Your July 4th menus
Here's what all of you Boston.com self-styled chefs will be serving up this weekend. At least, what you say you'll be serving.
NOTE: Entries are screened, but not edited for spelling and grammar mistakes.
Bookmark this page to read more entries or return via www.boston.com, keyword "meals."
Marilyn, 30, from Cambridge
I just hopped online to read the news (love that Andy story) and saw this menus
thing. We're about to grill steak that has been sitting in a pool of port wine barbecue
sauce since this morning. We're also having red bliss potato salad with ham, egg
and celery, and a green salad with raisins and walnuts. Yum!
Brenda, 39, from Boston
Hot dogs (real, not lite)
Barbecued chicken
Corn on the cob
Brownies � la mode
Jerry, 51, from Dalton, NH
Black Angus T-bone steaks with a splashing of balsamic vinegar on hot coals served with boiled baby red potatoes and a salad of cherry tomatoes and fresh basil, virgin olive oil and lemon juice. desert of grapefruit sections and fresh bluberries sprinkled with maple sugar. Asti Spumonti ice cold.
T Frost, 32, from Watertown
Hot dogs for lunch. With cheese & onions.
Beef kabobs for dinner. Beef, peppers, onions & mushrooms.
Beer. Beer. & Beer.
Joanna, 31, from Woburn
Cheese and Fruit. Champagne and Cold Shrimp.
Grilled Portabella Mushrooms with Tomato and Basil Salsa and topped with Melted Chevre
Boujelais.
Crab stuffed cod fillets.
Vietnamese cole slaw.
Steamed carrots.
White wine.
Blueberry Cobbler.
Vanilla Ice Cream.
Port.
Kristen, 22, from Fitchburg
Garden burgers, veggie kabobs, Blue totilla chips with guacamole, Mike's Hard Lemonade, Bass Ale, Cold peanut noodles salad with Chinese vegetables!
Kathy, 34, from Scituate
Grilled swordfish marinated in orange juice, olive oil, soy sauce, maple syrup, oregano, and garlic. Sounds weird but it's delicious!
Along with steamed cauliflower and homemade french fries! And a trip to the local ice cream stand for dessert!
Nancy, from Billerica
We'll be spending the day at my brother's in Burlington. (He has a
pool) Our menu will be typical of many posted here: hot dogs,
burgers, ribs, ice cold beer and soda. For a bit of a twist we will
also be serving steamers (yum!). A really easy way to prepare
corn on the cob is to toss it on the grill husk and all. When the
outside begins to blacken, it's ready. Just peel off the husks and
butter it up. Happy 4th to all, get real!
Monika, 24, from Watertown
Geez, I feel like a real gourmand compared to everyone
else's plans that have been posted! But I'm a personal chef,
I'm catering a friend's party, so what can one expect!!
I am vegan, so I will be having tofu hot dogs, but I am making herbed hamburgers
(I got the recipe from Bon Appetit), honey-mustard chicken
(nice and hot and spicy), BBQ chicken, roasted potato salad
with sage, mixed green salad with honey-lime (fat-free!)
dressing, roasted balsamic veggies (eggplant, summer squash,
zucchini, Vidalia onions, red and yellow peppers), marinated tomato basil salad,
and summer pasta salad (scallions, red and yellow peppes, shallots,
celery, the usual suspects with a light citrusy dressing).
Hmm, I'm getting hungry already. (And no, not all vegans/vegetarians
freak out at the sight of meat.)
Nancy, 33, from Norwood
Oysters on the half shell,
Grilled Shrimp Salad,
Marinated Steak Tips, Chicken Wings and Salmon Steaks with Grilled Seasoned Vegetables and Pasta Salad. American Flag Cake to end.
Sue, 30, from Woburn
The biggest hit is always the boneless chicken breast, marinated in olive oil, lime juice and a little soy sauce, then coated with cajun spices just before grilling.
