Festive Food for Your 4th of July BBQ
Celebrate Independence Day with red, white and blue dishes, plus some all-American favorites.
Photo By: Ryan Liebe ©Ryan Liebe—2016
Photo By: Ryan Liebe ©Ryan Liebe—2016
Photo By: Ralph Smith
Photo By: Ralph Smith
Photo By: Ryan Liebe ©Ryan Liebe—2016
Photo By: Bobbi Lin
Photo By: Ryan Liebe ©Ryan Liebe—2016
Photo By: RYAN DAUSCH
Photo By: Ryan Liebe ©Ryan Liebe—2016
Photo By: Ryan Dausch
Photo By: Ryan Dausch
Photo By: Ryan Liebe ©Ryan Liebe—2016
Photo By: RYAN DAUSCH
Photo By: DAVID MALOSH
Photo By: Bobbi Lin
Photo By: RYAN DAUSCH
Photo By: CON POULOS
Photo By: Ryan Liebe
Photo By: Levi Brown
Photo By: Bobbi Lin
Photo By: DAVID MALOSH
Photo By: Bobbi Lin
Photo By: Ryan Dausch
Photo By: Bobbi Lin
Photo By: Ryan Dausch
Photo By: Bobbi Lin
Photo By: Levi Brown
Photo By: RYAN DAUSCH
The Best Backyard Barbecue
Planning the perfect 4th of July BBQ is a breeze with these summertime favorites. Serve everything on patriotic platters and roll red, white and blue napkins around utinsels for a simple, festive touch.
Patriotic Potato Salad
It doesn’t get easier than this: Use red, white and blue spuds in your potato salad for a simple, 4th of July-worthy side.
Get the Recipe: Patriotic Potato Salad
Bite-Size Burgers
Don’t let these mini burgers fool you. They may be small but, topped with cheddar, pickles, ketchup and mustard, they’re every bit as flavorful as their full-size counterparts.
Get the Recipe: Bite-Size Burgers
Frozen Pink Lemonade
You only need 4 simple ingredients to make this refreshing summertime treat: water, sugar, lemon juice and grenadine. Just be sure to plan ahead; you’ll need plenty of time for the lemonade to freeze.
Get the Recipe: Frozen Pink Lemonade
Crispy Fried Chicken and Onions
Fried chicken isn't just a sandwich trend. Coat thighs, drumsticks and onion rings in breadcrumbs and turn on the deep-fryer. Everyone will love the alternative to burgers and hot dogs.
Get the Recipe: Crispy Fried Chicken and Onions
Genovese Pasta Salad
This pasta-and-roasted-potato salad is hearty yet light, thanks to a simple dressing of olive oil, lemon, basil, pine nuts and shaved Parmesan.
Get the Recipe: Genovese Pasta Salad
Spiked Sweet Tea
Get the Recipe: Spiked Sweet Tea
Macaroni Salad with Barbecue Chicken
Rotisserie chicken and store-bought barbecue sauce help this crowd-pleasing salad come together in just 20 minutes.
Get the Recipe: Macaroni Salad with Barbecue Chicken
Mini Cherry Pies
When we host a cookout, we like to serve lots of individual-size treats. That way, everyone can help themselves and the afternoon feels more laid-back. And besides, who wouldn’t want a whole cherry pie to themselves?
Get the Recipe: Mini Cherry Pies
Quick Pickles
Get the Recipe: Quick Pickles
Tomato Salad with Pancetta Crisps
This salad is perfect for making ahead. Valerie says, "The longer this salad sits, the better it tastes". Just be sure to add the pancetta at the last minute, so it stays crisp.
Get the Recipe: Tomato Salad with Pancetta Crisps
Chocolate-Covered Frozen Bananas
No-bake treats are a must during the warm, summer months — and these chocolate-covered bananas are one of our go-tos when it’s too hot to bake. Just heat some candy melts (the microwave comes in handy here), dip and freeze.
