Fourth of July Recipe Round-up!

Can you believe it is almost the Fourth of July?! For me, July 4th is really the official kick-off to summer. We are hot, we are sweaty, and we want to spend long days on the beach or by the pool with a cocktail in hand! Whether you are hosting or heading to a cook-out, spending the day on a boat or a beach, or just want something delicious to eat this weekend, I have rounded up some winning recipes below. Add one, two or a few to your menu! 

Mains

Chicken Caesar Sandwiches with Dill Potato Salad

These delicious sammies are a perfect picnic treat! Grill up some chicken breasts, assemble, and pack your cooler for a (delicious) day in the sun!

Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Cole Slaw

When it's too hot to put on the stove, oven, or grill, don't forget about your trusty slow-cooker! Pulled pork is a true crowd pleaser and serves a ton! Let everyone make up their own plates by putting out a spread of seeded buns, coleslaw, pickles, banana peppers, and extra BBQ sauce.

Grilled Salmon with Coconut Lime Rice and Mango Pico

This is a tropical paradise on a plate, and a lighter alternative for your grill. Mangoes are sweet and juicy this time of year - the perfect side dish! Make extra and serve with tortilla chips. 

Salads and Sides

Fresh Corn and Pesto Salad

This is a perennial favorite here on Gas Stove Girl. Sweet summer corn, salty tangy pesto, crunchy peppers and juicy tomatoes - my mouth is watering just thinking about it! Perfect for any outdoor buffet table.

Watermelon, Spinach and Feta Salad

If you've never had watermelon and feta in the same dish, you are missing out! This classy and pretty little salad is as refreshing as it is tasty. Hosting a dinner party al fresco? I have your first course right here!

Creamy White Bean Dip

This is hummus' lesser known but more deliciously creamy older brother. Pack this dip with all the fresh herbs you can get your hands on, serve with homemade foccaccia bread or pita chips, and watch it disappear! 

Spicy Taco Layer Dip

I have a saying that pretty much goes: anything that starts with cream cheese and ends with melted, oozing cheddar cheese is the way to a man's heart. Bring this along to a backyard BBQ, pop it under the broiler for a few minutes, whip up a batch of margaritas and be the real MVP.

Spinach and Artichoke Hummus Dip

Dunk anything and everything you can get your hands on in this dip! Two universally loved dips come together in amazing harmony. Best for those who can't decide between two of their favorite things!

Dessert

Firework Cookies

It does not get any more patriotic than this! Just look at these amazing, beautiful cookies that you can make from scratch! Sure, they make require a bit of prep work, but they are guaranteed to be the biggest hit no matter where you serve 'em.

Lemon Bars

I could eat Lemon Bars all day, every day. They allow us to highlight one of summers best fruits - lemons! Plop a few blueberries or raspberries into the custard for a delightfully patriotic twist on an old classic. Salty shortbread, gooey lemon custard, a lovely dusting of powdered sugar - there's a reason this dessert has stood the test of time!

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

Pink Lemonade is a quintessential summer beverage, so why not delight children and adults alike by putting this tangy sweet treat into a cupcake?! Precious decorations absolutely required!

A Cocktail, for good measure

Raspberry Gin Fizz

Serve a crowd with this fruit packed, boozy creation! Gin, raspberry liqueur, and champagne get the party started. Fill this pitcher with any delicious fruit you can get your hands on, and drink responsibly!

Molasses Braised Brussel Sprouts

I need to be open and honest about something here today: I love brussel sprouts.

Right now, though - this isn't the most outlandish thing I could have said. Brussel sprouts are totally having their moment in the food world. People are learning to cook them in fun and interesting ways that doesn't leave you with a steamy pile of grey-ish green mush. These days are gone. Now, we are roasting, sauteeing, and grilling our sprouts until golden brown and crisp. We are cooking them with bacon and pancetta. We are glazing them in balsamic, fig compote, and honey. Sometimes, we are even having them raw, sliced thin and tossed in flavorful vinaigrettes to make new, unique slaws.

I'm so proud of us!! It's like we saved brussel sprouts from inevitable vegetable extinction.

Enough of all this drama, though. We need to talk about this simple side dish that will elevate any dinner menu to a whole new level. Molasses Braised Brussel Sprouts are easy to make and even easier to eat. Sweet, tangy, salty, crunchy. If your family thinks they don't like brussel sprouts, put these on the menu and watch them fly off the table!

My favorite way to cook brussel sprouts is by cutting them in half and searing in a hot pan until golden brown on the cut side, then covering the pan and allowing them to steam to finish cooking. It's foolproof, and it is the base of our cooking method for this recipe. Rather than steaming with a bit of water, however, we are going to make a delicious pan sauce using butter, apple cider vinegar, and molasses! I very rarely cook with molasses outside of holiday/gingerbread baking, but after one of my Blue Apron recipes used it, I couldn't wait to try it in different ways!

