Fourth of July

People who love barbecue really love barbecue, and will go to great lengths to find the perfect ribs. I’m one of those, so I was thrilled to be invited to judge The Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook-Off in Sparks, Nevada.

For die-hard barbecue lovers and novices alike, this kind of cook-off is a slice of pork heaven.

Instead of driving around the country to sample regional styles of barbecue, all I had to do was take a three-block stroll down Victorian Avenue in front of the Nugget for some of the best ribs in the country.

Pit masters competed from all over the country, cooking up slab after slab of pork ribs in pick up-sized smokers and finishing them off on 10-foot-long wood-fired grills. Some hailed from legendary barbecue states like Texas, South Carolina, and Kansas. But many, many others came from states that folks rarely associate with this style of cooking—we’re talking all the way from California to Minnesota, Pennsylvania and, yes, even New Jersey.

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From the New York Times 

There is something both innocent and exciting about a picnic, even if you are only packing a few things at the last minute and heading down the street to the park. It may be nothing fancier than bologna or tuna salad on white bread, but you’re still likely to have a good time, which is probably why many of us remain devoted to the same picnic foods we’ve eaten all our lives.

But at some point, you may get the urge to vary the menu a bit. With that in mind, I’d like to make a few — or, actually, 101 — suggestions, ranging from snacks to dessert. With a little shopping, a little effort, and 20 minutes or less for assembly, you can create the kind of carry-out food that will put the local prepared food shops to shame while saving you a small fortune. No matter how faithful you are to your old favorites, I’ll bet you will find something intriguing here.

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Adam Perry Lang’s Grilled Shrimp Cocktail
Teddy Kennedy’s Favorite Lobster Salad
Lila’s Guacamole
Jumbo Lump Crab Dip
Spicy Black Bean Dip

Buffalo Hot Dogs
Chicago-Style Hot Dog
Buttermilk Fried Chicken
Alan's Grilled Salmon
Henry Ephron's BBQ Sauce Pork Ribs
Cowboy BBQ Burger
Beer-Cheese Burger
Grilled Steak Tacos with Watermelon-Mango-Jicama Salsa

Tomato & Avocado Salad
Watermelon, Feta & Mint Salad
Lulu's Tastiest Coleslaw
Suzanne Goin's Succotash

John McCain’s Baked Beans | Cowboy Beans | Mediterranean Orzo Salad | Mac and Cheese
Chili Butter Corn on the Cob | Patriotic Potato Salad | Curried Lobster Salad

The Bootleg | Cuba Libre | Dark 'n' Stormy | Mai Tai | Margarita | Mojito | Sassy Sangria
Sea Breeze | Tequila Sunrise | Tequila Gimlet | Watermelon Falls

“No Bake” Mocha S’mores Pie | Mom's Blueberry Tart | The Best Brownies Ever | Blackberry Pecan Crisp
Chocolate Chip Cookies | Crunchy Ice Cream Sandwiches | Cherry Rhubarb Pie
Grandma Hazel's Lemon Cake | Peach Cobbler | Pomegranate Granita | Fresh Strawberry Pie
Super Easy Bittersweet Chocolate Ice Cream | Whoppers-Malted Milk Ice Cream Pie

From the Los Angeles Times

In the beautiful economy of the forest – or the urban backyard garden – leaves are nature's brilliant cookware. Banana leaves can be cut down to make plates or unfurled into wrappers perfect for steaming fish on a low-slung grill. Fig trees and grapevines yield leaves the exact size for enclosing, then grilling, a cube of feta, a recumbent sardine or a mint-studded lamb meatball.

Before the invention of tinfoil or grilling baskets, pragmatic cooks picked their kitchen supplies from branches and found what they needed in the trees.

Going green was logical – OK, obvious – long before it became chic.

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