Fourth of July
815 recipes found
Skillet Sprinkle Sugar Cookie
You don’t need any special equipment to make this superfun, supersize sugar cookie; just a bowl, a whisk, a spatula and a skillet. Not only is making one huge cookie instead of two easier than baking several batches, there is something extraspecial about a giant dessert that is meant to be shared. Eat it warm from the pan with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream on top; or let it cool and slice it up as you would a pie. Swap out the rainbow sprinkles for holiday-themed sprinkles or whatever colors delight you.
Marinated Green Beans
This snappy, tangy and super easy recipe for Italian marinated beans makes a perfect side dish, salad or addition to an appetizer spread. The green beans are cooked briefly in salty boiling water just to turn them bright green, then tossed with olive oil, red wine vinegar, grated garlic and fresh herbs and left to marinate. Gently cooking the beans and marinating them while they are still warm allows them to soak up more flavor from the dressing. They are delicious served cold or at room temperature, and you can add a little kick to them with crushed red pepper, if you like. Green beans are available year round, which means this side dish is ready to become a staple in your kitchen.
Lomo al Trapo (Salt-Grilled Beef Tenderloin)
Preparing lomo al trapo calls for a resolute attitude at the grill. Tenderloin is costly, so you must have faith that you are not going to incinerate a prized piece of beef by enshrouding it in a dish towel and committing it to the flames like a sacrificial mummy. In Bogotá, Colombia, this showstopper is often prepared for a Sunday barbecue. This method, based on a version from the chef Jaime Pesaque of Sapiens restaurant in Lima, Peru, wraps the center-cut beef tenderloin in a salt-covered, wine-soaked towel. The wine infuses the salt and, through it, the meat, which grills in that package directly on red-hot coals. When the blackened bundle is brought to the table, you crack the crust to reveal the cooked tenderloin within and serve it up in thick slices, with chimichurri, horseradish cream or Colombian ají sauce. For step-by-step photos, see the article linked below.
Pistachio Halvah Rice Krispies Treats
What’s better than a pan full of freshly made, just-gooey-enough Rice Krispies treats? A core memory for many, it continues to be a fan favorite, whether a packaged gas station treat or a high-end bakery grab like this one. Perfectly balanced with an additional layer of texture from the pistachio and halvah, this recipe comes from Shilpa and Miro Uskokovic, the supertalented pastry chef duo that opened Hani’s Bakery + Café in New York’s East Village in 2024. Their use of tahini brings a level of sophistication, and offsets the sweet bite this snack can often have. There is not a thing that needs altering in this recipe, yet, in Rice Krispie treat tradition, it encourages a bit of playfulness for the cook to make it their own.
Easy Chickpea Salad
A bright zesty salad with crisp cucumbers and tender chickpeas inspired by the Levant, where chickpeas have been cultivated for millennia. Ready in a flash, this salad combines lemon and fresh aromatic herbs with a crunch and flavor that improves over time in the refrigerator, making it a great salad to bring to a picnic or potluck. Serve with warm pita bread, or spoon over rice. Instead of discarding the chickpea liquid (aquafaba), try making homemade vegan mayonnaise or even meringues. Leftovers keep beautifully for up to a week, and try this: mix in a touch of that homemade mayo for a delicious chickpea salad sandwich the next day.
Giant Strawberry Turnover
This showstopping strawberry turnover is like your favorite toaster pastry, writ large and ready to share. It’s also easy to achieve with flaky layers of store-bought puff pastry, and a jam-enhanced strawberry filling means that it will be delicious even if your berries aren’t top notch. The final flourish is a buttery vanilla glaze, which is just sweet and rich enough to make this giant turnover look beautiful and feel extra special. It’s the perfect centerpiece for a festive brunch and is sure to wow any guests.
Loose Meat Sandwich
The sandwich of choice around Sioux City, Iowa is the loose meat sandwich — think Sloppy Joes without the tomato-based sauce. Here, ground beef and onions are cooked into intensely flavorful crumbles with a few seasonings, then piled high on a hamburger bun with dill pickles and yellow mustard. Sometimes known as a Maid-Rite (named after the restaurant chain that popularized it), a “tavern” or a “canteen,” this is the nostalgic sandwich of a million Iowan childhoods. The recipe easily satisfies a crowd: Just make a double batch of the beef filling, then scoop onto buns until you run out.
Sweet Potato Cornbread
Old-school Southern cornbread is good anytime and anywhere, but make it a bit more surprising with sweet potato. This cornbread is seasoned with caramelized sweet potatoes and warm spices, then smeared with a delicious sweet potato-brown sugar butter that’s reminiscent of classic sweet potato pie. To save time and energy, a can of sweet potato stands in for fresh ones that require roasting. When jazzed up by caramelizing in a skillet, its flavor instantly changes from back-up dancer to star.
