Does anyone stay inside on the Fourth of July? It’s a holiday made for being outside, so we’ve gathered five of our favorite simple Fourth of July picnic recipes for an easy but delicious (and gorgeous) meal on a hot summer holiday.
Five Simple Fourth of July Picnic Recipes
Strawberries dipped in Sour Cream and Brown Sugar
Serves 8-10
History factoid: This dessert was the only one on the menu at the Blue Strawberry restaurant in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where owner and chef James Haller is credited with its invention. Was he really the first? Who knows, but no one else is making claims. The recipe can also be found in his cookbook, “The Blue Strawberry Cookbook”.
Ingredients
- 1 pint fresh strawberries, washed and dried – leaves and stems intact
- ½ cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
Instructions
Set out the clean strawberries, sour cream and brown sugar. Dip each strawberry into sour cream and then again in the bowl of brown sugar coating the cream. Eat.
Creamy BLT Coleslaw
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon celery seeds
- 5 cup shredded green and/or red cabbage or packaged shredded broccoli slaw
- 1 cup shredded carrots (2 medium)
- ½ cup quartered cherry tomatoes
- ½ cup julienned red bell peppers
- ⅓ cup thinly sliced green onions (optional)
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large skillet cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon and drain on paper towels, reserving 1 tablespoon of grease and drippings. Crumble bacon; set aside. In a large bowl combine the reserved drippings, mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, and celery seeds. Add cabbage, carrots, tomatoes, and green onions if using; toss gently to coat. Stir in crumbled bacon. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer coleslaw to a bowl or storage container; cover and chill for at least 2 hours up to overnight.
Classic Potato Salad
Serves 8-10
Ingredients
- 3 pounds Yukon Gold Potatoes
- 4 hard boiled eggs
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup buttermilk
- 2 Tablespoons yellow mustard
- 2 dill pickles , minced + splash of pickle juice)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 ribs celery , chopped
- ½ tsp paprika for garnish if desired
Instructions
- Boil and chop potatoes: Place the whole, unpeeled potatoes in a large pot of water. Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender. Drain the water completely from the pot and then cover the pot with a lid to allow the potatoes to steam for 5-10 minutes. Peel potatoes, if desired, and cut them into ½ inch chunks.
- Make Dressing: Separate egg yolks from the whites of the hard boiled eggs and place the yolks in a bowl. Mash the yolks with a fork and then stir in the mayonnaise, buttermilk, mustard, a splash of pickle juice, and salt and pepper, to taste.
- Assemble: Pour the dressing over the warm potatoes. Chop the egg whites and add them to the potatoes along with the celery, onion, and pickles. Stir well, cover, and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to blend.
Strawberry Lemonade
Serves 8-10
Ingredients
- 1 lb. strawberries, plus more to garnish
- 1 1/2 C granulated sugar
- 2 C fresh lemon juice, strained and divided
- 4 C water
- Ice, to serve
- Lemon slices for garnish
Instructions
1. Core and quarter the strawberries. Place the strawberries in a large bowl, stir in the sugar and ¼ cup lemon juice. Cover and allow to sit for 30 minutes or up to an hour.
2. Blend the strawberry mixture until pureed. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve to get the seeds out.
3. In a large bowl, combine the strawberry puree with the remaining lemon juice and 4 cups of water. Add up to 1 additional cup of water to taste if the mixture is too sweet or strong.
4. Stir the lemonade and pour it over ice to serve. Garnish with sliced lemon, strawberries or mint.
Cold Fried Chicken
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
- 1 quart buttermilk
- Kosher salt
- Pepper
- Two 3-pound whole chickens, cut into 8 pieces each
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon hot paprika
- 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 48 ounces all-vegetable shortening or canola oil, for frying
- Hot sauce and assorted pickles, for serving
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk the buttermilk with 1 1/2 tablespoons of salt and 2 teaspoons of pepper. Add the chicken. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
- In another large bowl, whisk the flour, paprika, onion powder and garlic powder with 1 tablespoon of salt and 2 teaspoons of pepper. Spoon 1/4 cup of the buttermilk marinade into the dry ingredients and mix until the dry ingredients look slightly shaggy.
- Remove 1 piece of chicken from the buttermilk, letting the excess drip back into the bowl. Dredge in the flour mixture, pressing to help it adhere. Transfer to a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining chicken pieces. Let stand for 30 minutes.
- Line a large baking sheet with paper towels and set a rack on top. In a large saucepan, heat the shortening to 325°. Fry the chicken in batches at around 320°, turning occasionally, until golden and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest piece registers 160°, about 15 minutes. Transfer to the rack to drain. Let cool, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. Serve with hot sauce and assorted pickles. Chicken can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.
Whether you end up taking all these fabulous food outside and enjoying them in the shade with a great group of friends, or you get it all made and decide your pool out back is your destination, you’re set up for a delicious meal. Tell us how you liked these recipes @hassettacehardware.
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