The menu: what I'm cooking for July 4th
How we're approaching making food for 24 people at my mother-in-law's house, with one grill
I’m wrapping up a few hectic weeks of not having much childcare — the time between preschool ending and camp starting is a KILLER. I’ve got a more in-depth letter coming soon about a subject that’s near to my heart: my old youth group. Until then, enjoy this new recipe-focused series called The Menu.
My husband and I have this toxic trait: we volunteer to cook in most every situation. Anyone who’s traveled with us can attest to this—if we’re not running the kitchen, we’re at least in the mix, offering help or (subtly!) our opinions. When invited to someone else's place, we of course let our hosts take the reins, which reminds us that it’s nice to be taken care of. Plus, otherwise, we'd never get asked back. (Please do invite us over and feel free to put us to work.)
We don’t do this because we’re control freaks (though… we kind of are), but because we genuinely LOVE cooking for the people we love and the intense process it involves. There’s something deeply satisfying about making something with our own hands and watching others enjoy it. And we make a good team. When it all comes together, it feels like a huge shared win (is this the secret to our relationship? Maybe!).
Our greatest feat? Pulling off Christmas dinner at my parents’ house: beef tenderloin, homemade potato rolls, lasagna or stuffed shells, kale salad, chocolate mousse. All for 20 to 25 people. We spend days chopping, proofing, simmering, mixing, and negotiating shelf space in two overstuffed fridges. Greg even makes a Gantt chart (Yes, a literal Gantt chart. With dependencies.). We do not mess around.
This Fourth of July isn’t quite as intense, but we’re still bringing the A-game. We’re cooking a feast at my mother-in-law’s place in Orange County, and our remit is cookout vibes without overloading the one grill we’ve got.
Here’s what we’re making. Tell me your weekend menu in the comments—I want to see what you’re cooking, too!
Instant Pot pulled pork
In another life—when my husband Greg plunked a smoker on my Brooklyn apartment’s roof deck in 2013—we’d be up at 6 a.m., stoking embers and cracking an early-morning Brooklyn Brewery summer ale. But this version from the Kitchn is, like, 70% of the way there in tenderness and flavor (minus the smoke), and 100% easier (no smoker — or daybreaker beers — required). We’ll serve this with mini King’s Hawaiian rolls, pickles, and coleslaw, and plenty of doctored-up store-bought BBQ sauce.
IMO, the best-ever pasta salad
I grew up with the classic Italian-American style pasta salad with black olives, hunks of salty cheese, crunchy chopped red bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, and farfalle. I have a soft spot in my heart for my mom’s version, but I found myself craving something a little brighter last summer. That’s when I found this herby, tangy version from New York Times cooking, which combines salty, briny capers and pickles (I use dill because I HATE bread-and-butter), crunchy celery, and bright herbs in a lemon-buttermilk dressing. I use cavatappi instead of elbows because it’s more interesting. It got rave reviews every time I made it last year, so I’m psyched to eat lots of it tomorrow. (I know this recipe is paywalled; if you’re interested in making it and don’t have access, email me and I’ll send you a screenshot!)
Grilled chicken thighs
Finally, the grill gets involved! I like a lot of char on chicken thighs, and you can achieve this pretty easily on the grill when you add a touch of sugar, honey, or maple syrup to whatever marinade you make. We use a recipe that’s pretty similar to this one from the Kitchn without the vinegar and mustard (although, we may try it). We’re going to serve this with the herb-and-shallot yogurt dip recipe from our friend Dawn Perry’s fantastic cookbook, Ready, Set, Cook.
Grilled corn and stone fruit salad
I don’t have a recipe for this one, but it’s something Greg and I love to make as a great BBQ salad. We steam 2-3 ears of corn in the microwave (Anyday’s 12-cup dish is GREAT for this), then brush it with butter and char it on the grill. We let it cool, slice of the kernels, then toss it with arugula (get the heartiest you can find for this salad), pickled shallots or red onion, crumbled feta, sliced peaches or nectarines, homemade croutons, and a sweet vinaigrette (forgive the Ballerina Farm link — this is the closest to the vinaigrette we make minus the branded products!). This year we’ll sub in hot honey for a little kick.
Dessert? It’s outsourced
We’re self-aware enough to admit: dessert’s not our thing. So another guest is bringing it. Fingers crossed it’s pie or strawberry shortcake.
It’s the perfect weekend for hosting the people you love and cooking projects (thanks, Friday 4th of July!). What are you making?
omg LOL the gantt chart. Amazing.