Fourth of July food + drink guide

Alongside Thanksgiving, my belief is that the Fourth of July goes down as one of the great eating holidays in the U.S. It's an Americana homage to classics like hot dogs and burgers, perhaps even cole slaw -- perfect example would be the Coney Island Nathan's hot dog eating contest. 

So if you have any plans to bask in the joyous art of celebrating our nation by eating + drinking more than you should, then here are a few recommendations to have your guests oohing and awing pre-fireworks. :)

The grilled cheese sandwich is an American staple. But if you want to up the ante, then I suggest adding this to it. This will be perfect for your first half of the day at the beach, with maybe some Rose in tow. And no worries about the summer heat -- this is the one time that might actually be a good thing. :)

Is that a watermelon keg? Why yes, why yes it is. This is a definite crowd-pleaser mind you, so you may want to have more than one on hand! Learn to make it here. And if this takes too much elbow grease for you, opt for this starfruit cocktail, which is just as pretty:)

Have no fear! This tasty looking Japanese hot dog recipe can be easily altered with a veggie dog so no one misses out. I just had one of these bad boys over the weekend -- it's a total hot dog game changer. Here's the recipe that includes the vegetarian version. Everyone wins. :)

If cut into halves, everyone can dig in and enjoy these mustard grilled brussel sprouts. It's tasty + healthy, so you can go extra on the hot dogs. :)

If you can't get enough, here is a long list of best grilling recipes via NYTimes. :)

      
And last but not least, this is beyond my favorite recipe + how to video for s'mores + peaches, via The Kitchy Kitchen. It's as much fun to make as it is to eat! Enjoy!

Have a safe + fun Fourth of July, everyone! We'll be back Thursday. xoxo