Coconut Piña Colada
Frosty and smooth, this take on the piña colada adds coconut water to the classic combination of rum, pineapple and cream of coconut. Freezing coconut water into cubes takes a bit of forethought, but the act of blending them into the drink in lieu of standard ice cubes results in a drink that is layered with coconut flavor. The (optional) float of high-quality dark rum tips the drink toward party fare, and chilling your glasses in the freezer before pouring from blender to glass ensures the drinks stay frosty for as long as possible.
Charcoal-Grilled Corn With Honeyed Goat Cheese
The taste and appearance of corn grilled directly over a charcoal flame is unparalleled. The kernels become bright yellow, firm and plump, both smoky and sweet, speckled black, with bits of char. To make them even more stunning, the ears are coated with a sweet, tangy goat cheese spread that melts into every crevice, a fun, welcome alternative to simply basting cobs with butter.
Corn Ribs
For a more novel approach to corn on the cob, these corn ribs are a fun, flavorful way to eat the juicy summer staple. Shucked ears of corn are quartered, coated in a barbecue-inspired spice blend, charred on a grill and tossed in butter. As they cook, the corn ribs curl, resembling pork ribs, thus earning their name. (They’re also eaten similarly, as the cob functions similarly to the pork bone.) A fair warning: Preparing corn ribs takes patience and a very sharp knife. The cobs should be patted dry before slicing, as slippery kernels will create even more instability for the tall, teetering cobs. Reach for a large chef’s knife, if you’ve got one, and make sure it’s newly sharpened for easier (and safer) slicing. Use a rocking motion to slowly slice through the center of the cobs — and don’t rush it. Serve the corn ribs as is, or with a creamy, spicy or herby dip.
Grilled Salmon
For grilled salmon with crisp skin, tender flesh and nothing stuck to the grates, coat the skin with mayonnaise, an insulator that mitigates sticking, then cook the fish skin-side down the whole time. Skipping the flip allows the heat to rise up and gently cook the delicate fish, and as a bonus, creates really crispy skin. This method also works for other firm fish fillets such as red snapper, halibut or sea bass; just be sure to adjust the cook time so that the internal temperature hits 130 degrees (the minimum internal temperature for the salmon is 120 degrees).
Old Bay Shrimp and Macaroni Salad
If a shrimp boil dove into a bowl of macaroni salad, you might end up with something like this: a crowd-pleasing, lemony, peppery, glossy shrimp-and-pasta salad. To infuse all the elements with the flavors of a seafood boil, season the water that cooks the pasta, peas and shrimp with lots of Old Bay. The peas add sweetness to balance the pep (though corn kernels would also be great), while celery and red onion lend crunch, and herbs freshen things up. Eat warm, or refrigerate the salad for up to 6 hours. If the mixture stiffens, thin with water and toss until silky.
Pasta and Pickles Salad
This recipe is your invitation to the pasta and pickle party. Dill pickles work double time here: The brine is added to the creamy dressing to bring acidity, while a generous amount of pickles are used in the salad, bringing crunch and saltiness. The sourness of the pickles and the punch of the quick-pickled shallots really cut through the heaviness that is often found in creamy, mayonnaise-laden pasta salads. (This one skips mayo for lighter crème fraîche or sour cream.) An emphatic handful of dill reinforces the grassy notes of the pickle; if you have parsley or scallions lying around, you could throw those in too. Experiment by adding other pickles — sauerkraut, beets, radish, daikon would all work — or bulk this pasta salad up with some chopped romaine, chickpeas or hard-boiled eggs.
Harissa-Grilled Steak With Juicy Tomatoes
What makes this steak so great is that it’s just as delicious warm for dinner as it is cold and eaten for lunch. When choosing harissa for the marinade, look for it in a tube or can, which will have a thick, paste-like consistency (we want that explosive, concentrated red chile flavor), rather than jarred harissa, which tends to be saucier and has less potent flavor. Yogurt is the actual secret ingredient here, because the sugars will caramelize and help the meat develop a beautiful brown crust. If you have time, let the steak marinate in the yogurt mixture for a few hours or overnight to let it tenderize the meat, but if you only have 15 minutes while the grill heats up (see Tip), it’ll still be delicious.
Korean BBQ Steak
You don’t need a lot of meat for a Korean barbecue meal to feel like a veritable feast. For the chef Peter Cho in Portland, Ore., the specific cut of steak doesn’t matter as much as what is available, so pick what looks good at the market, and whatever works for your budget. When it comes to flavor, Mr. Cho’s marinade is pitch perfect: salty, sweet and savory in just the right ways. Taking the extra step to strain the marinade results in cleaner flavors in the end, and less burning. The ssamjang here is less a sauce than it is a condiment — a tangle of doenjang and gochujang, their fermented saltiness knocked back with whatever finely chopped seasonal vegetables you have on hand. Serve with your favorite Korean BBQ staples: pa muchim (scallion salad) and gyeran jjim (steamed eggs), for instance, and end the meal with a burbling pot of doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) with fresh white rice, as is customary.
