What Are Your Plans for the 4th of July?

[Chef Munky]

Ahhhh summer time. A time for swimmin' and sinnin'

Were probably going to Q dinner.
Watch the fireworks show that the next city over is having.
Grab a lounge chair and watch the neighbor kids having a good time.
They can really light up the street.
Most towns around here have banned fireworks. Every town but ours.

I'll soak the back yard and get the firepit going. Roast some marshmallows.
Hot dogs for the puppies. You can't have the 4th without smores. It's un American!

 

[Addie]

I will probably go up to my daughter's house. Sit on the lounger I left behind when I moved, drinking soda. She usually has a BBQ going on holidays and weekends.

She also has a pool. But the ladder is just too much for me to climb. But, since I have lost all this weight, I just may give it a try this year.

If I don't go there, I will take a ride on my scooter to the beach up the street and bring my sewing with me. BK is right across the street. Get me a bit soda. Sit under the tree at a bench and table. Watch the planes line up for takeoff across the water. And work on my sewing.

 

[Andy M.]

My family is coming here for a cookout Sunday. There will be pool time for the young un and anyone else who likes.

I am making yelangi, an Armenian appetizer of stuffed grape leaves with rice, olive oil, onion and tomato served cold; itch, another Armenian appetizer made with tomato, onion, oil and fine bulgar served with pita. Marinated beef souvlaki with pita, tzatziki and fresh veggies to top the sandwich. There will also be a salad and desserts.

The yelangi is a surprise for the family. They all love it and don't get it often.

SO is making a chocolate cream pie and cream cheese brownies and we'll have ice cream.

SO is also making her signature sangria.

 

[Dawgluver]

DH's birthday. I have no idea what we're doing, but a bunch of restaurants here give free meals to the birthday boy or girl. Heck, why not?

 

[Steve Kroll]

No fixed plans here. I may bottle some wine that day.

 

[GotGarlic]

I haven't planned our food yet, but in the evening, we're planning to head downtown for the fireworks. We have a tandem bicycle; we put it in the back of DH's pickup and park in a neighborhood closer to downtown, then ride the bike to the riverfront. We'll eat early and then I'll pack a snack and some wine to enjoy while we watch the show.

 

[roadfix]

My wife picked up some skirt steaks and 6 racks of baby backs from Costco a couple of days ago and told me to prepare myself to cook these on Monday. I guess we're expecting a few people over.

She's been nagging me to shade the pergola so I finally ordered a 20x20 shade cloth from Amazon the other day. Now that should arrive tomorrow and I'll spend part of Saturday installing that over the pergola.

 

[rodentraiser]

I'm just staying home that day and maybe using the rest of the shrimp to make some more garlic shrimp. Then in the evening, I'm going over to a local cemetery. The parking lot is way up on a hill and from there, I can see the fireworks from one end of the town to the other and the city fireworks in the distance.

I can also see down to the bay and usually every year people will set off their fireworks on the beach.

I'll bring along a couple snacks and some Gatorade and a blanket to sit on. There will be 3 hours of non-stop boom boom boom and by about 11pm, there's so much smoke in the air it looks like haze. Yeah, I know, these are all good reasons for banning fireworks, but I love it.

 

[Cheryl J]

My son-in-laws birthday is on the 4th, so daughter and family made plans to head out of town for a few days.

Don't have definite plans yet, but my brother and I will probably grill some steaks mid day - I'll make a potato salad and fixins', then around dark I'll walk around the corner where I have a good view of the fairgrounds and watch the fireworks display.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

Loverly got herself a nice grill since we were here last, so we'll do cook-out. Hot dogs and kielbasa from the meat shop down in Amish country - they lightly smoke the hot dogs and WOW are they good. I'll make some potato salad and coleslaw, but Loverly insists the beans come from the little general store down the road. They make them fresh in-house and they definitely are good. Some cold beverages (Great Lakes or Hoppin' Frog beer ), maybe some ice cream, and just relax and enjoy family. Might look to see if the community between her place and Goober's is having fireworks. They have a grouping of small lakes; I'm sure the display would look extra-nice there.

