salads for the 4th

every time the 4th rolls around i think about this movie…you know the one right? dazed and confused…i just love jason london (oh and matthew mcconaughey). every year though, right before the 4th, it’s on. guaranteed. i sit and watch, i can’t stop myself. and that quote…for weeks i think about it. at the weirdest times too, and then i prepare for the BBQ that will eventually go down.

i love preparing for BBQ’s. it’s one of my favorite things to do. i love the smells, the food, the bbq, the crowds of people that consume my house. my favorite thing though,  i love listening to the kids screaming with laughter…it’s one of my favorites. whether we are in the sprinklers or a quick trip to the pool, the 4th is one of my favorites.

out of all the food that get’s prepared, all the meat that comes off the BBQ, it’s the salads, they always get me. i love throwing together any type of salad, and every year i like to experiment and see what “new” salad i can come up with. here are a couple of my favorites (plus a new one down below):

• compost barley salad
• beet, sweet potato and goat cheese salad
• quinoa salad
• cauliflower and chick pea salad
• a wedge salad
• quick and easy pasta salad
• no mayo slaw

salads, any time of year, but especially for a bbq, or to bring to someones house. love them.

there is lot’s of other stuff i do around here other then make salads, you know, like marinate meat. i have a couple go to marinades i love. two of my favorites, my steak house rub and my taco spiced rub. we just don’t do rubs though, there is bbq sauce, like this one…peach bbq sauce, great for those chicken eaters, even good for fish.

we usually go all out for the 4th…but really, how can you not. it’s all those smiles, all those happy faces, and that giggling, it gets me every time.

happy 4th!

easy orzo salad

• 1 1/2 cups orzo (not cooked)
• 1 1/2 cups broccoli
• 2 scallions
• 1 small red onion sliced
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta
• 1 cucumber sliced or chopped
• 1 lemon zested and juiced
• handful of dill

1.  bring a pot of water to a boil and cook your orzo as package directs. when you hit the last 2 minutes, add the broccoli. drain and run under cool water, set aside.
2. to a bowl, add chopped scallions, onion, cucumber, zest and dill. mix, top with pasta and broccoli, mix. add lemon juice and feta, mix.
3. taste, season with salt and pepper.
4. serve and enjoy