4th of July Menu Ideas and Recipes

Check out my newly updated page of July 4th menu ideas and recipes - just pop by right here to view the list!

I can't believe that it's almost the 4th of July!!  Course the fireworks have been popping around my house ever since the stands opened a few weeks back.  Last year we had a front row seat on a boat in the Gulf to watch the Biloxi firework display and I hope the oil in the Gulf and the weather from tropical storm Hurricane Alex doesn't interfere with our view this year.

Here are a few of my favorite hand picked recipes you might want to consider if you're still looking for menu ideas for your celebration.  There's plenty more in the archives under the "Past Post Archive" over there in the right hand sidebar, and also in my e-Cookbook - though I confess I'm a bit behind in updating those manual links. 

Hope you all have a wonderful 4th of July!

Southern Sweet Iced Tea
More Beverages

Strawberry Watermelon Mojito

More Cocktails

Deviled Eggs

Cajun Boiled Peanuts

Fire 'n Ice Pickles

Fire 'n Ice Salad

More Salads

Shrimp and Bow Tie Pasta Salad

More Pasta Salads

Pimento Cheese Finger Sandwiches

More Appetizers

Fried Green Tomatoes

Corn on the Cob - 5 Ways!

With Compound Butter Blends

Basic Coleslaw

Southern Style Baked Beans

Cold Baked Potato Salad

More Potato Salads

Southern Fried Chicken

More Southern Classics

Carolina Style Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

All American Burger

More Burgers

Root Beer Glazed Drumsticks

Grilled Backyard BBQ Chicken

More Grilled Stuff

Southern Style Dry Rub Ribs

More Ribs

Homemade Southern Banana Pudding

More Desserts

Homemade Southern Peach Ice Cream

More Frozen Treats

Fresh Strawberry Pie
More Pies

Homemade Chocolate Brownies

More Chocolate Goodies

Old Fashioned Apple Pie

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Shrimp with Bow Tie Pasta Salad

This pasta salad recipe for shrimp with bow tie pasta is hands down one of my summertime favorites, but honestly it is great for any time of the year. It's a great dish to make when you need something for a potluck, church social, and any party you have in mind.

Of course, the heat of the summer seems the perfect time to make meals of salads, and pasta salads are one of my favorites, both because of the crunch of the fresh veggies and because of the fill factor, compliments of the pasta. I do love my carbs!  I also love the tangy dressing against the shrimp in this one and as always, you can make changes to the vegetables to your liking.  Another one to add to the pasta salad collection, and just in time for the 4th of July.  Wait to add the parsley and the tomato until just before serving.

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Shrimp with Bow Tie Pasta Salad
From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish

1/2 pound of dry farfelle (bow tie) pasta
Splash of olive oil
1/2 cup of chopped Vidalia, or other sweet onion
1/2 cup of chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup of sliced celery
3/4 cup of sliced black olives
1 pound of seasoned boiled shrimp
1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
10 turns of the pepper grinder
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of Slap Ya Mama or your favorite
   Cajun/Creole seasoning, or to taste, optional
1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 medium tomato, seeded, cleaned and
   chopped (add just before serving)
1 tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley, reserve a
   pinch for garnish (add just before serving)

Dressing:

2/3 cup of mayonnaise
1/8 cup of olive oil
2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon of spicy mustard
1/4 cup of milk

Prepare the pasta al dente according to package directions. Rinse well and drain. Place into a large serving bowl and toss with a small splash of olive oil. Add the onion, bell pepper, celery, black olives and shrimp; toss.  Add the salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning and garlic powder; toss. (Reserve the parsley and tomatoes to add later)

Whisk together the mayonnaise, olive oil, vinegar and mustard until well blended.  Whisk in the milk until smooth, taste and adjust seasonings, and pour over the pasta.  Toss well, cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

Just before serving, toss in the tomatoes and the parsley; stir well and garnish with a few sprinkles of parsley.

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Source:  http://deepsouthdish.com

Check These Out Too!

Shrimp and Macaroni Salad
Tri-Color Italian Rotini Pasta Salad
Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad

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A lovely pimento cheese made with roasted red peppers.

Roasted Red Pepper Pimento Cheese

I don't what it is about pimento cheese, but I sure love it.  Yeah, I even like the stuff in the little containers in the refrigerator case at the market, though I admit, homemade is so much more delicious, and just super easy to throw together. A southern favorite, and of course, like most traditional and old fashioned recipes, every southern cook has their own way of making it too.  I happen to have a couple of my own, but I love this one that replaces those little jars of chopped pimiento peppers with flavorful roasted red peppers.