 

[Addie]

I will probably go up to my daughter's house. Sit on the lounger I left behind when I moved, drinking soda. She usually has a BBQ going on holidays and weekends.

If I don't go there, I will take a ride on my scooter to the beach up the street and bring my sewing with me. BK is right across the street. Get me a small bite and soda. Sit under the tree at a bench and table. Watch the planes line up for takeoff across the water. And work on my sewing.

Well, my daughter is going to NH, so I am heading to the beach. Lunch will be from BK's children's menu. Child's Whopper, large soda.

 

[Souschef]

Well, my daughter is going to NH, so I am heading to the beach. Lunch will be from BK's children's menu. Child's Whopper, large soda.

Is it the one on Maverick Square?

 

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

My husband and I have become quite popular as of late.

We've moved two counties and 3 hours away, and I suppose folks just want to get to know us, what with our bubbling personalities and all.

Tomorrow, we are invited to two, yes 2 different soirees...

We'll being having luncheon at the adorable local winery with Mr&Mrs DF

and then an evening BBQ with Mr&Mrs New Landlord at a century old GingerBread home in downtown historic Prescott Arizona

Can't think what to take-along, but I've been told there is no need to.
Hmmm, howzabout a nice cold pitcher of pre-made Margaritas for the evening gathering, just saw a great recipe made with fresh squeezed limes and lemons.

As for the winery, it's catered, so...

 

[CraigC]

We are going to try our hands at making shawarma, using ground beef and lamb, on the Weber 22 rotisserie. Has anyone ever made it?

 

[kleenex]

Nothing is more American on July 4th than the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest.

How to watch Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest — Quartz

 

[Steve Kroll]

We are going to try our hands at making shawarma, using ground beef and lamb, on the Weber 22 rotisserie. Has anyone ever made it?

I've made the Greek gyros equivalent. One of the tricks, in my opinion, is getting a fine enough grind on the meat, so that it's almost like a dense paste.

I haven't tried it on my rotisserie, but rather just bake it in the oven or set it on the grill grates, and it comes out good.

The reason I haven't done it on the rotisserie is because I have this fear of the entire thing breaking apart and falling into the fire. I have yet to come up with an idea for securing it to the spit. I'll be interested in seeing how it works for you.

 

[Cheryl J]

Sounds like some fun plans and good eats for those who have posted so far!
(No watching any kind of hot dog eating contests for me, though. Ugh.)

 

[CraigC]

I've made the Greek gyros equivalent. One of the tricks, in my opinion, is getting a fine enough grind on the meat, so that it's almost like a dense paste.

I haven't tried it on my rotisserie, but rather just bake it in the oven or set it on the grill grates, and it comes out good.

The reason I haven't done it on the rotisserie is because I have this fear of the entire thing breaking apart and falling into the fire. I have yet to come up with an idea for securing it to the spit. I'll be interested in seeing how it works for you.

For the first 45 minutes it is wrapped in foil after being in the freezer for 2 hours. The meat was turned into a paste before being wrapped and tied. Cross your fingers!

 

[Addie]

Sounds like some fun plans and good eats for those who have posted so far!
(No watching any kind of hot dog eating contests for me, though. Ugh.)

I hear ya on that one. But I always watch the Boston Pops Concert every year. When I was younger I used to go to it every single year. Wouldn't dream of missing it.

 

[medtran49]

For the first 45 minutes it is wrapped in foil after being in the freezer for 2 hours. The meat was turned into a paste before being wrapped and tied. Cross your fingers

Just to elaborate, it was tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and compacted like the foie gras au torchon I made a few weeks ago and has been in the fridge overnight. The plastic wrap will come off, it will be wrapped in foil, and then into freezer as above. We may have a change of plans and do this today, then something else on the Q tomorrow.