Happy Birthday, America! Celebrate the holiday weekend with some of our favorite fun and refreshing Fourth of July recipes.
1. Bourbon Peach Glazed Baby Back Ribs
These sticky, finger-licking-good ribs are perfect for a Fourth of July picnic or any other summer soiree. Recipe courtesy of Greer’s Markets
1 slab pork baby back ribs (3 1/2 – 4 1/2 pounds)
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Bourbon Peach Glaze (see below)
1. Remove the membrane from the backside of the ribs. Begin in one corner by running a knife between the membrane and the rib. Grip the loosened membrane with a paper towel and pull away from the rib.
2. Rinse the ribs under cool water and pat dry.
3. Combine all remaining ingredients, except Bourbon Peach Glaze, in a small bowl to create a dry rub.
4. Rub dry rub on both sides of the ribs and ensure the entire slab is well coated. Refrigerate up to 24 hours before grilling.
5. Prepare a grill using indirect heat, with coals on only one side. Keep the temperature between 250 and 300 degrees.
6. Place the ribs on the side of the grill away from the flames. Cook ribs for 3 1/2 – 4 hours until the meat is pulling away from the bone.
7. Begin basting the ribs with Bourbon Peach Glaze 30 minutes prior to removing from the grill. Serve any remaining glaze alongside the cooked ribs. Serves 4 – 6
Bourbon Peach Glaze
18 ounces peach preserves
1/2 cup bourbon
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1. Combine ingredients together in a saucepot. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes, whisking often. Allow to cool. Makes about 2 cups
2. Blue Cheese Burgers with Summer Herb Aioli
Bits of blue cheese and a sassy, herb-laced aioli elevate the ordinary burger to a tasty, gourmet treat.
2 pounds Greer’s Black Angus Select Ground Chuck
8 ounces blue cheese crumbles
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
Summer Herb Aioli (see below)
hamburger buns
lettuce
tomato, sliced
1. In a bowl, combine ground chuck, cheese, olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix gently; do not over mix. Form meat mixture into 6 – 8 patties.
2. Make a small indention in the center of each patty. This will ensure the burgers will have a flat top when cooked.
3. Grill over medium-high heat until desired doneness is reached. Serve with Summer Herb Aioli, lettuce, tomato and other toppings of choice. Serves 6 – 8
Summer Herb Aioli
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
1 garlic clove, grated
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1. Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl. Makes about 1 1/3 cups
3. Bama Baked Beans
Easy to assemble the day before and bake right before the big party.
1 pound regular or spicy sausage
1 pound Conecuh sausage, sliced
2 medium onions, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
5 (16.5-ounce) cans baked beans, drained
1 cup ketchup
1 cup barbecue sauce
1/2 cup yellow mustard
2 tablespoons Worcestershire
3/4 cup brown sugar
salt and pepper, to taste
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cook sausages in sizable skillet until browned. Drain, reserving small amount of fat in skillet. Sauté onions and bell pepper in remaining fat until soft, several minutes. Add garlic and sauté several more minutes.
3. Combine beans, sausages, sautéed mixture and remaining ingredients.
4. Pour in large baking dish. Bake uncovered 30 – 40 minutes. Serves 14 – 16
4. Beer-Brined Wings
Hot wings are a classic combination with an ice-cold beer. This twist on the traditional is extra flavorful.
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon coarse salt
1 (12-ounce) bottle of beer
2 pounds chicken wings (about a dozen or so)
1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup red pepper sauce
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil.
2. In large bowl, beat brown sugar, salt and beer with whisk.
3. Add chicken wings; toss gently to coat. Refrigerate 30 minutes to brine.
4. In a large zip-top bag, mix onion powder, garlic powder and paprika.
5. Drain chicken; pat dry with paper towels. Discard brine. Add chicken to bag with spices, and toss until evenly coated. Place chicken on cookie sheet.
6. In 1-quart saucepan, melt butter. Stir in pepper sauce. Heat to a simmer.
7. Pour mixture over wings. Bake 30 – 35 minutes or until juice of chicken is clear when thickest part is cut to bone (internal temperature should be 165 degrees). If desired, shake extra pepper sauce over wings after baking. Serve warm. Serves 6 – 12
5. Dill and Feta Potato Salad
Lucy Lott loves to serve light meals in the summer, but growing up surrounded by boys, she has always needed something substantial on the plate. This light potato salad checks all the boxes. Recipe from the blog, Living with Landyn.
2 pounds small red potatoes
1/3 cup olive oil
2 – 3 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper, to taste
red pepper flakes, to taste
1 bunch scallions, chopped
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
1 cup crumbled feta cheese, plus more for garnish
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Scrub potatoes and rinse. Drop into boiling water and cook for 20 minutes, or until tender. Drain and let cool.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper, red pepper flakes and scallions. Set aside.
