds. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the fruit is tender and bubbly and the topping is golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.