July 4

Grilling on the Fourth of July

Menu

• Bacon-Cheddar Burgers with Horseradish Sauce [View Recipe]

  Quick View

  Ingredients

  • 3 slices bacon
  • 6 slices cheese
  • 4 teaspoons horseradish
  • 2 teaspoons mayonnaise
  • 1 teaspoon milk
  • salt & pepper
  • 15 ounces beef
  • 3 hamburger buns
  • ketchup

  Instructions

  For easy cleanup, we cook our bacon between pieces of paper towel on a dinner plate in the microwave. It takes about 5 minutes to get it to the desired doneness with our microwave.

  Meanwhile, in a prep bowl, we combine the horseradish, mayonnaise, milk, some salt, and freshly ground pepper. We stir and taste for seasoning. We set this on the table.

  We turn on our gas grill and allow it to heat up.

  We put the ground sirloin into a bowl and with clean hands add a good amount of salt and freshly ground pepper. After mixing the meat and seasonings, we divide it into four balls. We flatten each ball into a good-sized hamburger patty.

  We place the patties on the grill and cook on the one side for four minutes. We flip over with tongs, add the cheese, and continue to cook for another 3-5 minutes, depending on how well done we want the burgers. We serve the hamburgers on sesame buns with ketchup, the cooked bacon, and horseradish sauce.

• Microwave Corn [View Recipe]

  Quick View

  Ingredients

  • 2 ears corn
  • butter
  • salt

  Instructions

  We shuck the corn and place the ears on a microwave-safe plate. We cover with saran wrap and microwave for 3 minutes on high. When the microwave indicates they are ready, we open the door and let sit another 2 minutes.

  We serve the corn with butter and salt.

• Grammy's Ramen Noodle Salad [View Recipe]

  Quick View

  Ingredients

  • .5 package ramen noodles
  • .25 cup walnuts
  • .5 head lettuce
  • .5 large bell pepper
  • 1 bunch scallions
  • 4 tablespoons vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • salt & pepper
  • .5 can mandarin oranges

  Instructions

  We start off by preheating the oven to 350 degrees to toast the nuts and ramen noodles. One of the ramen noodle bundles is removed from the package and the rest of the package is covered with plastic wrap and set aside. We could have put the ramen in a resealable plastic bag and used a rolling pin to break it up into pieces, but we opt to break it with our hands onto a foil-covered cookie sheet. The nuts are also spread on the sheet.

  While we wait for the oven to preheat, we wash and dry our lettuce with our salad spinner and tear it into manageable pieces. We place the clean lettuce in a large salad bowl.

  We bake the ramen and nuts for about 5 minutes, shake the pan carefully (using a potholder), and continue to bake for another 5-8 minutes. We want the nuts and ramen lightly toasted and fragrant. When done, the cookie sheet is removed from the oven and the foil with the nuts and ramen is lifted to a dinner plate.

  We rinse and pat dry our red pepper and scallions. The red pepper is chopped, the scallions trimmed, and the light parts of the scallions are sliced. These are added to the lettuce.

  In a 1-cup measuring cup, we combine the vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, a little salt, and some freshly ground black pepper. We stir well to dissolve the sugar.

  All of the parts could have been made early in the day, the salad ingredients and dressing refrigerated. When ready to eat, we open and drain the can of mandarin oranges. We add half of them to the salad bowl, giving the remainder of the oranges to our daughter!, and toss the dressing with the salad. The ramen and nuts are sprinkled on top and the salad is served.