July Fourth Recipes

There is nothing wrong with ripping open a bag of chips, setting out some salsa or dip and calling it a day, but if you want to cook something up, these snacks and appetizers fit the bill for easy, summery, July Fourth entertaining:

• Homemade Potato Chips (easier than you thought)
• Baked Sweet Potato Fries (fun, sweet, and low-fat)
• Buttermilk Fried Green Beans (seriously, green beans have never tasted so good)
• Crispy Eggplant Sticks (serve with Tabasco, you're welcome)
• Green Pea Crostini (so pretty!)
• Grilled Eggplant Dip (easy and impressive)
• Pan Con Tomat (you may never have realized how delicious simply a ripe tomato and garlic rubbed on bread could be)

The old saying may have had corn stalks "knee high by the Fourth of July," but plenty of areas find themselves awash in sweet corn at the beginning of July. Sweet corn recipes particularly suited to July Fourth include:

• Corn Avocado Salad (works as a salsa or dip too!)
• Corn, Tomato, Basil Salad (as pretty as it is delicious)
• Grilled Sweet Corn (pop it on the grill - easy peasy)
• Spicy Sauteed Corn (mkae it a bit ahead and serve it luke warm)

For more great sweet corn recipes, see Top 10 Sweet Corn Recipes.

These 10 Great Salads and Slaws are perfect for July Fourth – they use fresh, summer produce and are designed to travel, or simply sit, as needed. They also can all be doubled or tripled if your party takes on larger proportions.

The ultimate July Fourth side is, of course, corn (see above). A close second has to be grilled vegetables. Any vegetable. Seriously, did you know you can even grill romaine lettuce? Yum. A platter of grilled vegetables can be made ahead of time and served warm or even at room temperature to great effect.

It's all about the grill on July Fourth:

• 10 Tips for Great Grilling
• 10 Steps to Perfect Burgers
• How to Grill the Perfect Steak
• 5 Steaks to Grill
• How to Grill Delicious Ribs
• How to Grill Salmon
• How to Grill a Whole Fish
• Grilled Chicken (or try this Olive-Crusted Chicken on the grill)
• Grilled Mussels

Or, go big and make a full Santa Maria Barbecue!

Any summer dessert is all about the fruit... or the ice cream. These Red, White, and Blue Desserts are onviously perfect for July Fourth, although honestly any of these Sweet Summer Desserts are equally tempting, whether you're in the mood for homemade sorbet, easy berry crisp, a fresh baked pie, or just throwing some ripe fruit on the grill.