cooking big this Independence Day weekend?

[grasswire]

I always enjoy hearing everyone's plans for holiday cooking and kitchen work.

So what's happening where you are?

Cousins BBQ on Saturday here -- only two of my mother's siblings are left, but hella cousins and their offspring! I'm thinking I'll use up last year's frozen raspberries for a pie -- wonder if I should throw some fresh ones in?

What else, what else? Everything that sounds good to me has mayo, and that's not such a great idea for a three hour party outside. Chicken salad, no. Potato salad, no. Maybe a pasta salad.

Sunday, the Fourth, we are taking a brunch picnic to the zoo! I haven't been to the zoo in forever, and there will be some toddlers involved which will be so fun. Nothing more fun than looking at monkeys with a little kid. So there's a simple picnic to plan.

The same day is a big waterfront blues festival but no food prep necessary. And at night we might still be up for a baseball game and fireworks. Lots going on! But we might end up just going home and keeping the border collie and the cats calm after dark.

So do tell.....

[Lugnut]

1. I'm doing traditional picnic food.

The grill will be getting a workout cooking burgers, dogs and sausage patties. My cucumber plants are producing like mad so cucumber salad is on the menu. My kids will die if I don't make potato salad but the forecast is calling for a 90 degree afternoon. I always pack that and the creamy cucumber salad in ice in a half steam table pan and, so far, nobody has become sick. BBQ baked beans and my s-i-l's pasta salad are also on the menu. My son's birthday cake will be dessert.

Hubby and I are leaving for a few days at the beach on the 6th so I'm keeping it simple for a change.

[yellerpup]

2. No plans for me

but, just wait until I hit the farmer's market on Friday! I'm sure I'll find inspiration there. We don't have any parties planned. I was supposed to have dental surgery on Tuesday so we've been keeping a low profile. I ended up walking out of the dentist's office with no work done, so I'm good to eat after all and I will! I'll probably make more jam over the weekend.

[hippywife]

3. Nothing planned as of yet.

Monday is our 13th wedding anniversary so we are taking the long weekend just to spend time together.

[Tesha]

6. Happy Anniversary!

Doesn't 13 years go by in a flash?!
:applause: Yea for you two!

[hippywife]

12. Thanx, Tesha.

Yes it has seemed to go by very fast, but in another way it seems I've known him all of my life somehow.

:hug:

[Monique1]

4. Independence Day weekend

Nothing exciting except for Saturday when my daughter, her SO and my first grand baby will be here for lunch.

I plan on making kabobs both chicken and beef, grilled zucchini with crispy cheese crumbs, sweet potato salad, Israeli salad and brochette

The remainder of the weekend will be quiet - temps will be in the 100's so we will have something easy here.

My grand daughter is 8 months old - I bought a high chair for her so she can join us at the table and several toys to play with before and after lunch.

My little 8 lb dog doesn't appreciate company because I gate her - she is a live wire. She won't hurt anyone or snap but she loves to play or take over a lap. The best thing about my dog though is - she is litter box trained - I love this especially since we have had temps 107 and above lately.

[grasswire]

5. welcome to DU!

Lucky you! A sweet baby to make over, AND a dog that's litter trained!

What's Israeli salad? Do tell.

[Monique1]

9. Israeli Salad

This is delicious and low fat

4 cucumbers, peeled, cut, in half lengthwise, seeds removed
4 large tomatoes ( if you want less liquid in your salad, remove the seeds) I don't remove the seeds
l green pepper, stemmed and seeded and chopped
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
2 avocado, skin and seeds removed
1 tbls. olive oil
2 tsps salt )I'm not a salt person so don't use that much)
pepper to taste
1 tbls, chopped parsley
1 lemon, zested and juiced.

Finely diced the cukes, tomatoes, green pepper, red pepper, onion, and avocado into 1/4 " cubes, same for the tomatoes but do the best you can. Gently mix all of the cubed ingredients together in a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, salt, pepper, parsley and lemon zst and juice. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and stir gently until well combined. Taste the salad and more salt and pepper if desired. I went to my herbs and added others but everyone loved this.

I follow a recipe for the first time, after that I make changes.

This salad is well know in Israeli - can be used for a topping on burgers, steak or fish.

[auntAgonist]

20. wonderful!! Welcome to DU. I'm going to make this salad

it's everything that I love in one dish :)


:hi:

aA
kesha

[Monique1]

10. Thank you grasswire

[beac]

15. Welcome to DU and the ever-tasty and inspiring C&B Group.

:hi:

[hippywife]

11. Welcome to DU, Monique.

And specifically to Cooking and Baking. This is a really great group to be a member of.

I can commiserate with the heat, I live in Oklahoma. Way too hot here for me.

Enjoy your holiday weekend. :hi:

[Warpy]

7. Cowering indoors

away from all the idiots firing their guns into the air and with the cooler off until the stinks of cordite and gunpowder have dissipated, comforting the cat the whole time.

