4th of july menu ideas

… or this picture is a decoy

Like many of you, 4th of July among a few other holidays make me think endless opportunities to cook, drink and be merry with friends – who can resist such joys?

Ever since living in America, I connect the memory of summer to some kind of a 4th of July celebration. Be it taking my parents to an overcrowded Brooklyn Heights Promenade, or a cook out with friends, each year holds some kind of a memory. However, when I think of my summers spent growing up in Russia, I think of my grandmother’s spacious apartment – sunlit, glorious, full of delicious food, my grandmother up at 6 o’clock in the morning to fix me and my cousin breakfast. Everything from scratch. Whole, fresh, local ingredients. And berries. Endless bowls of berries: gooseberries, strawberries, raspberries and currants in red, white and black variety. I would eat them until I could eat no more. I miss those days because it’s not that simple to find fresh currants in America. But when I found red currants at our green market for $3 a box, I felt like I found a hidden treasure and immediately grabbed two cartons!

While I am a bit low on content this week (on Monday, KS cooked us a killer meal of steamed wild salmon and sugar snap peas with curry-spiced couscous (did I get lucky or what?) and yesterday I was at work late so we ordered Peking duck and eggplant with garlic sauce – mmmmm), I’d like to revisit some of the dishes that might be good inspiration for your celebratory needs and excellent for group meals! I hope you find this useful and enjoyable.

Me – I’m planning on making a sour cherry pie among other goodies! And of course, I wish everyone a festive and safe Fourth of July!

The SassyRadish signature salad
Apple Pie
Awesome Spicy BBQ Wings
Heirloom Tomato Salad with Marinated Onions
White Bean Salad with Tomato and Basil
Pissaladiere

And over at Accidental Hedonist where I am guest blogging for another five months:
Tomatillo Black Bean Salsa
Smitten Kitchen’s Potato Salad
and
Watermelon Martinis (a must for every hot summer night celebration!)