4th of July

[heidih]

It is tomorrow! Are the smokers going and grills ready?

I am going low key. Still checking out the local lobster tail prices to be grilled with a garlic and lemon marinade. Fresh green beans from the neighbor. Grilled corn and a cucumber and tomato based salad sweetened up with the funny tiny Italian plums dropping from one of my trees. Considering just roasting marshmallows for dessert.

[Smithy]

We're in a heat wave up here - nothing unusual for people farther south, but everyone here in the Northland is wilting in the 90+ degree heat and >50% humidity. The only definite plan is cherry sorbet. Any cookery will be on the grill, outside, or the smoker, outside. Smoked chicken and grilled vegetables, perhaps.

Happy Independence Day, USA'ans!

[Pierogi]

The rib recipe from the July "Bon Apetit". Dry rub of cayenne, paprika (I think I'll use smoked paprika) and I think chile powder and some other stuff I can't remember off the top of my head. Wrap in foil, then into the oven for a couple of hours, finish on the grill with BBQ sauce (using the meat juices as part of the sauce). It sounds yummy and easy. A tortellini salad with cheese tortellini, salami, olives and a vinagrette dressing, and some other stuff I can't remember off the top of my head. Corn, probably on the grill while the ribs finish. Watermelon. Or figs. Or cherries. Or apricots. Or nectarines. Maybe a small caprese with one of the two tomatoes I took off of one of my plants today (YAY !).

The trip to the grocery store this week was like "SHAZZZAM !!! It's summer ! Here's all the fruit you could ever want......"

[Chris Hennes]

The weather is absolutely perfect here, but I think I may simply eat outside, and cook in: I have some ripe tomatoes calling out for fresh pasta and basil.

[Dave the Cook]

We're not running the show this year, so we're providing sides: an excellent potato salad and deviled eggs in three variations: traditional, "mushroom omelet" and "Cajun eggs Benedict." We put the salad together and mixed up the egg fillings this afternoon. We'll finish things off before we head to the venue tomorrow afternoon.

[mgaretz]

I'm doing pulled pork but not in my new smoker. Back to the old slow cooker method until my daughter moves to Davis for college - she doesn't like the smoke even though it's outside. Will also be making cole slaw with both red and green cabbage at her request.

Edited July 4, 2012 by mgaretz (log)

[AnneN]

We are going to a bbq this afternoon and I'm making ribs for an appetizer. Since it is raining here in NY right now, I popped them into the oven; I'll finish them on my Big Green Egg later on.

[nickrey]

Down home here in Sydney we had a fourth of July lunch. Our wine and food society meets on Tuesdays so I cooked and served this a day early: Kentucky style ribs (rub for one day, hickory smoked for one hour at 70C then cooked sous vide for two days at 60C). Served with Bill Jamison's Bour-B-Que sauce. Sides of coleslaw, fried green tomatoes, fried pickles and Boston baked beans. Forty-three covers and uniformly positive comments. Only drawback was that it proved impossible to match with wines. Appetisers were variants on Reuben sandwich made with Modernist cuisine pastrami and sous vide cooked turkey.

Edited July 4, 2012 by nickrey (log)

[robirdstx]

We will be grilling pork steaks, zuchinni, portobello mushrooms and onions. The cole slaw and the deviled eggs have been prepared and are resting in the refrigerator. We will also have some locally grown tomatoes, sliced and dressed with balsamic vinaigrette and tiny basil leaves.

Edited July 4, 2012 by robirdstx (log)

[rlibkind]

My contribution to our urban block party: gazpacho. All local veggies...tomatoes are a couple weeks early and good, even the bell peppers have appeared.

[kayb]

Going to be 104 here this afternoon, so I'm cooking inside. Boneless thick-cut farm-raised pork chops in the SV with a vaguely Asian spice rub; I'll finishing those off in a hot skillet tonight. Fresh purple-hulled peas, fried okra, sliced tomatoes, fried green tomatoes, zucchini fritters. Thick-sliced yellow tomatoes with a bare sprinkle of salt. Cole slaw, made two or three days ago and soaking in its turmeric-and-mustard sweet and sour viniagrette dressing. Canteloupe. Sesame-miso cucumber salad. We will not go hungry.

[MRE]

I've got two racks of spareribs in the smoker. I prepped early this morning. Applied my homemade rub. They've gotten a good dose of smoke from apple and hickory chunks and are getting an occasional spritz of Jack Daniels and apple cider to keep them moist. They've been cooking about 4 hours now. Once the temp drops in the smoker I'll bring them in and let them finish in the oven where I'll slather on the Bourbon BBQ glaze.

I made potato and egg salad this morning, and also coleslaw. There will be Bush's baked beans (rather than homemade) because my 15 year old expects them. I'll also make some cornbread, and serve it all with plenty of cold beer.