A holiday that mixes alcohol, explosives and guns is not my favorite by a long shot.

July 3 is when I'll go out and watch half the city fireworks set off at the state fairgrounds, less than a mile away. The other half is about 10 miles north and I'll give them a miss, cowering with the cat.

I bought a Costco bag of vacuum packed, flash frozen Copper River salmon. I'll grill a fillet on the stove top, just with pepper, and serve it with lemon and a little chopped parsley. Veg will depend on what Sunflower Market has in on Saturday.

[tigereye]

14. love Copper River salmon!

fresh salmon is so expensive right now! we just got a little grill and I am game to grill some soon when I can get it for a better price.


I love my salmon with dill, lemon and olive oil!


:hi:

[Warpy]

17. The last bag of it lasted me several months

and at that I gave away the last fillet when my power blew up and I knew it would be a few days before it got repaired.

I don't eat it as often as I like--I could live on it--but it's nice to be able to splurge on a bag of really good fish at Costco.

[tigereye]

18. I have bought it fresh a few times here- either at the local grocer or my

favorite small specialty market- they are good with sustainable fish and not too expensive.

Enjoy! I love, love salmon.

[Tesha]

8. I'm going to try to pick just one of these...

http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/15-fresh-picnic-salads-for-the-4th-of-july-120925

Fresh Picnic Salads
Grain Salads
• Sweet and Savory Wild Rice Salad - Crunchy with red pepper and cucumbers, savory with wild rice and chives, sweet with dates, zesty with lime and orange juice.
• Warm Farro Salad with Roasted Vegetables and Fontina - Carrots, mushrooms, gooey cheese, and nutty, tender farro.
• Meyer Lemon Grain Salad with Asparagus, Almonds and Goat Cheese - Sweet and citrusy, with crunchy almonds and mellow goat cheese.
Vegetable Salads
• The Perfect Tomato Salad - So easy! Just tomatoes, good balsamic vinegar, a flurry of basil.
• Crunchy Peanut Slaw - A real crowd-pleaser. Chopped cabbage, peanuts, a sweet and salty soy dressing.
• Broccoli Slaw - A modern version of that old-fashioned broccoli slaw, lightened-up and fresher.
• Kale Slaw with Peanut Dressing - Even more addictive than the cabbage slaw, and so bright and attractive with its jewel-green kale.
• Herbed Sweet Corn and Tomato Salad - The essence of summer: sweet corn, tomatoes, a little goat cheese.
• Grilled Zucchini and Grape Tomato Salad - An even simpler summer salad. Just throw the vegetables on the grill, then toss with a little oil, salt, and pepper.
• Tomato Salad with Red Onion, Dill and Feta - A glorious Greek-inspired salad with herbs, feta cheese, and lots of red onion. Zesty!
Pasta and Potato Salads
• Potato Salad with Yogurt, Arugula, and Dill - Simple, fresh, and delicious. Tangy with yogurt, and fresh herbs.
• Mixed New Potato Salad with Sweet Basil and Shallots - Fresh basil, crunchy pink shallots, tender little potatoes.
• Kalamata Olive and Parsley Potato Salad - Purple potatoes! Very festive. With olives, parsley, and lemon.
• Potato Salad with Fava Beans and Fennel - If you have some late fava beans around, use them here! Lima beans or shelled edamame would also be delicious in this fresh green potato salad.
• Roasted Garlic, Olive and Tomato Pasta Salad - Roasted garlic, tomatoes, olives - yummy!

[grasswire]

13. the Meyer Lemon grain salad sounds scrumptious

Mmmmm. Thanks for that link.

[Monique1]

16. Thank you to all who greeted me

I love the C&B. I have been reading here for years but there were times I also wanted to contribute so decided to join DU.

You have some great recipes here and also great tips.

I also enjoy reading what you all plan to eat - helps me out.

I enjoy cooking but not just for myself so I invite people over just to have a reason to cook.

[yellerpup]

21. Really?

I invite them over so I'll have motivation to clean. :hi:

[Tesha]

23. yes!

Exactly!

[yellerpup]

31. Great minds, yanno.

:hi:

[hippywife]

26. OMG! Me, too!

:rofl:

:*

[hippywife]

25. I used to do the same thing when I was single.

Have big dinner parties so I would get to be creative in my kitchen and enjoy the delight of my guests.