3. Quarter potatoes and add to bowl with dressing. Gently toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate until completely chilled, about 2 hours or overnight.
4. Remove potatoes from fridge and add red wine vinegar, dill and feta cheese. Mix well. Garnish with additional feta and serve. Serves 6 – 8
6. Simple Tomato Pie
The first lady of Mobile, Jean Stimpson, shares this recipe for her delectable tomato pie.
frozen pie shell
2 or 3 tomatoes, sliced
1/2 cup green onions
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
several basil leaves, torn
salt and pepper, to taste
1. Prebake pie shell according to package instructions.
2. Drain tomatoes on paper towels.
3. In the pie shell, make 2 layers of tomatoes, onions and herbs.
4. Mix mayonnaise and cheese. Spread over top of tomato layer.
5. Bake pie at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Serves 6
7. Frozen Iced Tea
This family-friendly libation is a frosty version of the Southern staple. Freeze it in large Ziploc bags or a plastic container, and allow it to slowly melt to slushy consistency.
3 lemons
2 oranges
9 family-sized tea bags
1 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
3 cups sugar
1/4 cup maraschino cherry juice
fresh mint, for garnish
maraschino cherries, for garnish
1. Squeeze lemons and oranges.
2. Chill juices and reserve the lemon hulls.
3. Bring 2 quarts of water to a good boil; remove from heat.
4. Add tea bags, mint leaves and lemon hulls. Let mixture steep for 30 minutes.
5. Strain. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
6. When tea is thoroughly cooled, add lemon, orange and cherry juices, plus 1 1/2 quarts more cold water.
7. Stir well and freeze. When serving, garnish with fresh mint leaves and cherries. Makes 1 gallon
8. Windie Knowle Whipping Cream Pound Cake
Windie Knowle is a family farm in Evergreen, dating to the early 1900s. There is no leavening in this cake, so it is important to whip the butter and sugar until really fluffy!
12 ounces softened butter (Plugra is recommended)
3 cups sugar
6 extra large eggs, at room temperature
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 pint heavy cream, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Grease and flour 1 large tube pan or 2 loaf pans.
2. Whip butter with heavy mixer and gradually add sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Fold in the flour and heavy cream in three alternating increments. You should begin and end with flour. Do not overmix! Add the extracts and stir just until incorporated. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 90 minutes. Serves 12
Whipped Cream
1 pint heavy cream
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat cream until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar gradually, then whip in the sour cream and vanilla until soft and billowy. Makes 4 cups
Macerated Strawberries
2 quarts fresh strawberries, sliced
sugar, to taste
zest of half a lemon
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and cover, refrigerating for 2 hours. Makes 2 quarts
9. Blackberry Shortbread Bars
Cook up sweet Alabama berries for a summer treat.
blackberry preserves
1 1/2 cups blackberries
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
fresh mint, for garnish
1. Place preserves and blackberries in a saucepot. Using a potato masher, break up the blackberries.
2. Add 1 1/4 cups sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Stir and bring to a boil. Continue to stir and reduce heat slightly to medium-high. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.
Remove from heat and allow to cool.
3. Meanwhile, make shortbread. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream together butter and 1/4 cup sugar until fluffy. Add vanilla. Mix until combined.
4. In a separate bowl, sift together flour and a pinch of salt. Add to butter mixture. Beat until combined. Mixture will be crumbly.
5. Prepare a 9-inch-by-9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray, or grease lightly with butter. Pour shortbread mixture into baking dish and use your fingertips to press the dough out evenly.
6. Bake dough for 20 minutes until lightly browned. Allow to cool for 15 – 20 minutes.
7. Spread cooled preserves over the baked shortbread. Bake for another 20 minutes. Cool completely before cutting into squares. Garnish with fresh mint.
10. Holiday Flag Sugar Cookie Cake
Fresh summer berries are the perfect way to style this festive sweet treat by Lucy Lott.
2 packages dry sugar cookie mix,
plus required ingredients
8 ounces sugar-free Cool Whip
1/2 pound fresh strawberries, sliced
50 blueberries, washed and dried
1. Mix cookie dough according to package directions and spread evenly across a large-rimmed baking sheet.
2. Bake in preheated oven according to package directions, baking an additional 8 to 10 minutes until evenly golden brown. Let cake cool to room temperature.
3. Spread Cool Whip evenly across top of cake and refrigerate.
4. Before serving, add fruit into flag pattern. Keep cool until serving. Serves 10 – 12