Traditional in the contrasting bend of a celery stick, it's the perfect filling for little tea sandwiches for parties too, and it'd be rare to find any leftover. Makes a pretty darned good grilled cheese sandwich too. Be sure to grate your own cheddar though - there are fillers in the pre-shredded stuff, and freshly grated just makes for a much creamier spread.

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Recipe: Roasted Red Pepper Pimento Cheese

©From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish

Prep time: 15 min |

Yield: About 4 to 6 servings

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Ingredients

• 4 cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup of grated Vidalia or other sweet onion
• 4 ounces of roasted red peppers, chopped
• 1/2 cup of mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup of buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon of spicy mustard (like Emeril's)
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of Cajun seasoning (like Slap Ya Mama), or to taste
• Couple dashes of hot sauce
• Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Instructions

In a large bowl, mix together the cheddar cheese, onion and red peppers.  In a separate small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, buttermilk, mustard, Cajun seasoning, hot sauce, salt and pepper, until well blended. Add this mixture to the cheese and combine well. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Allow to come to room temperature before spreading.

Variation: Use 2-1/2 cups of sharp cheddar cheese with 1 cup of shredded Monterey Jack cheese and 1/2 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese.

Source: http://deepsouthdish.com/ 

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©Deep South Dish

Adapted from Southern Living.

Check These Out Too!

Cheese Straws
Pimento Cheese & Pecan Spread
Basic Pimento Cheese Spread

Posted by Mary on June 29, 2010

Images and Full Post Content including Recipe ©Deep South Dish. Do not repost or republish elsewhere without explicit prior permission. All rights reserved.
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A Giveaway Introducing House-Autry Mills

The giveaway is closed. 

Congratulations to Donna B. aka @simplydab on Twitter! You are the winner of this fantastic House-Autry Mills gift basket.  Please send an email to me at mary@deepsouthdish.com with your name, mailing address & a telephone number (for shipping purposes only). Congratulations and enjoy!

Thanks for participating y'all!!

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Whew y'all, it has been the dog days of summer around here for sure.  You know that sun is beating down when you have to put on sunscreen to take out the trash for pete's sake!  Well, who couldn't use a little bit of help to cut down on time in the kitchen, and House-Autry is a sure bet to get supper on the table in record time and with practically zero effort too!

I was introduced to House-Autry Mills products by my dear friend Christy over at Southern Plate, when she asked if I would be interested in partnering with her to try the products and share my experiences with them. Well, imagine my surprise when I received this gorgeous basket, chock full of a variety of the House-Autry Mills products, and a few nice kitchen goodies thrown in.

It even came with a handy skimmer, a super high quality, flour sack apron, a Brite-Weave flat weave checkered kitchen towel and a nice, thick oven mitt! I instantly fell in love with these accessories.

But the star of the show ... look at all of these products I got to try!! I was in heaven I tell ya, and guess what?  One of you will be soon too because you can leave a comment here to enter for a chance to win an identical basket just like it!! Stay tuned and I'll tell you how you can easily increase your chances of winning too.

Now, seeing as this was my first experience with trying House-Autry products, I wanted to stay pretty authentic to the intention of each of these coatings, so I used them as directed. There are loads of recipes on the House-Autry website though, with other ideas for using these and their many other products. And get this ... on my last trip to Walmart, what did I notice on the baking aisle but these lovely, bright red packages, so House-Autry is probably available right in your neighborhood too!

While House-Autry Mills is new to me, I learned they are actually about to celebrate their 200th birthday.  The House family migrated to North Carolina from England in 1812 and established their first mill in Newton Grove.  In 1967 they merged with the Autry Brothers Mill and House-Autry Mills was born and now sell a wide variety of products from corn meal, to hushpuppies, onion ring coating, and traditionally seasoned breaders and coatings, cornbread and biscuit mixes. Be sure to look for them at your neighborhood grocer!

The first thing we tore into was the box of Hushpuppy with Onion mix.  It comes together in just mere seconds and is just a matter of frying them. I used my deep fryer and a small cookie scoop - which is larger than the recommended teaspoon - but is what I always use to make hushpuppies. I ended up with 18 delicious little fritters - tender on the inside, crunchy on the outside and just the right amount of onion flavor. Yum - we loved these!

Not in the mood for hushpuppies? Use the mix to make something else, like this Squash Casserole or this Zucchini Fritter instead.

Next up, the House-Autry Pork Breading.