Grilled Hasselback Kielbasa With Jalapeño Honey
Sweet, spicy and crisp, these grilled sausages and onions are a good reason to fire up the grill. Instead of leaving the sausages and onions plain, coat them with a mixture of honey, whole-grain mustard and pickled jalapeños beforehand. When hit with the heat, it will caramelize into a sticky glaze. Cutting deep slits in the sausage creates more crispy bits and area for the glaze to settle, and ensures that the sausage won’t explode or shrivel. The pickled jalapeños cut through the richness and can be nestled between the slits on the kielbasa for surprising pops of heat. Pile the sausage and onions into buns, eat alongside coleslaw and potato salad or cut the jalapeno-studded kielbasa into small pieces to serve with toothpicks for an appetizer.
Barbecue Vegetable Salad
This knife-and-fork dinner salad is full of char and crunch, topped off with a festive dressing to incorporate into your summer repertoire. It’s also an ideal way to use up any grillable vegetables. On a verdant bed of Romaine lettuce, kale and cilantro, pile on grilled summer vegetables and peaches and a shower of corn chips. Beans add protein, though you could also top with quinoa, grilled tempeh bacon or another protein. While barbecue sauce doesn’t often coat lettuce, here it becomes a tangy, thick and pleasantly sweet salad dressing with the addition of a little lime juice to loosen and brighten. If you have some ranch in the fridge, drizzle zig-zags of it on top, too; the duo tastes like an herb-flecked Thousand Island dressing. Eat this big salad solo or with a side of cornbread.
Soba Salad With Grilled Mushrooms and Tofu
Throw together this exciting tangle of soba noodles, grilled mushrooms and tofu, raw vegetables and maple-miso dressing for your next picnic or warm-weather dinner. Hitting mushrooms and tofu with a little heat accentuates the nutty quality of the soba, while snap peas, serrano chile and herbs give this plant-based salad a juicy crunch. Lime juice, miso and maple work double duty as the salad’s dressing and the tofu’s marinade, which chars once it hits the grill. To mitigate the tofu sticking to the grill, maintain medium-high heat and let the tofu release itself from the grates instead of prying it off. To save time, prep the vegetables while the grill heats, or marinate the tofu and cook the soba up to a day ahead and refrigerate until needed.
Grilled Corn Panzanella
Panzanella, the Tuscan bread salad of bread, tomatoes, oil, vinegar, basil, is already peak summer cooking, but this grilled, summer produce-heavy rendition might be even more so. The dish is best in the summer when tomatoes are at their juiciest, which is exactly when you don’t want to turn on the oven to toast bread. But dry bread is the key to the salad’s deliciousness because it soaks up the tomato juices and vinaigrette for a mix of crisp and soft bites. So head outside to the grill: Charring the bread brings a nutty, smoky edge to the sweet tomatoes, corn and cucumbers. Add mozzarella, too, for creaminess, or make the salad vegan by replacing the mozzarella with white beans.
Stuffed Pepper Tacos
With just a single charred pepper stuffed with gooey cheese and herbs, this taco encuerado (or “naked taco”) proves that simplicity is often best — you don’t even need salsa. This recipe, which was adapted from “Asada: The Art of Mexican-Style Grilling” (Abrams, 2023) by Bricia Lopez with Javier Cabral, is inspired by the chiles encuerados served at Cocina de Frida, a restaurant in Ocotlán de Morelos, Oaxaca. The restaurant’s chiles de agua, small, medium-hot heirloom chiles, are considered naked because they don’t have a batter like other chiles rellenos. Ms. Lopez likes to use Anaheim or mild Hatch chiles, which are sweet with a subtle kick, then finishes them with just a sprinkle of olive oil and flaky salt to brighten.
Corn Grits With Charred Peppers and Broccoli
For a cozy and produce-packed dinner, top cheesy, corn-studded grits with grilled peppers and broccoli. To pull it off without racing between the outdoor grill and the indoor stove, build a two-zone grill — with one side heated, one not — and think of the unheated side as a back burner. Its gentle heat will gradually cook the grits while the vegetables soften and char over the flames. A squeeze of grilled lemon lifts the smoky flavors, but feel free to also add chopped parsley or basil, or a shake of hot sauce for spice. For pot recommendations, see Tip.
Grilled Chicken Thighs With Tomatoes
In this elegant, easy summer meal, grilled chicken is marinated in a vinaigrette, infused with herbes de Provence, that tenderizes and seasons the thighs. Another simple mustard vinaigrette dresses the tomatoes after they come off the grill, as do the flavorful juices from the chicken. Slashing the thighs through to the bone encourages heat to penetrate the meat, so your chicken will be cooked through before the skin burns. Have fun developing a crust: once the chicken releases from the grill, rotate it repeatedly for an even, chestnut char.
Grilled Chicken Thighs and Corn With Lime-Basil Butter
These summery grilled chicken thighs with sweet corn are scented with basil and lime. Warm your lime-basil butter on the side of the grill while you cook your corn and chicken, so it melts willingly on the charred thighs and corn kernels. Finishing with extra lime wedges and flaky salt isn’t a recommendation, but an essential final kick.