Until about now, my July 4th weekend was pretty non-stop, going from one food-centered event to another, spanning across Maryland, DC and Virginia. I was lucky enough to have the 5th off as well, which I pretty much spent recovering from the weekend, doing laundry, burning off my holiday gut with a run, and eating foods other than grilled meat. I think I’m good on steak and ribs for awhile.
To recap, on Saturday, a good chunk of my friends, Team DMV, met to reap the benefits of a grilling lesson. We came, they grilled, we conquered (the food).
Mmm…Ribs smothered in sauce, just the way I like ’em.
Men, by the way, are funny. All the guys met before the designated meeting time of 6pm, and had already started grilling together at 4. They were often crowded around the meat or the grill or the kitchen. It’s almost like a rite of passage for men. There are certain things all guys must eventually check off on their man cards, and learning how to grill and cook a good steak or whatever hunk of meat is on hand is apparently one of them.
The Bf is already ticked off that box on his man card, having made this steak recipe before – it’s marinated in some spicy, succulent sauce that includes brown sugar and chiles before it’s grilled – it’s really delicious. I’m not much of a steak person at all but I will never turn a piece of these down. (I’ll try and snag this recipe from him sometime soon).
We did manage to diversify our spread with plenty of fruit, potato salad and deviled eggs. I love deviled eggs, by the way. I had to keep telling myself that I have to share with others and that I won’t keep friends if I eat half that plate.
Also, you can’t have a pre-July 4th grillout without some fireworks. In the apartment complex parking lot. Classy!
Of course, once you bring fireworks into the picture, we become a bunch of overgrown children and start “battling” with our sparklers, pretending they’re wands. Yes, I definitely shouted out “Expecto Patronum!” while brandishing mine (not when I took this picture, of course). Yes, I am 27 years old. No, I am not mature.
I spent most of Sunday museum-hopping with my wonderful friend Liz, who was in town for work first and stayed for some play. I don’t have any photos from the museums, but if you’re ever in DC, definitely visit the Holocaust museum – it’s very moving and the exhibits are fascinating, especially one on Nazi propaganda. The Crime and Punishment Museum (which unfortunately is one you have to pay for), is also really interesting, especially for those of you who are fans of crime shows like Law & Order, NCIS, etc.
We still had a ton of meat left to grill from Saturday, plus leftovers from the meat we did cook, so we gathered again on Monday to cook some more, play some basketball or tennis, hang out by the pool and just chat the day away. Oh and sweat. It’s damn hot here in DC right now.
This time around, we did grill some vegetables – eggplant and zucchini, specifically – and they turned around absolutely delicious. Just sprinkle sliced veggies with salt and pepper and whatever herbs and seasonings you have on hand, and stick them straight on the grill. Call me crazy, but I might prefer this to grilled meat.
Sometimes, at the end of a hot day, the only thing that sounds satisfying is a slice of sweet watermelon. I used to hate watermelon, but for whatever reason, I love it now. I gotta say, next to grilled vegetables, it’s probably one of my favorite foods of the summer.
How was your July 4th holiday?
What’s your favorite summer food?
Tags: 4th of July, fireworks, grilling, Independence Day, man card, watermelon