Get the Recipe: Chocolate-Covered Frozen Bananas
Watermelon Limeade
This sweet, simple drink is so refreshing on a hot day. The best part? The frozen watermelon chunks that stand-in for ice cubes!
Get the Recipe: Watermelon Limeade
Parmesan-Basil Corn Cakes
Nothing says summer like fresh corn, so we’ve made it our inspiration for these easy fritters. Savory Parmesan cheese and fragrant basil balance out the corn’s natural sweetness — and pan-frying lends a crispy, golden crunch.
Get the Recipe: Parmesan-Basil Corn Cakes
Grilled Peach Margaritas
Throwing peaches on the grill for a few minutes heightens their sweetness and imparts nice, smoky notes, making this a stand-out version of the classic cocktail.
Get the Recipe: Grilled Peach Margaritas
Grilled Eggplant with Marinated Feta
They key to this simple veggie dish is to salt the eggplant slices and let them sit on a paper towel before grilling. This helps draw out some of their moisture, so that they don't get soggy during cooking.
Get the Recipe: Grilled Eggplant with Marinated Feta
Herb Butter–Stuffed Burgers
A pat of homemade herb butter in the center of each patty guarantees the juiciest and most flavorful burger you’ve ever cooked on your grill!
Get the Recipe: Herb Butter–Stuffed Burgers
Broccoli-Ramen Slaw
An easy way to upgrade classic coleslaw? Try using bagged broccoli slaw mix instead of shredded cabbage. Broccoli also lends itself well to flavors inspired by Asian cuisine, so we’ve dressed this slaw with a simple sesame-soy vinaigrette.
Get the Recipe: Broccoli-Ramen Slaw
Grilled Sangria
This sangria couldn’t be easier. Simply char stone fruit on the grill before adding it to a mix of rose wine and coconut rum. Just be sure to start a day in advance; this sangria needs to sit in the refrigerator overnight so that the flavors can blend.
Get the Recipe: Grilled Sangria
Grilled Potatoes and Olives
This perfect-for-grilling side could not be easier. Simply bundle your ingredients up in heavy-duty foil and cook on the grill, flipping occasionally so that everything roasts evenly.
Get the Recipe: Grilled Potatoes and Olives
Fireworks Bundt Cake
This dazzling cake is sure to be the center of attention at your 4th of July bash. We take a simple-yet-delicious Bundt cake and dress it up with a sweet glaze and patriotic sprinkles. The finishing touch? A bundle of red, white and blue rock candy sticks in the center — to look like fireworks!
Get the Recipe: Fireworks Bundt Cake
Spicy Pineapple Margaritas
Looking for a way to jazz up regular, old ‘ritas? Turn up the heat! One of Katie’s signature cocktails, this version has pineapple for sweetness, cilantro for a bit of freshness and red chile pepper for just the right amount of spice.
Get the Recipe: Spicy Pineapple Margaritas
Tuscan Pasta Salad with Grilled Vegetables
Pasta salad is a must at any backyard barbecue — and even more so when it’s jam-packed with colorful veggies, fresh from the grill.
Get the Recipe: Tuscan Pasta Salad with Grilled Vegetables
Banana-Caramel S’mores
What’s everyone’s favorite summertime treat? S’mores! We make them even better by using caramel-filled chocolate — and adding a few slices of banana for good measure.
Get the Recipe: Banana-Caramel S’mores
Cheesy Hot Dogs with Pickle-Pepper Relish
Homemade pickle-pepper relish really takes these hot dogs to the next level. It’s a cinch to make but does require a little bit of planning since it needs to sit in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
Get the Recipe: Cheesy Hot Dogs with Pickle-Pepper Relish
Marinated Green Tomatoes
Green tomatoes are firm and cooking them for a few minutes will help soften them up. Dressed in a simple vinaigrette with fresh herbs and Fresno chile, green tomatoes make the perfect side for burgers, steaks, or grilled chicken.
