By Nanette Wiser
Celebrate July 4 with All-American delights, from s’mores to hot dogs, burgers, and fried chicken.
Kick off the morning with a breakfast burger, bacon, and egg like they do at Sea Dog Brewing Co. Go global with a glazed pork belly layered with crispy pickled veg and sandwiched between two buns or go vegan with a plant-based burger combining lentils and nutritional yeast topped with sauerkraut and curry ketchup. Double the fun with a double cheeseburger stuffed with bacon and shredded cheddar. Friends will cluck about your crispy fried chicken topped with melted gouda and honey mustard coleslaw.
Are you a hot dog lover? July 4 is Nathan’s hot dog eating competition, a tradition since 1916 and more than 150 million hot dogs are consumed on America’s birthday. Portillo’s has a terrific Chicago hot dog, but you can DIY. Start with a steamed poppy seed bun and an all-beef frankfurter, then top with yellow mustard, bright green relish, fresh chopped onions, juicy red tomato wedges, a kosher-style pickle spear, a couple of spicy sport peppers and a dash of celery salt.
For the evening fireworks, adults can enjoy a s’more martini with marshmallow vodka, garnished with a toasted Stay-Puff and drizzled with chocolate liqueur. Mix up pitchers of white and red sangria in advance, sweetened with canned peach juice or elderflower liqueur and summer fruits.
It’s grilling and chilling season. Up your game with spice blends from downtown St. Pete’s Savory Spice shop, especially the Honey Sriracha Lime Shrimp Skewers.
Ingredients: 1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined; 1 package Honey Sriracha Lime Fish Taco mix; 1 orange or yellow bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces; 1 red onion, cut into 1-inch pieces; 4 lime wedges.
Directions: Preheat grill for medium-high heat. In a medium bowl, coat shrimp with Fish Taco mix. Thread shrimp, bell pepper, and red onion onto skewers, alternating pieces. Grill skewers for 2 to 3 min. per side or until lightly charred and shrimp is opaque. Drizzle with fresh-squeezed lime juice.