Happy Fourth of July! I can’t think of a day that epitomizes summer eats more than the 4th of July. Many of us spend time outside on the 4th, some go to or host big parties, smoke meats, or grill. In Minnesota we like to congregate by the lake. So I wanted to share our most popular recipes in a variety of categories that remind me of things I would expect to see at a 4th of July feast!
This isn’t going to be a composed meal, think about it more of a summertime potluck.
Top Snack, Appetizer or Dip: Pineapple Mango Salsa
I love salsa. I especially love fresh salsa and fruit salsa. There is something appealing to me about the sweet and tangy and spice combination mixed together with the saltiness of a chip. Salsas also let me unleash my creative juices because you can combine so many different things together – this particular pineapple-mango salsa has been a long-time running favorite. And let’s face it, chips and dip just belong at a summertime party.
Top Burger: Bacon and Onion Compote Burgers
We love burgers. It doesn’t matter if we are making them at home, eating them out at a restaurant or one of our favorite local dive bars, there is something satisfying about a well done burger. We almost never make just a plain cheeseburger at home (yes, our burgers always have a cheese element – what can I say, I love cheese). Even if we don’t have a well thought out plan we’ll pull together random things from the fridge to make some kind of fancy burger. These burgers with bacon and onion compote is like a bacon jam – and combines the perfect smoky bacon and sweetness from caramelized onion into a topping/sauce all at the same time. For cheese we use a mixture of gruyere and blue cheese for nuttiness and funkiness.
A great way to level up your burger game for a summer time party is to make a burger bar with a variety of topping and let people mix and match.
Top Grilled Recipe: Lemon Pepper Charcoal Rotisserie Chicken
While this isn’t technically grilled on grill grates, it is cooked over charcoal using a rotisserie attachment (#EarnsCommission) for our Weber kettle grill. This makes the absolute best chicken with the best chicken skin. We make various versions of charcoal rotisserie chicken during the summer but this seasoning blend is definitely our favorite. Our rotisserie fits 2 chickens which lets us serve a decent group.
Top Grilled Side: Grilled Corn and Zucchini Salad
Fresh corn on the cob has got to be my favorite summer vegetable. We love to buy it from a local farm stand where it is picked that very morning – as fresh as it gets if you don’t grow it yourself. And whose garden isn’t overflowing with zucchini in the summertime? This is a great option for a summer potluck because it’s not mayo based and is full of summer flavors.
Top Potato Salad: Warm Potato Salad with Bacon and Corn
This is a copycat of a potato salad that I’ve never eaten. Derek came home from a work trip telling me to try to make this potato salad he had at a restaurant in Denver and loved. What I love about it is how unique it is with the bacon and the corn – and especially how perfect the corn makes this in the summertime. Potato salad is a staple at summer potlucks and I bet this will be a new one for people!
Top Pasta Salad: Greek Pasta Salad
I love pasta salads, especially in the summer time. It might be the Minnesotan in me that appreciates a salad all in of it’s non-lettuce forms including fruit, pasta, jell-o, etc! The best part about this salad is that it’s made with a Greek vinaigrette instead of mayo so it can sit out a little longer at a summer potluck. My favorite memory of this salad was at Tory’s Bachelorette weekend at our family’s old cabin on East Twin Lake and her friend Jackie commenting on how much she loved pasta salads as I was making it and how much she raved about it as I was eating it. And then putting leftovers for the girls to take home in ziploc bags…… let’s just say no one ever goes hungry when I make food for a party, so even if the food is amazing, everyone gets leftovers, lol!
Top Ice Cream: Apricot Ice Cream
One of Tory’s first ice-creams she made for the blog! Tory and I both love a good homemade ice-cream and push each other to try new flavors and brainstorm. In fact, Tory has a pretty good track record at her annual office ice-cream contest. What I love about this one is the fresh fruit flavor you get.
Top Popsicle: Strawberry Mojito Popsicle
I love homemade fruit-based popsicles in the summertime. My favorite of all time is a combination is 100% strawberry-mint. My mint plants always go bananas in the garden so I never have a shortage of fresh mint. I think the mint adds a refreshing element to the strawberry. Give it a try and maybe it will become your new favorite as well.
Top Pie: Cherry Key Lime Pie
Our Nana’s key lime pie recipe that Tory Valentinzed for a pie contest. If you aren’t going to go strict traditional key lime, cherry lime is a pretty amazing combination. And this one is a blue ribbon recipe – Tory won first place at the contest.
Top Dessert: Blueberry Cobbler Bars
The 4th of July or other early to mid summer parties are the perfect opportunity to use up the last of the blueberries in your freezer from last summer. That is if you are like me and horde them. Of course they also work great with fresh berries.
Top Drink: Watermelon Lemonade
I realize that I’ve made a lot of lemon and limeades for the blog over the years. Nothing screams summer drink to me more than a tangy, tart, and sweet lemonade. And watermelon is basically the perfect summer fruit with how much – pun not intended – water it contains that and the natural sweetness make it so refreshing on it’s own. So watermelon lemonade has to be the epitome of watermelon options. Plus when you cut up a giant watermelon for a summer party, you know there will be a little extra to spare to make your lemonade a little extra fancy.
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