Pre-Fourth Parties: My Blue Breeze Cocktail, DIY Buffet Bar, Easy Entertaining!

Am I the only person working this week? Seems as if everyone is already headed out of town or has taken the week off. That leads me to believe many of you will have house guests and start the party early Friday night. Since you're probably grilling on the 4th, you may need some ideas for Friday night to ease into the holiday weekend, right? I thought so. Let's keep it easy--- we have to pace ourselves. 

Photo: Arden PhotographyDIY Buffet Bar

Nothing is easier than a make-ahead serve yourself buffet. That way, you can relax and enjoy your guests as they arrive on Friday evening. I'm opting for a Taco Bar--- this one couldn't be easier. I'll slow cook the beef on Thursday night and reheat and shred it just before serving on Friday. Chop up veggies: onion, tomatoes, lettuce, etc. and get your condiments together: cheese, sour cream, guacamole, cilantro, etc and you're good to go! Get more buffet bar ideas; they are cheap and suddenly chic too!Photo: Kathy G & Company

Something Blue

I've just added a new drink to the holiday lineup. I like Hpnotiq--- but I love that it is blue! I always forget about it until July 4th. This cool looking aqua liqueur is made from a blend of fruit juices, vodka and cognac. It is a little sweet for some people but I like it in the summer and the color makes it perfect for the 4th. These go down easy so watch out.

BLUE BREEZE

2 ounces Hpnotiq liqueur

1 ounce super premium coconut rum  

Splash of pineapple juice

Pour ingredients over ice and garnish with a cherry, strawberry, an American flag, a pineapple star (use a cookie cutter) or a red umbrella for fun.

Fourth of July Menu: Grilled Shrimp, Scallops & Cedar Planked Salmon

A few years back when I was living in Seattle, I kept hearing about Cedar Planked Salmon so I decided to try it for our Fourth of July get-together that year. It has since become a tradition. Here's what we're grilling for the 4th:

• Grilled Shrimp & Scallops
• Cedar Planked Salmon

Grilled Shrimp and Scallops

Prep: For the shrimp and scallops, get the freshest you can find, of course. Rinse them well and keep them chilled on ice until you're ready to grill. I always try to buy shrimp cleaned and deveined with the tail on. I think it adds to the presentation. If you are cleaning the shrimp yourself, make sure to get that yucky dark vein completely cleaned out while rinsing under cold water.

Marinate: Olive oil, fresh lemon juice, salt and pepper in a Ziploc bag. Toss in your seafood and squish it around to coat. You can add to this if you like spicy. I've added Old Bay Seasoning, chipotle, etc to spice it up but I prefer to keep it simple. 

Cook: I hate fighting with shrimp and scallops on the grill. For that reason, I double skewer them so they don't roll around or fall off. I do the same thing with the asparagus. It makes flipping them so much easier! Seafood takes just a few minutes to cook and if you overcook it, it gets really tough. Cook over medium coals (hold your hand over for a 4 count---that's about medium heat) and grill for approximately 2-3 minutes per side-- look for the pink color. Serve with cocktail sauce. I make my own with loads of fresh horseradish. The scallops are usually so tender, they don't need anything but a squeeze of lemon or lime.

Cedar Planked Salmon

Cedar Planks ( I like one for each guest-- I serve right on the plank-- make sure to put something underneath because it will be charred on the bottom)

4 Salmon fillets (make sure any bones and skin are removed)

1/2 cup Olive Oil plus 1 tablespoon for the planks

1/2 teaspoon each salt & pepper

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon zest

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon Coleman's Dry Mustard

1 tablespoon butter, room temp

Get cedar planks from your favorite culinary store, Lowe's, World Market or even Target. Look in the BBQ section. Soak your planks in water at least two hours before grilling. I've added a little bourbon to my soak and once I even added Tabasco. Didn't seem to do much to the flavor.

Next, while your planks are soaking, get your trusty Ziploc bag; add all ingredients except the salmon. Squish all of the ingredients around and add the salmon about an hour before grilling. Keep it chilled until grilling.

Heat coals to medium-high heat (hold your hand over for a 3 count) Remove the planks from soaking. Place on the grill to dry slightly and then lightly rub planks with a little olive oil to keep fish from sticking. Remove the fish from marinade and place on the planks. Top with a lemon slice if you like. Grill with the top closed for 20 minutes or until the salmon flakes easily. Mist any flare ups or if the edges of the plank start to catch fire.

Hope you love this salmon as much as I do--- it's about the best best thing I got from my year in Seattle! 

Fourth of July Party Drinks: My Strawberry Basil Lemonade & more

Raspberry Lemonade from MyRecipes.comWell, like most people, I've been so busy that I let a major party holiday sneak up on me! We're less than a week away from the 4th of July and I just realized it today! Lucky for me, I have quite a few red, white and blue decorations left over from our 'Back-to-the-Classics' Memorial Day party. This one is perfect if you're looking for ideas for an old school BBQ with all the trimmings starting with Blue Cheese Burgers and Classic Potato Salad. All of the recipes for this one are from my great friends at MyRecipes.com.

Since it will likely be boiling hot all over the USA for the 4th this year, I am planning lots of icy cold drinks--- all of them lemonade based. Here's my lemonade line-up. Pick and choose for your party!

