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

Pin It
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

Pin It

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.