I thawed out some bone-in pork chops to use the pork breading for frying. Just a quick dip in some water, shake off the excess, pop in a zipper bag to shake with the breading and pan fry or drop into a 375 degree deep fryer - done in about 8 minutes and nothing to it! The seasoning for this breading is just wonderful - nice and crunchy and full of flavor. Paired this with those hush puppies and some freshly picked and steamed garden green beans and supper was on the table in minutes.

Don't want pork chops? How about this Chicken Fried Steak instead?

Next up, the House-Autry Southern Baked Pork Bake. I used bone-in center cut chops again and the same process - dip in water, shake off excess and pop into a zipper bag of the seasoning, shake and bake!  Bake them at 425 degrees, on a rack on top of a foil lined pan, and no turning - you'll have crispy, flavorful oven baked pork chops in about 15 minutes.

The Cajun loved this as much as his favorite fried chops and declared them "delicious!!" Some purple hull peas sauteed in black peppered bacon and Vidalia onion, and garden fresh sliced tomatoes on the side and in about 20 minutes, you have yourself a mighty fine southern meal I'm telling ya.

Not in the mood for this? How about some Southern Baked Crab Cakes instead?

Next up, House-Autry Southern Baked Chicken Bake.

Again, just a quick pass in some water, pop in a zipper bag with the coating and shake then bake. I wished that I would have had a cut up whole chicken to try this with, but I did have some boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I baked them at 400 degrees and it only took about 20 minutes.  This was a great oven baked chicken - nice crunchy coating, tender chicken inside and next time I might even coat the chicken with a bit of mayonnaise, or mustard before breading them. I might even toss in a little of my favorite Cajun seasoning!

The Cajun loved every one of these dishes and gave them all a two thumbs up and delicious seal of approval!  Good fresh taste, dinner on the table in minutes, can't beat that!  We've still got the Seafood Breading and the Chicken Breading to try, but based on our review of everything else these products are all winners.

Want to go ahead and try these products? Snatch a coupon {have your printer ready} and be sure to check out House-Autry Mills on Facebook and on Twitter and grab some great recipe ideas!

GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED!

 One lucky winner will win a basket chock full of these same great House-Autry products, a metal skimmer, a high quality House-Autry flour sack apron, a Brite-Weave flat weave checkered kitchen towel and a nice, thick oven mitt! Yay!!

GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED!

Simply leave a comment below - that's it! Be sure to leave a way for me to contact you though.

GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED!

1. Earn one bonus entry by sharing this giveaway on your own Facebook page - then let me know you did here or at The Deep South Dish Family Facebook page.


2. Tweet the message below up to ONCE DAILY for extra entries!

Win a fantastic southern gift basket full of products from @HouseAutryMills & @DeepSouthDish  http://bit.ly/dzdF67

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How about a couple more chances to win one?

I am thrilled to pieces to be partnering with several new-to-me bloggers to share House-Autry products with y'all, including Jyl of The Post-it Place, Jo of The Adventures of Kitchen Girl, Southern Beauty Magazine, and a couple of near and dear to me blogging friends, including my sweet Texas pal, Tina of Mommy's Kitchen and my Alabama sister-from-another-mother, and the host of this whole project, Christy of Southern Plate. {Be sure to click on over to Christy's blog for a behind the scenes tour of the mill.}  For more chances to win a beautiful basket like this one, be sure to drop by and visit each one of them to enter their giveaways too. {if their posts aren't up yet, just be sure to check back}

Best of luck y'all!

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The Rules:

➮Giveaway closes at noon on Monday, July 5th, 2010 at 12:00 noon CST. 
➮Open to residents of the United States only please.
➮You must leave an email address in your comment, or be linked to a public profile containing your email address.
➮The winner will be notified by email and will have 48 hours from the time of that email to reply and claim their win before an alternate winner will be selected.

Disclosure: House-Autry Mills provided me with a gift basket of the products described, both for me to try and to giveaway to one reader.

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Weekend Cocktails - Watermelon Pomegranate Rum Cooler

I have talked before about the benefits of pomegranate juice and specifically the quality of POM Wonderful brand of pomegranate since being introduced to it last year. Back in the fall, I made several recipes using POM, so I was delighted when the POM Wonderful folks offered to send me another case to try some summer recipes. Loaded with powerful antioxidants and frankly pretty great just straight up, if you haven't gotten around to trying POM Wonderful, you should!

