America’s 250th birthday requires a fabulous celebration. Whether that’s a parade of flags, holiday crafting, a day in the pool or shooting fireworks in the backyard, every great party needs great food. Keep reading for my favorite July 4th recipes – from drinks to dessert, we’ve got your meal planning covered.
First We Need a Drink
My husband will crack open a beer while he’s standing by the grill, but I need something a little lighter. Enter Sangria – a cold, fruity and refreshing infusion of fruit in wine that is perfect for summer sipping. This recipe, courtesy of Williams Sonoma, The Best of Taste Cookbook, has always been a crowd pleaser at my backyard parties.
Red Sangria
– 1/2 lemon sliced & seeded Place the fruit and sugar in a large pitcher.
– 1/2 orange sliced & seeded Pour in wine and brandy and stir. Refigerate
– 1/2 apple cored and sliced for 1 hour or more. Just before serving,
– 1/2 cup strawberries hulled and sliced add up to 2 cups soda water. Stir again and
– 1/4 cup sugar serve over ice.
– 1 bottle dry red wine
– 3 Tbl brandy
– soda water
Swap the brandy for vodka and add some mint in this version made with Rose wine, or add some fresh summer peaches in this white wine version from Love & Lemons.
What Are We Eating
If you’re a traditionalist, hot dogs are taking center stage. But if your house is like mine, where the kids will refuse everything but the bun, you need an alternative. These meatball sliders are an easy option that will satisfy even the pickiest of eaters. Set them up in a crock pot with bread and cheese on the side so everyone can make their own sandwich.
Meatball Sliders
Sauce
– 1/4 olive oil Directions: Heat olive oil in a large
– 8 cloves garlic, crushed and coarsley chopped pot. Add garlic, stirring until golden
– 3 28-oz cans whole peeled San Marzano and fragrant. Stir in tomatoes and
tomatoes, crushed by hand spices. Bring to a simmer and reduce
– 1 tsp salt, few grinds pepper heat.
– 2 tsp dried oregano
Meatballs
– 2 pounds ground beef Directions: Combine all ingredients
– 2 cloves garlic, minced in a large bowl. Form into 1.5 inch
– 1/2 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs meatballs (~30), and drop into
– 2 tsp salt simmering sauce. Cook on low
– 1/2 cup milk heat about 45 minutes.
– 2 eggs
I usually make the meatballs ahead of time and then use a crockpot to reheat them and serve. Serve next to sliced baguette portions and a bowl of parmesan or mozzarella cheese for an easy make-your-own-slider bar. NOTE: If you decide to cook the meatballs in the crockpot, definitely still sauté the garlic in a pan beforehand (it’ll taste better!).
Every backyard party needs some easy sides. For that, I turn to Love & Lemons for coleslaw, Food & Wine magazine for potato salad, and my own pesto pasta salad.
What’s for Dessert?
Impress your guests with homemade sweets. This poundcake is easy and fun to make – HINT: bypassing the electric mixer and letting your kids squish butter and egg yolks with their fingers not only makes the cake taste better, it’s also magnificent kitchen entertainment. Serve it sliced alongside strawberries, blueberries and fresh whipped cream for a red, white, and blue dessert tribute to the USA.
Poundcake
– 1 cup soft butter Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease 9-inch loaf pan with 1 Tbl
– 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour butter and dust with flour. Sift flour, baking soda, and
– 1/4 tsp baking powder 3/4 cup sugar into a bowl. Add remaining butter and
– 1 1/2 cups sugar mix well. Add lemon juice and vanilla, then egg yolks one
– 1 1/2 Tbl lemon juice at a time, mixing well for each one. In a separate bowl,
– 1 1/2 tsp vanilla beat egg whites with salt until stiff, then gradually
– 5 large eggs separated beat in remaining sugar. Fold egg whites into dry
– 1/8 tsp salt ingredients until thoroughly combined. Pour into
prepared pan and bake for 1 hour. Let stand for 10-15
minutes. Turn out of pan onto rack to cool.
If you prefer your fruit cooked, try this Summer Fruit Cobbler with Vanilla-Mascarpone Biscuits Recipe from Food & Wine Magazine that’s been on my cooking bucket list for a while. Or make your treats cold with some homemade ice cream.
However you celebrate, Houston Moms hopes you have a wonderful, fun filled (and tasty!) 4th of July!
