The Creative Place

With the 4th of July coming this weekend, I gathered up some yummy recipes that are perfect for a cookout :) Some of these are new, and some I've shared before.

Mom and Dad's Famous BBQ Sauce
2 cups cider vinegar
1 cup canola oil
2 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. seasoning salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 egg

Place all ingredients in large bowl (depending on how much chicken you are marinating). Mix with electric mixer until foamy. Marinate chicken (bone in chicken or boneless, skinless chicken breasts) for several hours or overnight in refrigerator. Grill!

Grilled yellow squash (from allrecipes.com)
4 medium yellow squash
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the grill for medium heat. Cut squash into 1/4" - 1/2" thick coins ( or horizontally so that it won't fall through the grill if you don't have a grilling basket). Heat olive oil in a small pan, and add garlic cloves. Cook over medium heat until the garlic starts to sizzle and become fragrant. Brush the slices of squash with the garlic oil and season with salt and pepper.

Grill squash slices for 5-10 minutes per side, until they reach the desired tenderness. Brush with additional garlic oil, and turn occasionally to prevent sticking or burning.

(We put all the squash in the grilling basket and poured all of the garlic oil over the squash.)

Homemade Seasoned Fries (I made this recipe up and always eyeball the ingredients to taste ;))
4 medium baking potatoes
1/2 cup canola oil
2 tsp. Season All
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
Dash of pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut potatoes into wedges. In a large bowl, combine oil, Season All, garlic salt and pepper. Stir well. Place potato wedges in bowl and mix to coat evenly.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with cooking spray. Place wedges in a single layer on sheet. Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes and then broil until they start to brown.

Garden Pasta Salad (from allrecipes.com)
1 (16 ounce) package uncooked tri-color spiral pasta
1/2 cup thinly sliced carrots
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
2 large tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 (16 ounce) bottles Italian-style salad dressing
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling water until al dente. Rinse under cold water, and drain.

Mix chopped carrots, celery, cucumber, green pepper, tomatoes, and onion together in large bowl.
Combine cooled pasta and vegetables together in large bowl. Pour Italian dressing over mixture, add Parmesan cheese and mix well.

Chill for one hour before serving.

Best Lemonade Ever (from allrecipes.com)
1-3/4 cups white sugar
8 cups water
1-1/2 cups lemon juice

In a small saucepan, combine sugar and 1 cup water. Bring to boil and stir to dissolve sugar. Allow to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until chilled.

Remove seeds from lemon juice, but leave pulp. In pitcher, stir together chilled syrup, lemon juice and remaining 7 cups water.

Watermelon Lemonade
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup water
4 cups cubed watermelon
3 cups cold water
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
6 cups ice cubes

Place the watermelon into a blender. Cover, and puree until smooth. Strain through a fine mesh strainer.

Bring sugar and 1/2 cup water to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in 3 cups of cold water and the lemon juice. Divide the ice into 12 glasses, and scoop 2 to 3 tablespoons of watermelon puree over the ice, then top with the lemonade. Gently stir before serving.

Do you have any yummy cookout recipes?! Please share! :)