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. 

Bow tie pasta, onion, bell pepper, celery and black olives with seasoned boiled shrimp, dressed with a creamy mayonnaise and mustard vinegar dressing.

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.

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.

Introducing House-Autry Mills

Share

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.

Weekend Cocktails - Watermelon Pomegranate Rum Cooler

Chunks of watermelon along with pomegranate juice, grenadine, lemon-lime soda and rum, makes for a great adult beverage.

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!

 

A tender, fluffy sweet buttermilk cobbler dough, dropped like dumplings into freshly stewed blackberries and topped with homemade whipped cream.

Iron Skillet Blackberry Dumpling Cobbler

When I was in what we used to call 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.

Eggs are dropped into a bed of fiery tomato sauce, made from fresh tomatoes paired with chunky Rotel and enhanced with bacon, onion and sweet bell peppers, and then passed in the oven to set, topped with cheese and served over cheese grits.

Eggs in Purgatory

Eggs in Purgatory is one of those recipes that I consider to be a lost classic. You don't hear about it much anymore, though thanks to us bloggers, it seems to be making a resurgence in the past couple of years.

I see folks doing it all the time, but I have never been one to put ketchup on eggs, though I do love them with salsa, especially in a breakfast wrap. I absolutely adore these Eggs in Purgatory though, done up in a bed of thick and spicy creole tomato sauce. They are just delicious!

Father's Day Menu Ideas

Photo Credit: The Daily Green

Need some ideas to put together a great Father's Day meal? Be sure to check my newest, updated menu of great Father's Day recipes by clicking right here!

Mama's Grilled and Smothered Chicken

A grilled chicken breast, finished with caramelized onion, crisp bacon and sauteed mushroom, topped with provolone cheese.

Grilled and Smothered Chicken

I lost my Mama in 1997 but she was always such a fun person and I sure do miss her. One of the things that I used to love to do with her was to go to restaurants together for lunch or dinner, and one of our favorites was Ruby Tuesday located right on the beach in Biloxi - gone now thanks to Hurricane Katrina.

We would eat far too much, laugh a lot, and it was just a wonderful time, and boy did she love those ribs! We never had enough room left for dessert and used to say we should just go out and eat dessert sometime, but sadly we never got around to doing that before she passed.

A Lowcountry dish with some of our familiar Deep South elements, and similar in some ways to our jambalaya, with a touch of flavor akin to a Spanish rice.

Southern Red Rice with Shrimp and Bacon

This is one of The Cajun's favorite rice dishes and it's really easy to make.

It's a Carolina dish with a bit of my own Deep South flare and similar in some ways to our jambalaya with a touch of flavor akin to a Spanish rice.

My version contains some of our familiar Deep South elements, like Creole seasoning, hot sauce, and what else but the Trinity of Deep South cooking, plus the addition of one of our favorite southern seasonings - bacon.
Some people prepare this dish stovetop, but I like the oven method, because to me it's a whole different texture and flavor level. But it's hot outside, so either way will work if you don't want to crank up the oven. You can also omit the shrimp if you like.