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Fourth of July Favorites

Recipes for a Summer Celebration

By , About.com Guide

Here are some of my favorite recipes for the 4th of July, including appetizers, grilled foods, delicious summer salads, cool beverages, ice cream, and festive desserts.

Red, White, and Blue Potato Salad

Red, White, and Blue Potato SaladImage © Diana Rattray

The perfect salad for your Fourth of July celebration. Small firm potatoes make the perfect potato salad, and the colors make it extra-festive.

Peach Strawberry Sauce

Peach Sauce With StrawberriesDiana Rattray
This delicious dessert sauce is perfect for any summer event or occasion, and it's so easy to make. If you want to use fresh peaches, use about 1 1/2 cups and substitute peach nectar or juice for the canned peach juice.

Juicy Grilled Burgers

Juicy Grilled HamburgersDiana Rattray
Use ground chuck or leaner ground round in these juicy grilled hamburgers. Tomato juice gives these burgers more moisture, and they taste great!

Iced Tea and More

Iced TeaDiana Rattray
Recipes for iced tea, along with orange drinks, punch, smoothies, coffee drinks, and more.

More Summer Drinks:
Peach Shake
Mocha Milk Shake
Frosty Orange Cooler

Grilled Tuna With Peach Salsa

Grilled TunaDiana Rattray
Use a grill pan, broiler, or charcoal grill to cook this tuna. Make the salsa in advance to give flavors time to blend, and start marinating the tuna an hour or two before serving time.

Maple Ice Cream

Maple Ice CreamDiana Rattray
Homemade ice cream is a wonderful way to celebrate the 4th! Eggs, real maple syrup, and heavy cream make this a rich and delicious old-fashioned ice cream. Feel free to add about 1/2 cup of chopped pecans, walnuts, or toffee chips to this ice cream.

Grilled Steak With Red Wine Marinade

Steak With Red Wine Marinade and BearnaiseDiana Rattray
A red wine marinade helps to flavor this delicious steak. Grill these steaks on the charcoal or gas grill or use your stovetop grill pan or broiler. Serve with the optional Sweet Onion Bernaise Sauce for an extra-special meal.

Celebration Angel Food Cake

Red, White, and Blue Angel Food CakeDiana Rattray
Red, white, and blue sprinkles make this a great light cake to serve on the 4th. Frost this cake with a fat-free fluffy frosting or top slices with sweetened strawberries or other fresh or frozen fruit topping.

Pasta Salad With Peas and Ham

Pasta  SaladDiana Rattray
This is a delicious pasta salad recipe and it's hearty enough to be served for dinner or lunch. Try to prepare this in advance and chill for several hours or overnight for best flavor.

Picnic Potato Salad

Potato SaladDiana Rattray
This is a delicious potato salad for any summer cookout, and it's one of my family's favorite versions.

More Potato Salad Recipes:
Red Potato Salad With Sour Cream and Dill
Red Potato Salad
Summertime Potato Salad


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