I'm kicking myself for not having picked up some jalapeños at the market yesterday. I really like then stuffed with chevre, wrapped in bacon, and then smoked. Maybe I'll mess around with some nacho sliced mixed with cheese and put it bell pepper sections.

[Chris Hennes]

I ended up using yesterday's tomato harvest to make a fresh tomato sauce: literally just tomatoes and salt. Served it on fresh pasta with a quick grind of black pepper, a pat of butter, a few basil leaves, and a shaving of parmesan.

[heidih]

I ended up getting 3oz. coldwater lobster tails for $4.99 each. Decided to test drive one before serving to others. Split, anointed with mashed garlic/olive oil/lemon juice and grilled -really nice -tender and sweet. Also tested the corn with just a hint of butter and a sprinkle of Tony Chachere's Cajun seasoning, Excellent - corny not wimpy. I hear fireworks (illegal) going off - it will be a nice evening.

[menuinprogress]

The menu for the 4th at our place varies here and there, but today we were solidly in our traditional zone:

Smoked pork spare ribs, potato salad, corn and sliced tomatoes.

[abooja]

I was going to smoke some pork spare ribs and make some mac and cheese for today, but since I already smoked a pork shoulder two days ago (and was too lazy to clean the smoker), I went with crab cakes, a simple tossed salad, homemade cherry pie and vanilla I've cream for my husband, and a (gluten free) brownie sundae for myself.

[abooja]

I bet you've never tasted really good I've cream.

Make that vanilla ice cream.

[Pierogi]

.....(snippy snip)...

Also tested the corn with just a hint of butter and a sprinkle of Tony Chachere's Cajun seasoning, Excellent - corny not wimpy. I hear fireworks (illegal) going off - it will be a nice evening.

Heidi, THIS ^^^ was brilliant ! I did the butter and Tony Chachere's on my corn from the grill, and it was amazing ! Thanks for such a great idea. I'll keep it in the memory banks for corn for a good, long time.

[nickrey]

Down home here in Sydney we had a fourth of July lunch. Our wine and food society meets on Tuesdays so I cooked and served this a day early: Kentucky style ribs (rub for one day, hickory smoked for one hour at 70C then cooked sous vide for two days at 60C). Served with Bill Jamison's Bour-B-Que sauce. Sides of coleslaw, fried green tomatoes, fried pickles and Boston baked beans. Forty-three covers and uniformly positive comments. Only drawback was that it proved impossible to match with wines. Appetisers were variants on Reuben sandwich made with Modernist cuisine pastrami and sous vide cooked turkey.

Got a picture that one of the members took of the meal. Here it is:

[Shelby]

BUMP!  I didn't want to start a new thread......

 

What'cha cooking for tomorrow in the U. S. A. ?

 

I haven't decided yet.  

 

It will be a  4 day marathon of good food though, beginning with a  crawdad boil for tonight.

[Shelby]

I hope I'm not talking to myself the whole rest of this thread 

 

I just peeled some hardboiled eggs that I did yesterday.  OH they were too fresh.  Quite difficult to shell.  They are filled and in the fridge.  I'll put toppings on tomorrow--half with sliced green olives and half with salmon roe (husband doesn't care for roe so they are alllll mine).

 

I'm going to make a rice salad next.....I call it Grammy's Rice Salad, but it's definitely not her recipe because it's all over the internet.  She introduced me to it, though, so, to me it's Grammy's     It uses chicken rice-a-roni, green olives, celery, green peppers, artichoke hearts, mayo and a touch of curry.

 

Then, I'm making angel food cake.  First time.  I'm using a recipe I found on Kim Shook's site.....her recipes never steer me wrong.  Wish me luck.  I'm not a good cake baker.  At. All. Not good.  lol.  Here is the recipe I'm going to use

 

http://www.recipecircus.com/recipes/Kimberlyn/CAKESandPIES/Ruhlmans_Angel_Food_Cake_.html

 

I'm just making the cake as I have fresh strawberries and whipped cream to serve with it.

Edited July 3, 2014 by Shelby (log)

[mgaretz]

Ribs, St. Louis cut, smoked with a dry rub.  Cole slaw.

[gfweb]

In Florida for a few days. Restaurant food followed by a big jug of G&T on the beach with fireworks and cigars.

[menuinprogress]

We've got a rack of pork spare ribs rubbed and ready to smoke. With potato salad and corn on the cob.

[Hassouni]

Trader Joe's to the rescue!

 

For the grill:

Butterflied NZ lamb leg - with my own sort of Arabic marinade

Chimichurri-marinaded sirloin

Some other marinaded (garlic and something) pork tenderloin

And a big bunch of bacon

 

Counting on friends to bring non-meat food items....