My Fourth of July weekend started out like any Independence Day. Box seats to a Justin Bieber concert, summer bbq on my pink grill and the most amazing man asking me to marry him.
Trey always jokes that the upcoming holiday is always my favorite holiday, but 4th of July is really, really (really) my fav. Fireworks, an afternoon by the pool and classic colors of red, white and blue, what is not to love? So the Bieber concert happened because no one else wanted the tickets at Trey’s firm, the proposal happened because Trey loves me and I love us, and the cookout happened because we are Americans.
Trey’s Pepper & Bacon-Wrapped Pops
dozen jalapeño peppers, sliced dozen cayenne peppers, sliced 8 oz. cream cheese, softened 1 lb. slices of bacon 14 oz. cocktail-szed smoked link sausages 1 Tbsp. Italian parsley, chopped 1 Tbsp. chives, chopped pinch of salt pinch of pepper1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees or prepare grill. Soak toothpicks in water for 5-10 minutes to prevent burning. In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, parsley, chives, salt and pepper.
2. Spoon cream cheese mixture on each individual link sausage. Wrap individually in bacon and secure with toothpick. Grill for 15-20 minutes or until bacon is crispy.
Cumin-BBQ Chicken
1 lb. chicken thighs, legs and/or breasts 1 c ketchup 2 Tbsp. brown sugar 1/4 c dark molasses 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil 1 Tbsp. lemon juice 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce 2 tsp cumin 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp chile powder 1 tsp salt 1 tsp pepper1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees or prepare grill. In large bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix well. Coat each piece of chicken with sauce and let marinate for at least one hour. Save remaining sauce.
2. Grill chicken on each side. Use remaining sauce to continue to baste chicken and allow to grill until cooked through.
Whole-Roasted Cilantro Corn
Ears of corn 4 Tbsp. butter, softened 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil 1 Tbsp. cilantro, minced 1 tsp. garlic powder 1 tsp. cayenne pepper Pinch of salt Pinch of pepper1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees or prepare grill. Pull back husks of corn to one end but do not remove husk.
2. Brush corn with butter and evoo. Sprinkle garlic powder, cayenne pepper, cilantro, salt and pepper on all sides of corn. Rewrap husks over corn and grill for 12-15 minutes.