4th of July Party, Safely: A Socially-Distanced BBQ Get-Together Plan

4th of July Party, Safely: A Socially-Distanced BBQ Get-Together Plan

by | Jun 29, 2020 | Appetizer, Beef, Dinner, Fruit, Holiday, Pork, Salad, Snack, Sweet, Vegetarian

Host a social distancing get-together this July 4th with tips to stay safe and recipes to make it delicious!

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With so many large-scale activities canceled for the 4th of July holiday, small gatherings with appropriate social distancing are the sign of the times.

This year, my family barbecue is trimmed down to immediate family with only a few (very close) family friends. I will miss the annual get-together of friends and neighbors. Mostly, I will miss seeing the kids that grow from children to tweens to teens to young adults each year.

But, with my “glass is always half-full” vision, I appreciate the opportunity to spend more time with loved ones and less time preparing for a big bash. After all, those glow-in-the-dark bracelets will last ‘til next year!

We are who we are, and we Americans will celebrate! Trying to plan for my slimmed-down annual party, I started by putting my caterer’s hat on.


Back in the day, when my pals and I were planning a Memorable Occasion’s (the name of my old catering company) party we would lay out the menu and then come up with some clever way to serve it. We were always short of staff, so serve-yourself food was a great solution when feeding a crowd.

This strategy works perfectly when you are planning an appropriate socially distanced backyard Fourth of July barbecue. Allowing your guests to choose their own items from individual containers is smarter in today’s climate.


Here are some pointers for a safe and social distancing get-together:

 

  1. Fresh air is best for this year’s celebration. If it’s possible sit outside. Sit on your back porch, in your back yard, even in your driveway.  If you are rained out, or don’t have enough space, open the windows to let the fresh air in. 
  2. It’s still okay to ask your guests to bring a dish. No one says you, the host, must do it all. But we’re going to ask either that the dish is brought in individual portions, or that you dish it up in the kitchen before serving. This is not the time for a buffet supper. 
  3. Serve right from the grill. For example, let guests bring their bun to you when grilling dogs and burgers! Condiment packs are key here for mustard and ketchup, but you can also be safe by providing several bowls of condiments and allowing each guest to use his or her own spoon for scooping diced onions and peppers.
  4. As much as you can, serve everything individually. Use whatever you have around the house as containers. My plan this year is to serve scoops of potato salad in metal cups, shrimp on skewers, and stuffed mushrooms on porcelain tasting spoons. A homemade milkshake served in a mason jar, dripping with chocolate and nuts, or doused in sprinkles is the best of the best when you’re talking personal desserts. Get creative with what you have, but also take a look at all the clever paper goods that are available to hold sides and desserts. 
  5. Don’t forget to get the kids involved. Kids can pass around trays of individual appys and help prepare those decorative shakes. The more people involved, in the safest way… the better!

There are lots of ways to celebrate what is a most important American holiday, but there’s only one way to make it perfect. And that is by sharing it with your friends and family who you love and who love you back! 

Happy Fourth, everyone.

And here are a couple of my favorite recipes for you to try.

Spicy Potato Salad

Ingredients

Potato salad is a picnic and cold supper staple. When spiced up with a little hot sauce, it becomes a devilish addition to most everyday meals. Feel free to make this day a day in advance to allow the spicy flavors to marry with the potatoes.

5 pounds small red creamer potatoes, cut into ¼-inch pieces

1 bunch (6 to 8) green onions, chopped (about ½ cup)

½ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup sour cream

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon paprika

4 to 6 drops hot pepper sauce

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Servings:   6 – 8

Time:  30 minutes, plus chilling

glazed lemon cake with berry sauce

Boil the potatoes in salted water until just tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.  Drain and place into a bowl.

Add the onions to the bowl. Stir together the mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard paprika and hot sauce.  Pour this mixture over the potatoes. Toss the potatoes with the dressing.

Season with salt and pepper and if you like with additional hot pepper sauce.

Chill the salad for 1 hour or overnight.  Sprinkle the salad with fresh cilantro.

Beer Basted Baby Back Ribs with Jack Daniels Barbecue Sauce

Ingredients

This is a foolproof way to prepare moist, tender, and never over-cooked ribs. By steaming the ribs in a slow oven, the meat cooks in advance of grilling; therefore, the time spent grilling is significantly reduced.

For ribs:

6 pounds baby back ribs

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Garlic powder

1 (12-ounce) can beer

For sauce:

1 (16-ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 cup cider vinegar

½ cup dark molasses

¼ cup canola oil

¼ cup Jack Daniels whiskey

2 tablespoons prepared mustard

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

4 or more drops hot pepper sauce

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Servings:   4 – 6 

Time:  Several hours in the oven and about 20 minutes on the grill

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Season the ribs with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Place them onto a rack in the bottom of a large roasting pan.  Pour the beer into the pan.  Cover the pan with aluminum foil.  Place the pan into the oven.  Cook until the ribs are quite tender, but not falling off the bone, about 2 to 3 hours.

