The 4th of July: Celebrated With Food!

Okay, I will probably get some kind of awful award for just now posting this, but I promise that I had started the last two posts before this one! I got stuck in working up my totem pole and didn't even THINK about the fact that this post was about July 4th (which was exactly 4 days ago. But who's counting? Not me...apparently..). So anyway, I hope that you enjoy this post and, as a bonus, I'm going to give you a couple of recipes that we used to celebrate! It's the least that I can do for being so late. Seriously. So, here it goes. :)

I don't know about you, but the 4th of July is like Christmas when it comes to food. The only difference is that, since it's summer, I don't feel like I've gained 5 pounds when we're done! (And if I'm being honest, probably more than that!) It could be because I sweat so much in the 100+ degree heat of summer that I have burned off whatever I just consumed, or that just about everything we eat is full of fresh, mostly-homegrown vegetables! Whichever may be true, I'll go with it! 

My sister told me that this is one of her favorite holidays. She loves to dress for the occasion, and if you were able to see both of us that day, you probably also noticed that we were color-coordinated. Without planning. And we don't live in the same house. Sigh. Anyway, I love celebrating the 4th of July because it's a time to remember what our Nation was built for, who fought to start it, and who continues to fight for us to keep our freedom! Anyone that has served, is serving, or is going to serve: I salute you, and from the bottom of my heart, say "thank you!" Every year, we watch Sergeant York and 1776 (the musical). If you haven't seen these movies, I highly recommend BOTH!! (*There is language in 1776, so caution for little kids.) Watching these movies always helps to keep everything in perspective for me. I always get chills when I watch them because it is a constant reminder that nothing is ever free, but bought with a price! Anyway, enough preaching and more on food!

Our menu for this time of celebration, remembrance, and gratitude consisted of:

• Homegrown Green Beans with a (store-bought) Eggplant Caponata  (It's a veggie dip!)
• Stuffed Eggs
• Freshly-steamed Corn on the Cob
• Steamed Broccoli & Cauliflower
• Sweet-and-Sour Shrimp Kebabs
• Buffalo Chicken Skewers
• Patriotic Mousse
• Blueberry Cupcakes

I'm going to zoom in on the Shrimp and Chicken! I am an avid Food Network watcher/follower/lover. It's an addiction and I'm proud of it. I received my latest magazine from them about a week before the 4th, and I was immediately drawn to the section on kebabs. It is my goal to master the art of skewered meats and vegetables this year! (This is a heads-up for you. Brace yourselves for a lot of posts on the topic!) Don't ask me why I was drawn to the buffalo chicken. Spicy and I have a love/hate relationship. I didn't even have the buffalo wing sauce that was needed, so I made my own! To be honest, it was the best wing sauce that I have ever had! (No horn tooting here, it's just a plain ole' fact!) 

These skewers were so easy to make, and they looked AMAZING! I do recommend reading all the way through the recipes before you start though. If you don't, you'll end up like me and won't be able to marinate your chicken overnight!!!!

Unfortunately, the pictures that I took didn't turn out well (I should probably stop trying to take food pictures with my phone since the quality is so bad. When will I learn???), so at the end of each recipe you will find a picture of the kebab that was taken for Food Network Magazine/Online. I hope that you get to try these recipes at home!

Happy eating,

~HB~

Gina & Pat Neelys' Sweet-and-Sour Shrimp Kebabs

For the kebabs:

•  1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar (unseasoned)
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Zest of 1 lime, plus 2 limes, cut into wedges
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 tablespoon grated peeled ginger
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 pounds large shrimp (16 to 20 per pound), peeled and deveined
• Olive oil, for the grill

For the sauce:

• 1 teaspoon sweet chili sauce
• 1 cup peach preserves
• 1/4 cup hot Chinese mustard

Whisk together the canola oil, lime juice, brown sugar, vinegar, red pepper flakes, lime zest, garlic, ginger, basil and salt in a bowl. Put the shrimp in a large zip-top plastic bag and pour in the marinade. Refrigerate 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the sauce: Whisk the sweet chili sauce, peach preserves and mustard in a bowl.

Preheat a grill to medium high. Oil the grill rack. Thread the shrimp and lime wedges onto skewers. Grill 1 1/2 minutes on each side. Serve with the sauce.



Photograph by Antonis Achilleos 

 Jamie Deen's Buffalo Chicken Skewers

• 1 pound chicken tenders, cut into 1-inch cubes

• 1/3 cup Buffalo wing sauce
• Cooking spray
• About 30 bite-size pieces celery (about 5 stalks)
• About 30 grape tomatoes
• Blue cheese dressing, for serving

Combine the chicken and Buffalo wing sauce in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Spray a grill rack with cooking spray and preheat the grill to medium high.
Thread the chicken, celery and tomatoes onto skewers. Grill, covered, until the chicken is cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Serve with blue cheese dressing.

Photograph by Antonis Achilleos 

The Best-Ever Wing Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 stick butter
• 4 tablespoons brown sugar
• 5 tablespoons tomato sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon oregano, fresh or dried
• Dash beer (I left this out but if you feel so inclined, by all means, dash away)
• 1 dash hot sauce (I put a few. Actually...several!)

Melt butter and brown sugar together over medium heat in a small saucepan on stovetop. Add tomato sauce and hot sauce into mixture. Finally, add garlic, onion powder, white pepper, chili powder, salt, and oregano. Add a dash of beer, to taste. Stir over low heat until mixture is well blended.