• Raspberry Lemonade
• Strawberry Basil Lemonade (recipe below)
• Arnold Palmer (half lemonade, half iced tea)
• Southern Sweet Tea
• Pomegranate Spiked Sweet Tea
• Pama Lemonade
• Kathy G's Mint Limeade

Serving Suggestions

Acrylic Beverage Dispensers from Pottery BarnGet large containers--- large glass apothecary jars (at Target under $20 each) work well for a big crowd. Try to find ladles with a hook at the top of the handle so they don't slide down into the container. These two gallon acrylic dispensers from Pottery Barn work really well and everyone always asks me where I got them. They're a great investment if you entertain a lot. Around $69 for the large one.

On a hot day, I make my drinks strong so they are not diluted by melting ice. And I always serve ice on the side, I don't put it in the container. This keeps drinks from getting watered down.

 Martie's Strawberry Basil Lemonade

I love fresh basil and grow it in my garden. Here's a new way to use it that is so refreshing! 

7 cups water

5 cups sugar

zest of 4 lemons

2 pints fresh strawberries, hulled, sliced

4 cups fresh lemon juice (about 10 lemons)

10-12 large fresh basil leavesFresh basil makes the difference in Martie's Strawberry Basil Lemonade

Make a simple syrup by combining 3 cups sugar and 3 cups water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat. Simmer until the sugar dissolves. Add the lemon zest; simmer two more minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand for 10 minutes. Bruise or crush four basil leaves and stir into the syrup. Let stand at least 10 more minutes.

Next, put the strawberries and the remaining sugar into a food processor or blender. Puree until smooth. Strain the puree into a large container or pitcher. Add the cooled simple syrup, removing the zest and the basil. Add the lemon juice and the remaining water. Stir well and taste. You may need to adjust to your taste. Just before serving, stir the remaining basil leaves into the lemonade so they stay fresh and bright green. Chill well and serve over ice. If you want, go ahead and cheat with frozen strawberries and lemonade from the store. It won't be the same but it will still be good.

Food ideas and recipes tomorrow!

Summer Parties: Sorbet Fizzy Floats are Fast, Fruity Flavor Fun!

Try saying that three times fast.

Wow- what can happen when you experiment in the kitchen! I had a bottle of Prosecco-- sparkling wine from Italy---in my fridge and decided to pour it over some lemon sorbet to see what happened. It was sooo good! Very light and very refreshing. It tasted just like the "Daiquiri Ice" flavor ice cream we used to get at Baskin-Robbins back in high school. So, after that,  I was inspired to see what other fun combos we could come up with and determined any flavor sorbet works well with the Prosecco. If you don't want alcohol, you can substitute Italian Sparkling Soda or ginger ale. You can find Italian Sparkling Soda at Whole Foods, World Market, Target or just about any good grocery store. Prosecco is also good poured over a granita--- frozen fruit ice. It adds a little punch of flavor and fizz. Sort of like an adult snow cone--- without the cone part.

Here's the How-to:

Put two scoops of sorbet in a pretty glass. Fill with chilled Prosecco, add a pretty teaspoon and you're done! It's perfect for a party because it is easy, fast and really festive, too, because you can make these in your party colors by getting a sorbet that coordinates with your color scheme. Peach, strawberry, orange, mango, lime, kiwi, etc. all work well.

More Fizzy Fun

So, that little experiment led to others. A run to Whole Foods and an afternoon of testing produced lots of yummy, summery treats. For a party, simply scoop ice cream or sorbet into glasses and chill until serving time. Keep your beverage chilled so you'll get that icy coating as you pour on top of the sorbet.

Try lemon sorbet with a drizzle of chilled PAMA over the top--- it was so delicious! After that, we tried orange sorbet with a drizzle of vanilla flavored vodka. That combo tasted like a Dreamsicle--- or a Push-Up, from when we were kids---refreshing and absolutely delightful!

Summer's Best Condiment: Herb Butter

I mentioned using herb butter in the last post--- but it was such a hit at our Father's Day feast that I was encouraged to give it headliner status and rightly so. This do-it-all condiment is the perfect accessory for fresh summer veggies like corn, squash and zucchini. We used it for our steak--- a large slice melted down over the top of the steak during the final minutes of cooking gave the steak a rich, buttery flavor. We also used it on our baked potatoes--- these were rubbed with olive oil and Kosher salt before baking so the skins were crispy and the inside fluffy and tender. The herb butter made these simple dishes so much better.

Here's how to make Herb Butter:

Select your favorite herb or combination of herbs. I used chives and basil, finely chopped. Rosemary is wonderful, thyme is lemony and fresh. Cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime juice is also really refreshing. Pick your favorite flavor combo but use fresh herbs for best results.

For a party or large crowd, you'll need to double or triple.

You can mix this up and serve it chilled in a bowl as shown in the photo above or you can mold it for an elegant look. To mold the herb butter: tear off a piece of plastic wrap and use it to line a small container or bowl. You can use a shape to add some fun--- a star for example for a 4th of July BBQ would look great on your table. Allow a stick of butter to come to room temp. Mix in finely chopped fresh herbs to taste--- I used a tablespoon each of chives and basil. Spoon the mixture into your mold or bowl. Fold plastic wrap over the top and refrigerate until serving time. If you're going to serve this with corn-on-the-cob, let it sit out a while to make spreading easier.

Try this on fish, shrimp, any potatoes and just about any vegetable. It is absolutely the best condiment for fresh summer food! Yum!