4th of July must have groceries and recipes for an stress free celebration

4th of July is a celebration that is worthy of thinking  a bit ahead to insure ultimate relaxation.  With a little foresight on your grocery shopping, you will be laughing and feeling carefree with the rest of your family and friends.

Everything here can be made several days ahead. GREAT TIP: Chicken can even be barbecued in the morning and “finished” on the grill last minute with sauce to crisp-up the skin, heat through and glaze meat to glistening perfection. Beans, 'kraut and hot dogs take only minutes to barbecue so you are not slaving away at the hot grill!

Start with a simple menu plan:

• Ice Iced Tea-Lemonade- Consider making 1 1/2 big pitchers of Lipton Cold Brewed Tea (the regular, black tea flavor is my favorite). Sweeten the 1/2 gallon sized pitcher with superfine sugar (Domino brand is good, it dissolves quickly) and a quart of store bought lemonade. Turkey Hill is a reliable brand. Keep the gallon sized pitcher unsweetened for those who want it plain.

• Frozen Margarita’s- Lt. Blender’s (from Texas) has come up with a fantastic, unique, product which will knock the socks off your guests feet! Sold in Waldbaum’s and found on line (use this code through August 31, '06 for free shipping freeshipli),  Lt. Blenders is all natural, and has spot on flavor. Add Jose Cuervo Tequila and some Triple Sec according to the directions on the back of the pouch. Shake with a bit of warm water and freeze away. You will have 16 big, slushy frozen alcoholic beverages that taste right out of your favorite Mexican restaurants bar. Lt. Blender’s also comes in other varieties such as Mojito (MMMmmmm- real mint flavor; or Pina Colada. There are also wine coolers and sugar free varieties as well, just not all natural)
•  Beer- try some Miller Chill. This lime flavored beer is basically a light beer but has big flavor. With a touch of lime, it is refreshing and delicious.
•  Tortilla Chips with:

Homemade salsa

Ingredients

• 1 28 oz can Redpack crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup fresh cilantro
• 1 clove of garlic, 1 diced small Vidalia onion
• 1 chopped fresh jalapeno
• 1 tbs. kosher salt and black pepper.

Directions

• Pulse all ingredients, several times, in a blender, allowing some chunks to remain for texture
• Will keep in refrigerator for 1 week tightly covered

• Guacamole consider purchasing Wholly Guacamole. Sold in the produce section of most supermarkets, this "guac" is bright in flavor, color, taste and freshness!  Made with only fresh ingredients and sold in Cryovac packaging insures that no preservatives are used. To garnish this superb product, fold in some diced fresh onions or tomatoes. However, this is a stand alone product.
•  Pulled Pork Sliders (store bought  at Trader Joe’s Barbecue Chicken or....)

Easy Homemade Pulled Pork

Ingredients

• 2 lb boneless pork roast
• 1 jar of your favorite bbq sauce (I do not get fancy here. Cheap brands work best for this)
• 1 tbs. apple cider vinegar

Directions

• Place pork on high in a slow cooker and cook for for 6 hours along with ½ bottle of your favorite bbq sauce 
• Remove meat, discard juices, shred meat in separate bowl and add the rest of the bbq sauce plus 1 tbs. of apple cider vinegar
• Can be made a couple of days ahead and reheated in microwave
• Serve on Sara Lee wheat buns or Pepperidge Farm Slider buns

Barbecued Chicken

do yourself and your guests a favor by taking the extra step by brining.  Your chicken will be succulent and juicy!

Brine for your chicken

Ingredients

• 1 cup of salt,
• 1 cup of sugar
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 cloves of whole garlic
• 1 gallon water

 Directions

• In seal and lock bag, place chicken pieces in brine and refrigerate for 4-6 hours. 
• Discard brining liquid and dry chicken pieces on paper towel before cooking 

Chicken

Ingredients

•  brined chicken pieces
• salt and pepper to taste
• canola oil
• tangy, spicy sauce (I like Peter Luger Sauce here)

Directions

• Heat grill to medium high
• oil chicken and season with salt and pepper
• place chicken on grill skin side down
• cook for 12 minutes on each side, turning chicken 1/4 turn once on each side
• Chicken can be taken off at this point and reheated and glazed later for quick cooking
• If finishing chicken now, glaze chicken with sauce on each side, cooking for 3-4 minutes per side
• Chicken is done when internal temperature reaches 165'
• Serve with more sauce on the side

• Hot dogs  3 favorites: Hebrew National for pure Kosher, beef flavor and a great snap; Oscar Meyer, all beef, for a smokier flavor- perfect size; and Nathan’s for a hot dog worthy of a contest (see last year's contst in the video below) with more of a "summer fair-type" of mild flavor and a salty finish. Serve on Martin's potato buns.
•  fixings such as relish (a guilty pleasure from B&G brand), Gulden’s mustard, Heinz ketchup
• Baked Beans -Bush’s Grillin Beans are my new ALL TIME favorite (Bourbon and Brown Sugar variety!!!) and....
• store brand Sauerkraut remove paper from open cans and heat directly on grates for a no pot side! Remove hot beans and kraut to serving bowls
• Pickles -Ba Tampte dill pickles in the Kosher section.  Great pickle flavor and a crispy, crunchy bite!

Homemade Cole Slaw

Ingredients

• 1 small head of green cabbage, shredded
• 1 small white onion
• 1 cup Hellmann's Real Mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbs. fresh lemon juice
• 1 tbs. Dijon mustard (I like Grey Poupon)
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 tbs. Hot sauce (I like Crystal)
• 1 tbs. celery salt
• 1/4 cup dry parsley flakes

Directions

• Mix all ingredients together except cabbage and onion
• Toss dressing with cabbage and onion
• Refrigerate for up to 3 days ahead

The Dessert

• Bomb Pops (a 4th of July must have!) AND Ice Cream Sandwiches (Carefully add a  scoop of your favorite ice cream, softened on the counter for 10 minutes between 2 Tate's chocolate chip cookies. Freeze overnight)
• Watermelon buy a baby- seedless.  They have been spotted for under $5 at many stores!  Now's the time to get all sticky from the juices!
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Don't forget the Ice-start making your cubes and packing up in a seal and lock bag now. You can never have enough ice. Or… invest in bagged ice. If stored properly, it will last a good, long time.

Also, don’t forget the NEW RED SOLO SQUARED CUPS (which also come in blue too). If you plan on using paper plates, try Solo’s new Eco-friendly brand, BARE.  They look great, are sturdy and this company is doing a better job at making disposable a less guilty pleasure.

Have a great July 4th!  Please drink responsibly and tell your family and friends you love them and laugh a lot!  We all have a lot to be thankful for!

If you enjoyed this article, please subscribe to my Examiner page, and visit these other articles:

Shrimp cocktail recipe

Top 5 summer snacks worth eating 

The NY Beer Pairing Examiner for other great 4th of July recipes and the beers to go with them!