Peter, 30, from Quincy
Shrimp & lobster tail barbecue
also Buffallo burgers and chicken.
Carlene, 28, from Taunton
Commies and Squirrels...
hot dogs, hamburgers, and linguica sandwiches.
Nancy, 31, from N. Quincy
Pasta twists, diced red and green peppers, sliced black olives, shreaded carrots, grape tomatoes, diced cucumber (skinned)
Covered with a vinegar and oil seasoned dressing.
Allyson, 22, from Stoughton
My All-American Fourth of July menu consists of all the things I wouldn't usually eat:
hot dogs, hamburgers, potato Salad, garden salad, potato chips, ice cream, popsicles, cookies, brownies, and lots of soda.
Of course, I'll have to diet for the rest of the summer, but it's worth it.
Saffron, 27, from West Barnstable
At our cookout, I'll be serving an excellent chili.
I got this recipe out of the Globe in 1996, and it is great.
It's called "Chicken Chili with Sweet Red Pepper and Carrots.''
It's where I first got the idea to add carrots to chili.
I adjusted it, adding more chicken than the recipe called for.
It's low fat, for a bonus, but doesn't taste it.
Here are the ingredients:
2 teaspoons canola or corn oil
1 1/4 (one and a quarter) pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed of all fat and cut in one-half-inch cubes
1 large onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings
1 large sweet red pepper, diced
1 1/2 (one and a half) cups (quarter-inch) diced carrots
1 (16-ounce) can white kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (4-ounce) canned, chopped green chilies
3/4 (three-quarters) teaspoon of oregano, crushed between your fingers
1/2 (half) teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons lime juice
Salt optional
2 cups reduced-salt canned chicken broth or unsalted chicken stock
Hot cooked rice
In a large, non-stick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat.
Add the chicken and cook until it no longer looks raw.
Transfer chicken to a large plate with double-thick paper towels.
Add onion, red pepper, carrots, and 2 tablespoons of water to skillet.
Mix with a large spoon.
Cover and cook over low heat until onion is soft, about 10 minutes.
Return chicken to skillet.
Stir in beans, chilies, oregano, cumin, lime juice, salt and broth.
Cook, uncovered, until chili comes to a gentle boil.
Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 35 minutes or until carrots are tender and the mixture is of chili consistency.
Stir occasionally.
Serve over hot cooked rice.
Serves 4.
Dougie-Fresh, 21, from Wilmington
You want DELICIOUS BBQ CHICKEN? Check this out.
Combine:
- Kraft's Brown Sugar bbq sauce
- a garlic & herb chicken marinade (whateva brand your store carries)
- 1/4 stick of melted margarine
- a lil': paprika, celery salt, and garlic powder
Marinate for 24 hours (or as many as you can), and grill on LOW
until its ready. GUARANTEED TO MAKE ANY MOUTH WATER
Anonymous
Excellent Easy Pasta Salad
Bow tie pasta, artichoke hearts, black olives, plum tomatoes, fresh crumbled feta cheese and ceaser salad dressing.,,,
Gman, 27, from Danvers
I'll Be the Chef at this years family cookout on Sunday! I will be cooking up some Big fat juicy Burgers with some Chicken and Chicken Legs along with some Pasta and potato salad. Hopefully I wont burn down the back yard like I did a few years ago! I will also make some nice refreshing jello shots for our guests. What I like to do is for each different color of Jello, I add Different amounts of alcohol. It should be a interesting fun and hot long weekend!
Linda, from North of Boston
I'm making a Spicy Flank Steak, Red Potato Salad, Grilled Corn on the Cob with a Spicy Lime Butter, and Key Lime Pie for dessert!