The molasses will thicken slightly while it cooks, leaving us with a wonderful glaze-like sauce. It is a little sweet and a little smokey, and the tang of the apple cider vinegar will add just the zip we need to balance that richness. I can't say enough about this side dish other than it is absolutely a new favorite in our house!

Brussel Sprouts, previously (photos leaving something to be desired): in pasta, parmesan crusted

Chicken Parmesan Meatballs

These meatballs make me all heart eyes emoji...

Are you sick of me stuffing things with cheese? If the answer is no, then I love you, and also pull up a chair because this recipe is the bomb.com.

When I first started dreaming up these Chicken Parmesan Meatballs, I knew there were a few essential elements that would make them truly reminiscent of chicken parm, a true comfort food classic. First, a crispy, buttery golden brown crust. That means we are pan frying these meatballs and we aren't sorry. Second, we needed mozzarella cheese, melted and gooey...but rather than on top of the dish, I'm putting it right in the center of each delicious meatball.

These meatballs aren't much different than most classic meatballs you've probably made a million times before...I am just amping them up a bit. The base will be lean ground chicken, in keeping with the theme of course. But I find ground chicken takes a little more TLC in order to really bind the meatballs, so I'm upping my usual breadcrumb to meat ratio to ensure they don't fall apart. For extra Italian flavor, the recipe is heavy-handed with grated parmesan cheese (duh) as well as fresh parsley and basil! I love fresh herbs this time of year - the flavor is unmatched!

For cooking, make sure you have either a dutch oven, cast iron skillet, or heavy-bottomed oven safe skillet - you essentially want something that is both burner and oven safe!

You are really going to love these meatballs! I served them for dinner with some whole wheat spaghetti and my favorite jarred marinara sauce (it's ok sometimes!!). You can also enjoy these as an appetizer with marinara on the side for dipping. No matter how you serve 'em, they are sure to be a crowd pleaser!

Recent Eats - Volume 1

A round-up of my favorite bites and other food drama from the past few weeks

It probably comes as no surprise that I love cooking, eating, and generally just spending time in the kitchen. I'm glad to be able to have a forum to share my food-ventures on the internet, but really what makes it onto the blog is only a fraction of what ultimately comes out of my kitchen. Because of that, I'm starting a new series called Recent Eats where I will share what I'm cooking and eating, and other food musings as I see fit! 

Birthday Brunch! 

My husband and I celebrate our birthdays two days apart (Me, May 17 and he, May 19) so we have gotten into a not-so-formal tradition of smashing our two birthdays together for some kind of celebration...usually at our place...usually with me doing most of the cooking. This year was no exception! And because we are trying to be hip at age 27, we decided this year called for brunch and a casual 8 bottles of champagne polished.

 

As for the food, I made a ridiculous amount of waffles from the Joy of Cooking cookbook (any home cook needs this! It's my bible!) with warm syrup, two types of quiche (sausage and peppers with cheddar, broccoli/spinach/mushroom with fontina), avocado toasts with marinated tomatoes and vanilla yogurt with berries and granola! 

Snapchat Crispy Gnocci BLT Salad

A few weeks ago, I started sharing some behind the scenes/bonus recipe and meal ideas on Snapchat (@jkomdabomb). Last night, I whipped up a Crispy Gnocchi BLT Salad and wow did you guys enjoy it! I have a few tweeks I want to make to the recipe before posting it here, but be sure to check it out before it disappears for some meal inspiration to get you through the week! 

Mango Salsa

My friend was in a "salsa-off" for Cinco de Mayo and we spent a couple of hours (no exaggeration) making, tweaking, and tasting a delicious mango salsa. It had everything you could want in a salsa: juicy tomatoes, spicy jalapenos, sweet and tangy mango, crunchy corn, black beans, lime juice, cilantro, garlic, yum! Just thinking about it makes me hungry again. We won't discuss whether or not he won the competition, but I like to think that, if nothing else, we personally won. Because we ate a lot of chips. And drank a lot of wine.

Roasted Cauliflower Soup

Although it looks like summer is finally here to stay, a few weeks ago there was still a chill in the air in Boston so I whipped up one last big pot of soup to bid adieu to winter. I made this amazing roasted cauliflower soup from Two Peas and Their Pod, but added some Italian sausage to the mix. It was so delicious! Two thumbs up for this recipe.

Dove Peanut Butter Squares Pudding Cookies

I am absolutely obsessed with pudding cookies - soft, cakey cookies that stay fresh for days thanks to a packet of dry pudding mix. Chocolate, vanilla, lemon, you name it! A few weeks ago I made my classic chocolate pudding cookie recipe but instead of chips, I chopped up Dove Peanut Butter Squares and mixed them into the dough. Wow. Decadent and delicious, I wish I had another!