Independence Day In Philadelphia is more than a one day celebration. It is truly a spectacular week of events in the city where our nation was born. The fireworks fill the sky on more nights than the 4th. The worlds biggest free concert is part of the excitement. The backyards of the entire Philadelphia area have grills fired up and friends and neighbors gather to celebrate our nation’s birth during this week long event with Independence Hall as the focal point of the excitement.
Through the year I have featured a number of grilling ideas. If you are grilling on the 4th for your family and friends as part of your celebration, here are some ideas that will help make your grilled meal a step up from the ordinary. America’s birthday deserves special attention even if you are far away from the Philadelphia site of our nation’s birth.
A starter while the grill is firing up.
http://buckcooks.com/flat-bread-olive-snack/
Better Burgers for an Important Birthday
http://buckcooks.com/grilling-the-perfect-hamburger/
http://buckcooks.com/buffalo-burgers-colorado/
http://buckcooks.com/burger-ala-sonora-mexico
Fish on the Grill is a special treat on any occasion
http://buckcooks.com/grilled-tuna-with-papaya-vinaigrette/
http://buckcooks.com/barbeque-shrimp-island-style
http://buckcooks.com/salmon-grilled-with-sesame-ginger-marinade/
I hope you will find a few ideas here that will help in planning a great 4th of July celebration of America at your home.
Happy 4th!
This special buffalo burger recipe is one we often use when entertaining with a BBQ in the gardens. We frequently grill buffalo and have a plentiful availability where we live. There is a large buffalo ranch a few miles from our home and we often take visitors there to view the grazing herd. We keep on the safe side of the fence since the buffalo can be a feisty animal if irritated. Our recipe works well with ground beef as well as buffalo.
Buffalo Burgers
Ingredients:
2 eggs beaten
4 tablespoons half & half
2 slices bread torn up
1 tablespoon minced onion
1 ½ tsp salt
2 tsp horseradish
¼ tsp pepper
¼ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp dry mustard
2lbs ground buffalo
½ cup unsalted butter
½ cup ketchup (catsup)
Preparation:
Mix eggs, half & half, torn bread, onion, salt, horseradish, pepper, thyme & dry mustard
Stir well and let stand for 10 minutes
Stir again and add ground buffalo & mix well
Melt butter and ketchup together and keep warm
Form 9 patties
Place on heated grill medium high heat
Grill one side 2- 3 minutes
Turn and brush with butter –ketchup mixture
Grill on second side until medium rare
Service: Buffalo Burgers served on a sourdough bun is a western touch. Lettuce , tomatoes & onions on the side with a bottle of Cholula handy are accompaniments that complete the Colorado Buffalo Burger
Tips: Buffalo is a very lean meat. Do not overcook. We make sure that it does not cook beyond medium. The egg mixture adds a moist consistency which works especially well with lean meat –either buffalo or ground beef.
Afterthought: Beef burgers are best with a 20% fat content. If fat content is troubling to you, this recipe will meet your needs with beef, since a leaner ground beef can be used
We were at our dinner with our Gourmet group and our scheduled contribution for the evening was to provide dessert. The weather has been warm and seemed to demand a light, fresh, cool end to the meal that was being planned by our hosts .
We always a search for something new and different but this evening and the meal seemed to call for a reprise of the always crowd pleasing Mango Mousse. This is the award winning recipe that we obtained from our English friend Carol and have used on many occasions with success. Once again the crowd was pleased and the recipe was requested by several members of the group.
Here is the recipe and a photo of our contribution to the evening. Give it a try. Your guests will love Mango Mousse.
Mango Mousse
Ingredients:
1 30 oz can of mango pulp, sweetened
2 envelopes of unflavored gelatin
½ cup boiling water
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups plain yoghurt
¼ cup sugar
1 cup whipped heavy cream
Preparation:
Step 1. mix the mango, vanilla and sugar in a bowl
Step 2. whip gelatin in boiling water till there are no lumps
Step 3. add gelatin to mango mixture-stir
Step 4. continue stirring while adding yoghurt
Step 5. Fold the whipped cream into the mixture
Step 6. put into the fridge to set
Step 7. Garnish with canned Mandarin oranges
Note: We have a ceramic serving bowl which is a decorative addition to the presentation and we often prepare the Mousse in that bowl. This evening the colorful berries that accompanied the Mousse called for a clear class bowl. The whipped cream is best prepared in a stainless, chilled bowl and folded into the mango mixture as the last step. This is a definite, absolute winning, dessert. This dessert will send your guests home thinking” I’ve got to get that recipe”. Buck Cooks is where they can now find it.
We love both crabs and mushrooms. It is easy to understand why crab stuffed mushrooms often find a place on our table when we are entertaining. For many years with lived close to Kennett Square PA which is the mushroom capital of the World
If you know your geography well you know that Kennett Square is very close to the Chesapeake Bay. Crabs from the Chesapeake Bay and mushrooms from Kennett Square seem to simply go together perfectly 
as a starter for an evening meal for guests
Crab Stuffed Mushrooms
Ingredients:
24 large mushrooms
1 tablespoon flour
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp clery salt
¼ tsp white pepper
dash cayenne pepper
¼ cup butter
½ cup half and half
2 tablespoons chopped mushroom stems
1tablespoon chopped parsley
1 lb. crab meat
2 tablespoons Parmesan
1 tablespoon sherry
Paprika
Preparation:
Rinse mushrooms in cold water and dry
Remove and chop stems
Heat and melt butter & add flour & seasonings while stirring
Add half & half gradually and cook(while stirring) until thick and smooth
Add mushroom stems and sherry and mix well
Stir in crab meat
Stuff mushrooms
Garnish mushrooms with Parmesan and a dash of the paprika
Place on greased baking sheet
Bake at 350’ for about 15-20 minutes
Thoughts:
Crabs from the Chesapeake are problomatic for most areas of the country. Phillips is a well known Maryland restaurant family that started their food empire with crabs. They now market crab meat in Costco and other major chains around the country.
I can usually find Kennett Square mushrooms in Colorado with little problem. If you cannot find the Pennsylvania mushrooms, California has some decent mushrooms which, although not from kennett Square, will be an adequate substitute.
