Fourth of July foods

Anybody still celebrate the Fourth of July? Of course I don't get to see fireworks and be surrounded by my family but I still try to do something every year. My old job always put on a spread of sandwiches and chips, ending with a budweiser at the end of the day, and another job surprised me with a huge party and even a massive personalized cake (as if it was my birthday not America's, haha!). I was so shocked and very appreciative because I know they just wanted me to feel at home :-)

My husband has surprised me a couple times with meals out to "American" themed restaurants and we've gone to an American themed bar near us in the evening although it's mainly just bad karaoke and a few extra flags hung up on the day and they call it their Fourth of July American themed party :-P

Anyways!! This year I think I may have my own party! Has anyone else done this? We can't have a BBQ in my little flat, unless I break out the George Foreman haha! What kind of foods would you have out? I think I would have the normal...chicken wings, burgers, etc but wanted to know what anybody else here has done. I realize it's not always to my friends' tastes (I made BBQ baked beans ones for a party and nobody touched it, not understanding why I would have beans at a BBQ)!

I made BBQ baked beans

I love BBQ baked beans!

Listen ribs done in the oven at a low temperature can be pretty darned good.

I love ribs in the oven and I've made them in the slow cooker as well. Delicious.

If you ever make BBQ baked beans for a party here, just don't tell them you've put brown sugar in it. That seemed to be the downfall. Everyone turned their nose up at them!

I'm starting to reconsider this party already now, haha!

I lived in England for nine years and I celebrated the Forth of July every one of those years. In the first two years, I worked for a UK subsidiary of a US company. They sent hot dogs, hamburgers, buns, coleslaw, potato salad, Lays potato chips, cases of Coca-Cola and Sprite, cases of Budweiser, two large BBQ grills, small American flags with Stars and Stripes table cloths, plates and cups and a check for fixings (lettuce, tomatoes, onions) over in their shipment from the US. Since I was the only American, I was in charge of decorating the lunch room. It was better than Christmas! What cracked me up was that the President of the UK branch used to open the cases of Budweiser first and share them around first thing in the morning. By lunchtime, I was pretty tipsy. Bad, I know. I got to keep all the leftover US themed stuff. When I left the company (it was incidentally the last time I worked outside the home in 1998), they gifted me a BBQ grill we got from the company since they got new ones every year. It was nice and helped me keep up the tradition.

I moved to Bolton in 1999 to be closer to my husband's family and I had a house with a large backyard so I had a house party every year and invited the neighbor's. I made hamburgers, ribs, sausages (since I could never find hot dogs), chicken wings and it was always a good time. My neighbor's would always save sparklers from November or the New Year to use on July 4th but they were kind of duds by then.

I also always made Thanksgiving meal in those years too. Plus, I am 1/2 Mexican so I would invite family and neighbors over on my kid's birthdays and we would break a piñata and make fajitas. That was hard for them to understand then but they played along.

What is crazy to me is that I've been back in the US for 12 years and I celebrate nothing! I'm lucky to watch fireworks on July 4th from my window, never mind make a huge party. I don't make turkey on Thanksgiving or done anything festive. My family is moving back to the UK in a few years. Maybe I'll start it up there again.

That's so nice!! I think it is so lovely that companies like yours and mine were so quick to try to make us feel "at home". I still have all the leftover decorations from my surprise party a couple years back. I'll have to use them again!

I guess I will stick with burgers and chicken wings, maybe ribs, if I do anything. Of course I will have potato chips, potato salad and macaroni salad (although I will have to do this myself because my MIL made this for my wedding and didn't put any mayo in it "in case anyone didn't want mayo". Basically it was cold, cooked macaroni and some chopped carrots and that's it haha).

And I will have baked beans, darn it!!

No mayo in macaroni salad? Eww. Did anyone eat that? I'm not totally crazy about mayo but it needs something to keep it from being dry. I guess Greek yoghurt could have worked. Or perhaps olive oil could have been used instead and turn it into a sort of Mediterranean macaroni dish with olives, peppers, oregano, pepperoni, etc...but dry, oh no! I found that most of my English relatives have this weird aversion to mayo, yoghurt, cream. Well, more for me!

Definitely make the beans! Beans are great! My husband was just telling me that since they don't really eat beans in England (at least he didn't eat them growing up), it's not something they really try. He said that a great deal of cultures in the US have a rice & beans tradition such as in the Caribbean/ Hispanic/ Cajun/ Native American foods so we are more used to them. My brother-in-law saw my refried pinto beans that I had in my breakfast tacos and he nearly threw up. He kept saying that the only beans he would eat are "proper" beans like Heinz baked beans. Fine. I'm not sharing my "borracho" beans with him! They have chile and beer.

No mayo in macaroni salad? Eww. Did anyone eat that?

No. There was a lot leftover. I ate it the extra day...With mayo!! But it was literally cooked macaroni and carrots. What's bizarre is that she asked me something she could make for my wedding that was American, so I said macaroni salad, only for her to decide her own recipes in the end. Typical :-P I'll make my own from now on.

I LOVE refried beans! It's something that I have got my husband on, but definitely not beans at any other time than breakfast, and especially not beans with brown sugar and bacon pieces!

I suppose I can make all the food I want to make, and if they don't like it, they can bring their cold sausage rolls and.pork pies (yuck!).

I'm a bit gutted... My old employer was putting on an American themed award's ceremony this month that I was helping to plan. Luckily there was another American working at the company or it would be a bit awkward to have a 4th of July BBQ for the American who left...

I'm really rather bummed. It would have been a good night.

Ha, right. I just remember our wedding anniversary is July 5th. (I refused to get married on the 4th)

We'll have to do something small for us since I'm in between jobs at the moment.

Deserts?

Deserts?

I just asked my British husband what American desserts he can think of and he came with the following:
Waffles and ice cream
"candy floss"
Doughnuts

I'm a bit ashamed by that!  Think I'll go with apple pie?

Edited to add...for the record I have never actually made those things for my husband for a dessert!

I just asked my British husband what American desserts he can think of and he came with the following:
Waffles and ice cream
"candy floss"
Doughnuts

I'm a bit ashamed by that!  Think I'll go with apple pie?

Edited to add...for the record I have never actually made those things for my husband for a dessert!

LOL!  I've been in the UK more than half my life, and I still can't think of doughnuts as a dessert... they're breakfast, and always will be! 

LOL!  I've been in the UK more than half my life, and I still can't think of doughnuts as a dessert... they're breakfast, and always will be! 

Me too! I've brought them I to the office before when I was working and had one with a cup of tea. I'd keep offering them to everyone only to be told "after lunch". I didn't understand why then haha!

Hmm, desserts. I don't like sweet foods so that's always hard for me. Plus, I drink wine whilst I run around looking after everyone and frankly, wine is fruit so that's my dessert. Lol Let me think, how about grilled peaches/nectarines with honey and vanilla ice cream? Or strawberries tossed with Grand Marnier, some lemon zest, a bit of sugar wrapped in foil and grilled and put that over vanilla ice cream? I would make fruit ice lollies for the kids and alcoholic ones for adults...my husband just reminded me that one year I simply had a bowls of M&M's, pretzels, marshmallows, Oreos and fruit so everyone could make their own milkshakes topped with candy.

Weirdly... my mom tends to make raspberry trifle.

S'mores are the quintessential BBQ treat, there's lots of awesome desserts that are s'mores inspired. Not to mention that you can readily find marshmallow fluff or large marshmallows!