Here's the recipe for the steak:
Hot & Spicy Flank Steak
Shake the following together in a clean jar with a tight lid until well blended:
1/4 c. vegetable oil
2 T. balsamic vinegar
2 T. sherry
2 T. soy sauce
2 T. brown sugar
1 1/2 t. red pepper flakes
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
1 t. paprika
1 t. chili powder
1/2 t. garlic powder with parsley
Score across the grain on both sides a 1-1/2 lbs. flank steak. Place the steak in a zip-top plastic bag and pour the marinade over the steak and seal the bag.
Marinate in the refrigerator for at least an hour, or up to eight hours.
Remove steak from marinade, reserving marinade for basting.
Grill or broil steak for 10-12 minutes, or until desired doneness, turning once and basting often with marinade.
Discard any remaining marinade. To serve, thinly slice steak on the diagonal across the grain.
Mary, 32, from Boston
Chicken Kebabs and Gazpacho Soup. As well as the usual hot dogs, burgers, pasta salad and chips.
Ken, 53, from Nashua, NH
1. I first make the non grill items such as the potato salad:
2lbs potatoes
!/4 tsp taragon vinger
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup mayo
1 medium onion chpped corse
2 stalks of cerley
2 tbs pickle relesh
Cut potatoes into chuncks and boil for 12 minutes.
Combine all ingerents in a bowl and refergiate overnight
2. Ear Sweet corn put in alum foil with marg or butter and slow cooked on the grill.
3. Vegetable salad make with the following
Spainich
Romane Lettace
Radishes
Cerley
Mushrooms
Tomatoes
Slivered Carrots
Eaten with choice of dressing
3. Ribeye Steaks marinated in Olivo Oil and different Spices
4. Chicken that has been boiled in water with spices and my homemade barbecue sauce
5. Deseret
Either Fresh Fruit or Banna Pudding
Paul, 50, from Cambridge
Boneless, butterflied 10 lb. lamb leg smothered with chutney, rolled into
pinwheels then BBQ'd with a fresh mint sauce. Grilled sweet potato
rounds. Baked vidalia onions w/ balsmaic vinegarette. Ice cream
with homemade fresh fruit sauce. Sangria.
Sound like fun for an anniversary party?
Libby, 31, from Arlington
A relative works for a seafood company, so we're having a seafood 4th!
Other goodies include: salad, fruit, and angel-food cake w/whipped cream.
TIM, 40, FROM BOSTON
TOFU "DOGS" IN BEER BATTER - WHOLE WHEAT BUNS. TOFU BLOCK CUT INTO LONG RECTANGLES, DROPPED IN AN EGG/FLOUR/BEER BATTER AND PAN FRIED TO FIRM, THEN TURNED ON THE GRILL FOR MESQUITE SMOKED TASTE. SERVED ON BUN WITH ALL THE TRIMMINGS.
5-6 MIN. STEAMED CORN ON THE COB...(NO BOILING AWAY THAT SUGAR!)
MARINATED (LEMON SESAME OIL BASE & BALSAMIC) GRILLED MIXED VEGETABLES - BIG CHUNKS OF ZUCCHINI, CARROTS, ONIONS, CELERY - USE A FISH BARBECUE BASKET FOR FLIPPING AND KEEPING THE VEGIES INTACT.
AND, A FAMILY TRADITION: WARM GERMAN POTATO (RED BLISS) SALAD.
DESSERT? WHAT ELSE...A TOFU CREME BRULEE (FROM AN INTERNET RECIPE SITE) IN PLASTIC SEE THRU CUPS.
AND, CHILLED WATERMELON - ORGANICALLY GROWN.
Tony, 29, from Dorcester
Barbecued chicken,
Spareribs,
Italian sausage,
steak,
hot dogs,
hamburgers,
ceasar salad,
macaroni salad,
baked beans
Dessert:
Yogurt Pie
Dottie, 34, from Arlington
I've got a great barbecue recipe that works on steak, chicken, hamburgers,
hot dogs -- you name it! It's very, very easy --just take your favorite bottled barbecue sauce and add Kahlua. I know it sounds weird, but it is really, really delicious.