I had some chunks of watermelon in the fridge that needed to be used, so I thought that the combination of watermelon with POM juice for a nice weekend cocktail sounded pretty refreshing and it certainly was! You can of course make this a virgin drink by eliminating the rum and it's still a great punch drink.

Remember to drink responsibly - enjoy!!

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Watermelon Pomegranate Rum Cooler
From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish

2 cups of chopped seedless watermelon
1 (8 ounce) bottle of POM Wonderful Pomegranate Juice
1/4 cup of grenadine
Juice of one lemon
1 to 1-1/2 ounces of rum
Lemon-lime soda like 7-up, Sprite
Lemon curls for garnish

Process the watermelon, POM juice, grenadine and lemon in a blender. Fill a tall glass with ice and fill the glass about 3/4ths full with the watermelon blend. Add the rum and top off with the soda and garnish with lemon curls.

Makes about 4 depending on glass size

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Source: http://deepsouthdish.com

Check These Out Too!

Southern Iced Tea Cocktail
Frozen Watermelon Margarita
Vodka Slush


Disclosure:  POM Wonderful provided me with free product.

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Blackberry Dumpling Cobbler

When I was in what was then called junior high school, it's hard to believe now, but we actually used to walk home from school a lot.  It wasn't that we didn't have an easier way home - we certainly did - but there was something much more peaceful about that long, casual stroll from school to home than there was riding in that hot, smelly bus.

Sometimes we'd cut through the tiny base gate by the school and catch the bus that carried the airmen around - much less crowded and full of nice smelling and good looking airmen heading to the movies or the bowling alley on base.  For a long time we were never questioned about hitching a ride. Things were much more relaxed in those days, and I suppose they thought we lived in the adjacent base housing on the other side of the base, which just so happened to be close to my house. And McDonald's. And the pizza place. And Lum's, where we'd often hang out for hours listening to the jukebox after school.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

Just seeing this photo makes me smile.

Anyway, we traveled by foot a lot back in those days and more often we'd find ourselves tromping along the railroad tracks, where we'd delight in the appearance of the wild blackberries, or I suppose more appropriately called dewberries.  We'd rush home, grab a bucket and weave back through the woods to pick what we thought were always the best berries. Oh the memories... but thank goodness the berries are a bit easier to come by these days and I await their short-lived arrival with anticipation for something just like this.

Combined with some sugar, a little lemon juice and a cornstarch slurry then simmered to that gorgeous red juiciness.

Blackberries always cry out to this drop dumpling method of cobbler to me and I like a tender, sweet buttermilk dough, with just a touch of nutmeg. I use a small cookie scoop to drop my dumplings in the skillet - about 9 around the edges and 3 in the center of an 8-inch cast iron skillet.

Don't let the seeds of the blackberry turn you off - there's lots of good for you fiber in those seeds! If the texture is off-putting to you though, run them through the first 20 minute simmer, allow it to cool a bit and then strain.  Warm it back up on the stovetop before dropping in the dumplings and moving the skillet to the oven.

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Blackberry Dumpling Cobbler
From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish

1 tablespoon of unsalted butter
4 cups of blackberries, rinsed and drained
Juice of half a lemon
1 cup of granulated sugar
2 tablespoons of cornstarch
2 tablespoons of cold water

Dumplings:

1 cup of all purpose flour
1/4 cup of sugar
2 teaspoons of baking powder
Pinch of kosher salt
Pinch of nutmeg
1/4 cup of cold butter, cut into cubes
1/2 to 3/4 cup of buttermilk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Generously butter an 8-inch cast iron skillet, or another heavy, oven safe skillet. 

In a small container mix a slurry of the cornstarch and cold water; set aside. In a large bowl combine the blackberries with the lemon and sugar. Add the slurry and gently stir. Transfer to the skillet, and bring mixture to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium low and simmer, stirring occasionally for about 20 minutes. (If you wish to strain out the seeds, let mixture cool and press through a strainer. Return to the skillet and bring back up to a boil; reduce to low and proceed.)

Meanwhile, for the dumplings, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until crumbly. Stir in just enough buttermilk to form a soft dough. Using a cookie scoop, scoop the dumpling dough into the hot fruit, 9 dumplings around the outside of the skillet, and 3 in the middle. Place into the hot oven and bake at 400 degrees, for about 25 minutes, or until dumplings are golden brown. Serve warm, topped with ice cream, whipped cream, or a drizzle of plain heavy cream.

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Source:  http://deepsouthdish.com

Check These Out Too!

Fresh Apple Cobbler
Old Fashioned Southern Bread Pudding
Apple Upside Down Cornmeal Cake
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