</head>"Remember, Honey: Bill and Kathy, Joe and Sam, Eddie and all of your weird friends from work are coming over."
"Yeah, but not until on the Fourth, so there's time."
[Roll over, sleep for five more minutes]
"WAIT, THAT'S TOMORROW!"
[Spring out of bed, frantically make coffee, scribble down menu and leave for grocery store with one shoe on]
We know the feeling. So we put together this easy plan--that will taste amazing and impress all of your friends--because we love you.
THE MENU
Fresh vegetables + Ruffles potato chips + purchased blue cheese dip
Grilled Skirt Steak with Herb Salsa Verde (click for recipe)
Roasted Corn with Manchego and Lime (click for recipe)
Mixed greens
Crusty baguettes
No-Bake Chocolate Raspberry Cream Pie (click for recipe)
____
- What to Get Done First Thing in the Morning
- Wash vegetables for the snacks plate and arrange with blue cheese dip on a nice platter ready to serve. Stick it in the fridge
- Make sure you have enough beer, wine, and ice
- Figure out your utensils, plates, napkins, and cup situation
- Wash and dry salad greens; put them in the bowl you plan to serve them in and stick it in the fridge with a damp paper cloth draped over the top
- Make the pie and chill
- Knock out all the prep for the corn dish: Roast the corn, chop chives, grate cheese, etc; have all your ingredients measured and ready to combine in a saute pan.
- Just Before Guests Arrive
- Set out the snacks
- Make the herb salsa verde
- Slice the crusty baguettes in a diagonal and put them in a bowl (people will want them for sopping up any salsa verde on left on their plates)
- Make sure that it's very easy for your guests to help themselves to cold drinks
- Season your steak with salt and let it come to room temp
- When It's Time to Eat
- Grill the meat. Make sure your grill is nice and hot; this should take only 10 minutes (that includes resting time)
- Finish the corn dish by sauteing everything together and set it out*
- Dress greens with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper
- Bring out the bread
*Let's say you didn't get a chance to shuck the corn you roasted. Whatever! Set them out next to bowl of mayonnaise with a grill brush in it, a plate of crumbled cheese and bowls of chile powder and lime wedges and tell your guests it's a DIY Mexican corn bar. Done!
Happy Fourth.
--Julia Bainbridge and Emily Fleischaker