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Did You Know?
The word "picnic" comes from
the French word "pique-nique" meaning "a
fashionable social entertainment" in which each guest brings
a contribution to the feast. In other words, pique-nique
was a fancy way of saying "potluck."
July
4th Top
Hat
Cake
For years now, when I think of the 4th of July, I have had a mental
flash of the Uncle Sam Poster where he has his finger pointing at
you and says “I
want YOU."
One of the things that strike me is his Top Hat. That Hat has
fascinated me for some reason, so I decided to do something about
it.
Check
out Peggy's
July 4th Top Hat Cake
recipe and tutorial!
 Have a Safe and Fun 4th of July Holiday
Food safety is the most important part
of picnic planning, as food can spoil very quickly out of
refrigeration. It is important to keep food safety in mind
when planning for and packing a picnic.
Buffet and
Party Safety - Have a safe and fun party.
Food Safety
- The golden rules of food safety
Picnic
Safety Tips -
There is also one sure thing at every
picnic-lots of good food. The important point is to have safe and
healthy food, not food that can cause food borne illness.
Summer
Safety Tips
-
Summer is the time for barbecues and picnics. The biggest party
crasher at summer picnic and buffets is food borne bacteria. You
can't see them, you can't taste them - but you sure can feel
them if illness occurs hours or days later.
Using a Cooking
or Meat Thermometer
Purchase and Use a Good Instant-Read Thermometers
Meat and Seafood Internal Temperature Cooking
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4th of July Recipes, Advice, and More!
Each year on July 4, Americans
celebrate that freedom and independence with barbecues, picnics,
parades, fireworks, and family gatherings. So - let's celebrate our
country's fight for freedom!
How about an old-fashioned 4th of July Picnic?
How about fried chicken,
potato salad, baked beans, lemonade or sweet tea, and apple pie?
If this sounds good, check out my
Old-Fashioned 4th of July Picnic
(recipes
included).
Perfectly Planned Picnics
The hard part of all this outdoor
dining, besides the no-see-ums, is all that organizing. Every time
you turn around you’re trying to figure out what to pack, what to
bring, what you might need. It seems nearly every weekend; I’m
turning in a circle in the middle of the kitchen trying to figure
out what I forgot to pack. To make picnicking and outdoor dining
easier, I created a checklist which I keep in my picnic basket. I
keep adding to it. I’ve added it here to make your summer more
organized.
Favorite American 4th of July Foods
The
Fourth of July has become synonymous with the barbecue, outdoor
cooking, and summer fun. While variations are as numerous, there are
still favorite dishes and foods which immediately come to mind when
one thinks of 4th of July or Independence Day. Check out the
following great recipes:
 Hamburgers/Cheeseburgers
The elements of the perfect
hamburger are a patty of ground beef in a soft round bun, served with ketchup, pickles,
and onions. You may add other condiments, whatever you like, but the meat itself must be
of prime quality or it’s not worth the effort. What people prefer on
their hamburger can vary from region to region in the United States.
 Fried Chicken
The quintessential southern
dish is fried chicken. There are as many recipes for fried chicken as there are
southern cooks, with most being passed down through generations.
This
classic American dish is though to have developed in the latter half of the
eighteenth century from the traditional fricasee or frigasee that was served in
most homes in the south.
 Cajun Fried Turkey
This is the best way of cooking a turkey
I've ever tasted.
The turkey is anything but greasy as
the deep-frying process seals the outside and the turkey remains
incredibly juicy, while the skin gets wonderfully crispy.
These fried turkeys were a big hit at our festival!
 Louisiana Crawfish Boil
Crawfish boils are wonderful messy affairs, best
suited for the outdoors. Boiling crawfish is a
festive event and eating it is thirsty work, so we
made sure to have lots of beer on hand.
More Family Favorites:
Favorite Potato Salad,
Baked or
Barbecued Beans,
Pie Recipes
-
All your favorite pies (apple, blackberry, lemon meringue, and
many more pies),
Grilled Corn On The Cob,
Old-Fashioned Lemonade,
and
Sweet Tea.
Great Grilling and Barbecuing
Take advantage of the weather and fire up the grill
on the Fourth of July – Check out these great grilling and
barbecuing recipes to help make your holiday event a masterpiece
your Fourth
of July guests will love. There is something compelling about the
smell of food being cooked over a charcoal pit, open flame or
barbecue.
Barbecue, Grilling and Smoking Recipes
Beef, Pork, Poultry, Fruit & Vegetable Recipes
 North Carolina Pig Pickin'
Any month of the year is good for a pig pickin' in North Carolina. The
barbecue style will vary according to what area you're in: In the eastern
part of the state, the entire pig (split down the middle) is cooked, and the
sauce is made with vinegar and pepper. In the western part, only pig
shoulders are cooked, and a tomato-based finishing sauce is used. Unlike
other food preparation in the South, which is usually dominated by women, barbecue is a male domain.
 Beer Butt Chicken - Beer Can Chicken - Drunken Chicken
Beer Can Chicken, Drunken Chicken, Beer
Butt Chicken - no matter what you call it, this is a delicious way to
barbecue a whole chicken. This chicken is the juiciest cooked chicken you'll
ever try! The beer inside the can steams the chicken making it so tender and
juicy. Do this recipe when you are having a group of people over. Everyone
likes to watch the preparation and the cooking of this chicken as it looks so
weird on the barbecue grill. Great entertainment!
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