Independence Day cooking!

[Jenise]

Are you cooking tonight? I am. The Spohn's and nine others will join us for dinner. The menu is meant to be inclusive of the many shades of America:

For various roses, and with chips, an obvious nod to our border neighbors:
Blue cheese and smoked almond guacamole
Nova Scotia Scallops and cherry tomato ceviche
Washington-roasted peanuts in the shell

For various reds, and the Main course:
Barbecued prime tri-tips in cowboy coffee dredge (southwest)
Smoked chicken with bourbon drizzle (deep south)
Kale and wild rice salad (for the midwestern plains)
Red, white and blue potato salad with cornichons and dill mustard (for New England)
Peas with Oregon shrimp (west coast)
Fourth salad item I'm drawing a blank on
Marinated green beans (I dunno! A guest is bringing them)

Dessert:
Strawberry, cookie dough, and pineapple marshmallows for roasting in the fire pit

Hot dogs and hamburgers over the coals. Cot from the Loire.

Saw the other thread with the bc/almond guacamole recipe, sounds really interesting. Your whole menu sounded good!

Between heatwave and busy schedules, we were a little less elaborate with menu this year. Really tried to avoid stove and especially oven. We have room ACs, but with heat index near 100 didn't want to make them work harder.

Betsy did a dry rub overnight on 3 racks of baby backs, then added a vinegar/pepper braising liquid to foil packs. Usually we bake in oven for few hours, but so hot I did on grill (with one burner on low I couldn't get down to 250, but were fine at 275-300). Finished on grill.

Also did 4 dozen littlenecks (grill in a pan, transfer to a platter with lemon juice as they open, add any juices, then drizzle with hot oil with fried garlic, serve a couple on bread in a bowl.

A bunch of poat dot (Cambodian style corn, fish sauce glaze with scallions), some butterflied lamb, some sausages.

Guacamole (sadly without almonds), mango salsa, a green salad with snow peas and herb (green goddess) dressing.

Others brought more grilled meat, lots of salads, lots of fruits and desserts. My favorite salad was glass noodles with pork- similar to larb flavorwise.

[Jenise]

Wow, what a great menu Dale. I'm drooling over your description of the prep on the Little Necks. Just love clams (more than mussels) but can't indulge at home because Bob is hyper allergic to them. Sure feel bad for your heat back there. Hard to cook, hard to find the energy to cook. For us it was unusually hot (81) and tropical rains threatened, but all that did was force me to seat 13 people at a table for 8 inside, where we'd planned to eat outdoors.

The guacamole (from a New York based Mexican chef) is just terrific. It's a hit every time I serve it.

Agree with Jenise: love grilled clams. Also love the prep on the lamb.

July 4 was hot here though not as hot as the couple days prior. I fired up my little grill and did 3# of skirt steak for Friday, 3 rib lamb chops for myself for Thursday, and (as I said briefly before) hot dogs and hamburgers for the day itself.

Leftover grill food is almost as good as the day it was made; a quick sojourn in the toaster oven is all it needs.