It is fun, isn't it! :D

[yellerpup]

19. Yay! I did manage to get a small dinner party together.

My jam-making buddy returned from Oklahoma with his mom and they are coming Saturday night for a Thai dinner. Here's the menu:

Coconut Mojitos

Vegetable Dumplings
Cold Avocado Soup

Sweet and Sour Tuna Steaks
w/Pineapple, Cucumber, and Red Pepper

Jasmine Rice & Baby Bok Choy

Carrot and Mango Salad

Green Tea Gelato
Blackberry-Cabernet Sorbet
Sesame-Sunflower Seed Crunch

Chardonnay Beer Iced Tea

Have a great weekend everyone! :hi:

[hippywife]

27. Sounds absolutely fabulous!

You're making my mouth water! :9

[yellerpup]

29. I'll try to remember to take some snaps.

The mint simple syrup for the mojitos is a total WOW on the taste buds. This is my summer for syrups and jams; I made six jars of apricot jam when I came home from the market yesterday. The apricots were irresistible with their rosy blushes smiling up at me from their little baskets but ginger truck must have been late getting into town yesterday because no one had it at noon or after 6PM, so I had to go out for it this morning. Luckily, the stuff they had out was fresh, plump, and fragrant. Okay, enough about my grocery list! I should be cleaning! :pals:

[hippywife]

30. Yeah, I'm trying to get motivated to start cleaning.

It's raining here so Bill is doing the laundry for me since he can't do his outdoor work.

Made a wonderful trip to the Cherry St. Farmer's Market this morning and got some yummy veggies. :)

I'll look forward to seeing the pics. It sounds like such a lovely dinner. Have fun! :D

[yellerpup]

36. Sorry, no photos after all.

I was too busy cooking and Mr. Pup forgot, too. The mojitos (made with coconut flavored rum) were fabulous and a huge hit. Everything was good, but as usual, I made too much food. Neither of our guests had ever had baby bok choy before and were wild for it. The tuna was really good, although it was still pink in the middle I would have preferred it more rare and the sweet and sour sauce was beautiful (cucumber, red pepper, pineapple) and tasty. We have leftovers for another round for each of us and maybe a lunch for Mr. Pup next week. This morning we are enjoying the NY Times and the glow that comes from a successful dinner party. Of course, the guests were at least as responsible for the good time as we were and for that I give them my thanks! Happy 4th, dear friend!

[hippywife]

37. Ah well,

it sounds like another lovely and successful dinner at the Pup residence with good company. I'm glad for ya, sweetie.

Happy 4th to you, too. :hug:

[EFerrari]

22. My mom had a TIA two days ago and she finally told me about it in words.

I knew something was wrong because her processing was off. At least now I know the ball park. :(

So, I was going to grill some lamb for her, try a new gratin recipe I found (summer squash, zucchini, tomato with sauteed onions and topped with feta and bread crumbs, a little basil), a green green salad, maybe a strawberry short cake as a nod to the season.

But now, I don't know what to do. Maybe lighten up me and also the supper.

[Tesha]

24. oh dear...

:grouphug:

[EFerrari]

38. Thanks, Tesha.

[hippywife]

28. Do go ahead with your plans, Beth.

I think it would be just the thing for both of you. I wish you both well, sweetie. And please don't worry, hon. TIA's are small and the effects temporary. Just make sure she sees her doc.

:hug: for you both.

[EFerrari]

39. Whelp, I went to the store to get "stuff for dinner" early this morning

and snuck in the week's shopping. It's really hard to get this woman to just relax. Yesterday, I did all the errands and came back to work in the studio and found out, she took the dog AND cat to get their nails done while I wasn't looking. At least she didn't take any of the horses, lol.

Rosie says she feels better and her energy is better. But I can see she's having some trouble verbalizing and that's quietly freaking her out. Stanford on Tuesday.

TG, my brother is here so they're watching Wimbledon together. Gene has an afternoon show today so it was nice of him to drive down here to yell at the teevee with Mum.

:hi:

[hippywife]

40. Good idea to get her checked out.

Those verbalizing difficulties should diminish with a little time.

Glad you are still going to have your dinner and a good day together. I wish you all the best, babe.

:hi:

[tigereye]

32. baking a peach-blueberry pie right now...

keep trying to get the tinfoil to stay on the edges since the oven temp is so high.. :grr:

[hippywife]

33. Need ya one of these.

http://www.cooking.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=689313

[tigereye]

34. ah, that sounds great!

thanks! :hi:

[hippywife]

35. Sure beats the heck

outta messing with those little strips of foil and no wasted foil, either.

You're very welcome. :hi:

[hobbit709]

41. My friends are having their deal on Mon.

He's on duty today-Fire Department.

I'm making Apricot-Raspberry Cobbler.

[bearfan454]

42. My Mom(franmarz) is coming over to eat in about an hour.

It's going to be really simple over here. A lettuce and tomato salad, Mrs bearfan's Rotel and Velveeta dip, Hebrew National hot dogs, burgers, and store bought Pepperidge Farm chocolate and coconut cakes. Hey for $2.79 for a frozen cake you can't go wrong. I don't bake anything when it's in the mid 90's. We watch the fireworks from our driveway here in Taylor. People come and park all around the house to watch. I'm giving the dogs a downer about 7:30. The grand finale last year was almost their grand finale. They were shaking and wimpering for an hour afterwards.

[EFerrari]

43. Our older girl hates this night but, she's deaf this year.

She isn't going to miss a thing. Poor Lucy used to go into a closet and stay there all night.

[hippywife]

44. We're just about to have

fried chicken, corn on the cob, and some green beans from our garden. :9