Get the Recipe: Marinated Green Tomatoes
Warm Farro Salad with Charred Corn
This colorful side salad features three of our favorite summer ingredients: corn, tomatoes and basil. To char the corn, simply brush it with vegetable oil (so that it won’t stick to the grates), season with salt and pepper and grill for about 10 minutes.
Get the Recipe: Warm Farro Salad with Charred Corn
Jalapeno Ice Pops
The fun thing about these ice pops? You’ll feel the heat — but cool off at the same time!
Get the Recipe: Jalapeno Ice Pops
Cauliflower Caesar Salad
Instead of leafy greens, this Caesar salad is made with oven-roasted cauliflower. It’s even tossed with crunchy croutons! Just be sure to let the cauliflower cool before you toss everything together, otherwise the steam from the veggies will make the croutons soggy.
Get the Recipe: Cauliflower Caesar Salad
Stars-and-Stripes Cake
Easiest-ever cake decorating technique? Set a cookie cutter on top of your frosted cake and pour colorful sanding sugar into it. When you remove the cookie cutter you’ll be left with a perfect design.
Get the Recipe: Stars-and-Stripes Cake
Grilled Vegetable Panzanella
The beauty of Panzanella is that the bread soaks up all the dressing (and juice from the tomatoes), giving the salad incredible flavor. That’s why we decided to toast the bread on the grill first. It dries it out a bit allowing it to absorb even more liquid — and the char marks adds a nice, smoky flavor to the dish.
Get the Recipe: Grilled Vegetable Panzanella
Spicy Shrimp-Tomato Ceviche
Ceviche is cool and refreshing, but the best ones also have just the right amount of heat — like this one that features fresh ginger, garlic and a little yellow pepper paste.
Get the Recipe: Spicy Shrimp-Tomato Ceviche
Grilled Lamb Kebabs
It doesn’t take much to turn chunks of lamb into a wow-worthy kebab. Just marinate the meat for an hour in a mix of pureed onion, oregano, cumin, salt and pepper. Then, char to perfection.
Get the Recipe: Grilled Lamb Kebabs
Tomato and Fennel Salad
Tomatoes are in abundance during the summer months so it’s no surprise they make their way onto the picnic table at just about every cookout, all season long. If you’re looking for some fresh, try mixing them with bright, aromatic fennel. The key to balancing the flavors is to slice the fennel thin; use a mandoline if you have one.
Get the Recipe: Tomato and Fennel Salad
Stars & Stripes Ice Cream Cones
Dress up your ice cream with these festive sugar cones. All you need is a handful of colorful candy melts and sprinkles!
Get the Recipe: Stars & Stripes Ice Cream Cones
Bacon Cheeseburgers with Spicy Mayonnaise
Burgers are a staple at any backyard barbecue. Take yours to the next level with a simple, spicy sauce. We mix mayonnaise, Sriracha and ketchup for the perfect balance of flavors.
Get the Recipe: Bacon Cheeseburgers with Spicy Mayonnaise
Jerk Cantaloupe-Cucumber Salad
Sweet cantaloupe and cherries, spicy ginger and Scotch bonnet pepper, refreshing cucumber: there’s no shortage of flavor with this one-of-a-kind fruit salad. Our favorite way to enjoy this sweet-and-spicy side dish? Alongside grilled chicken or shrimp.
Get the Recipe: Spicy Cantaloupe-Cucumber Salad
Red, White and Blue Ice Cream Sandwiches
Turn old-fashioned ice cream sandwiches into patriotic treats in just 10 minutes!
Get the Recipe: Red, White and Blue Ice Cream Sandwiches
Grilled Caprese with Prosciutto
Caprese salad is a quintessential part of summer. We take it to the next delicious level by wrapping the mozzarella in prosciutto and then grilling the pieces until the cheese is slightly melty.
Get the Recipe: Grilled Caprese with Prosciutto
Swirled Edible Bowls
Colorful candy melts are the secret to these edible bowls. Fill with vanilla ice cream or fresh berries and whipped cream to complete the red, white and blue theme.
Get the Recipe: Swirled Edible Bowls