For the sauce, bring the tomatoes, vinegar, molasses, canola oil, whiskey, mustard, chili powder, cinnamon, and as much hot pepper sauce as you like, to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat.  Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

Transfer the ribs to an outdoor grill over medium-high heat.  Cook, turning often until well browned, about 15 to 20 minutes.  Baste the ribs with sauce during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Transfer the ribs to a board and slice into individual servings.

Invite guests to bring their plates to you and serve with a drizzle of extra sauce on the side.

Behold, the Picnic Trio, A.K.A., All You Need to Eat This Summer

Behold, the Picnic Trio, A.K.A., All You Need to Eat This Summer

by | May 13, 2016 | Holiday, Provisions, Salad, Side Dish, Summer

From my book: SUNDAY BEST DISHES

For those of us who live on the East coast, summer has arrived! I love the heady smell of magnolias and gardenias when I’m out for a walk. Every morning in my kitchen is a new day for pulling farmers market finds out of the crisper, and whipping something up that goes straight back into the fridge, so I can have it chilled later on. This particular morning – Friday the 13th – I found it hard not to nibble on the freshly made trio, just as soon as the potatoes cooled down enough to spear with my mayo stained fork!

With Memorial Day here at the end of this month, I’m revisiting my best Sunday Best Dishes for outdoor BBQs and potlucks. I had forgotten how much fantastic food each of these recipes yield. I almost didn’t make one (of the 3) because I was running out of room in my refrigerator! Not to worry, though. I simply ate the watermelon and freed up the space. God, I love summer!

Here are my foolproof recipes, sure to make your next al fresco dining experience extra sunny and bright – you can pack these up in paper cartons, like these pictured above (available just about anywhere, including the dollar store), or simply serve it in your favorite bowl – the more colorful, the better!

Purple Potato Salad

I have a confession to make. When I made this favorite summer salad this week, I didn’t have purple potatoes. I was also onion deprived, and forced to use a white one. On top of THAT, I had yellow mustard and no Dijon. But guess what? The salad was still delicious, and is already gone…gobbled up.

2 pounds baby purple potatoes

1 pound baby red potatoes

2 large celery stalks, trimmed and diced, about ½ cup

¼ red onion, diced, about ⅓ cup

4 large radishes, trimmed and diced, about ⅓ cup

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

1 cup good quality mayonnaise

½ cup sour cream

2 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon coarse black pepper

            Bring a pot of salted water to boil over high heat. Add the potatoes and cook until soft, about 10 to 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes and cool slightly. Cut the potatoes into ½-inch pieces and place into a bowl. Add the celery, onion, radishes and dill. Whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, salt and pepper. Pour the sauce into the bowl and toss to coat all of the veggies. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

 

Toasted Corn and Poblano Slaw

OMG – nothing on Earth need stop you from making this. This recipe produces enough salad to fill a truck bed, and is so full of complex tangy, zesty, spicy flavor, it’s a go to every summer. No worries if you don’t have a food processor. You can safely shred the veggies with your hands, or Ninja knife skills. It’s fine to substitute frozen corn kernels for fresh off the ear, too.

½ head red cabbage

½ head Nappa cabbage

2 large carrots

1 large poblano pepper, seeded, and deveined

¼ red onion, peeled

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 ears of corn

1 cup good quality mayonnaise

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon sour cream

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon coarse black pepper

 

Use a food processor to shred the cabbages, pepper and red onion. Place all of the vegetables into a large bowl. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Cut the kernels from the corn and place into the pan. Cook until the kernels are just golden, about 3 to 5 minutes. Pour the corn into the bowl with the veggies. Whisk together the mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, sour cream, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Pour the dressing over the vegetables. Toss to coat. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

 

Pasta Primavera Salad

This Sunday Best Dish is unbelievably healthy, and works just as well with red wine vinegar if that’s all you’ve got. I had to know if this was true, so I tested it both ways!

1 pound baby pasta shells

2 pounds fresh broccoli florets, about 4 cups

1 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil

4 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated, about 1 cup

Juice of 1 large lemon, about ¼ cup

¼ cup white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard

2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon coarse black pepper

½ cup olive oil

Cook the pasta in salted, boiling water until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Pour the pasta into a large bowl. Steam the broccoli florets until crisp-tender. Roughly chop and add to the bowl.  Chop the sun-dried tomatoes and add to the bowl. Pour the cheese into the bowl. Whisk together the lemon juice, white wine vinegar, mustard, garlic, salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Happy Memorial Day, friends! Here’s to you and the awesome picnics on your horizon

Okay, all – time to pack it in, and I mean literally. I’m gearing up to put this holy trinity of summer salads into cartons, and head for the beach. Let me know why you’re a big dill this holiday weekend…sorry, always love a good pun!