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Professional Chef Jamie Gwen joined us with some 4th of July recipes.

For more information on Jamie, you can visit her website or follow her on Instagram.

Ralphs Grocery Stores offer pick-up and delivery. You can order online on their website.

A big thanks to Melissa’s Produce for glorious fruits and veggies.

Grilled Mustard Potato Salad

Ingredients

  • 8 medium-sized Yukon Gold potatoes
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons champagne or white wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
  • Freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
  • 1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley

Instructions

Place the potatoes in a large pot of salted water and bring to a boil. Cook the potatoes for 15 minutes, or until just cooked through. (The potatoes should be tender but firm.) Drain the potatoes well, let them cool slightly, then slice them into 1/2-inch slices. Transfer the potatoes to a bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the vinegar, Dijon mustard, olive oil, celery salt and pepper. Toss the warm potatoes with half of the dressing mixture and arrange the potatoes in a single layer on a sheet of foil.

When ready to grill, preheat the grill to high heat. Place the potatoes on the foil liner on the grill and cook, turning occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove the potatoes from the grill and transfer them to a serving bowl. Add additional dressing, if desired, and top with crumbled blue chopped and chopped parsley. Serve warm.

Easy Pickled Red Onions

Ingredients

  • 1 red onion
  • 1 to 3 tablespoons granulated sugar(to your liking)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup rice vinegar or champagne vinegar
  • Peppercorns, fennel seed, red pepper flakes, mustard seeds, fresh rosemary or thyme, orange peel, etc. (optional)

Instructions

Slice the onions into 1/4-inch half moons. Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Place the sliced onions in a strainer and place the strainer in the sink. Ponce the water is boiling, pour the water over the onions.

Place the vinegar, sugar and salt, and any aromatics you choose, in a mixing bowl. Stir to dissolve. Add the onions to the jar and stir well.

To eat right away, leave the onions at room temperature for 30 minutes, then dig in. Or, fill a small mason jar with the onions and store in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.

Makes about 1 Cup

BBQ Corn and Tomato Salad

Ingredients

  • 8 ears of fresh corn, yellow or white
  • 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
  • 1 teaspoons granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 1/2 pounds heirloom tomatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chiffonade (cut into thin strips)

Instructions

Preheat your BBQ to medium. Peel back the outer layer of the husk on

each corn cob, leaving it attached to the base of the ear of corn. Remove

the inner layers of the husks and the silk threads and discard. Pull the outer husks back up over the corn. Soak the ears of corn in water for 15 minutes.

In a mixing bowl whisk together the white balsamic, sugar and olive oil. Add the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Allow the tomatoes to marinate at room temperature while you grill the corn.

Grill the corn for 20 minutes, turning occasionally; the husks will char, but the corn will be cooked to perfection. Let the corn cool for 5 minutes before removing the husks. Lay a kitchen towel on a cutting board and carefully cut the corn kernels from the cobs (the kitchen towel cushions the kernels and keeps them from jumping around). Add the corn and basil to the tomatoes and stir to combine.

Watermelon + Feta + Mint Skewers

Ingredients

  • About 40 (1-inch) pieces cubed watermelon
  • About 20 (1-inch) pieces cubed feta cheese
  • 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4 cups arugula
  • 3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves

Instructions

Set your grill to high heat. Thread a piece of watermelon, a piece of feta and a second piece of watermelon onto a 6-inch skewer. Repeat with the remaining pieces of watermelon and feta.

Once the grill is hot, brush the skewers on all sides with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Grill until lightly charred on all sides, 1 to 2 minutes per side.

To serve, mound 1 cup arugula onto each plate and top with 5 skewers per plate. Drizzle each salad with 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 teaspoons white balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and pepper, and garnish with mint leaves.

Chipotle Plum Baby Back Ribs

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds pork baby back ribs
  • 1/2 cup your favorite Spice Rub
  • For the Sauce
  • 1 teaspoon instant coffee
  • 3/4 cup Asian plum sauce
  • 1 cup pitted fresh plums
  • 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
  • 2 tablespoons minced chipotle in adobo with sauce
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Mix 1/4 cup hot water with the instant coffee and stir to dissolve. Once, dissolved pour the mixture into your blender and add the plum sauce, fresh plums, orange juice, chipotle sauce and brown sugar. Blend until smooth. Pour the sauce into a small saucepan. Bring the sauce to a boil and reduce the heat. Simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Coat both sides of the ribs with the spice rub. Arrange the ribs, meat-side up, in 1 layer in a foil-lined baking sheet. Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake the ribs for 2 hours.

Preheat your BBQ to medium-high heat. Brush the ribs with the BBQ Sauce and grill until golden and bubbly. Serve the ribs with extra sauce for dipping.

Pimento Cheeseburgers

Ingredients

  • Pimento Cheese Spread
  • 4 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese shredded
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons diced pimentos
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

Burger Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 pounds ground beef chuck
  • 4 hamburger buns
  • Butter lettuce leaves
  • Sliced heirloom tomatoes
  • Salt and pepper
  • Place the cheese, mayonnaise, cayenne pepper, and paprika in your food processor. Pulse to combine.

Instructions

In a medium bowl, combine the ground beef, salt, and pepper.

Divide the beef into 4 portions. Shape each portion into a disk about 1-inch thick. Press a small indention into the middle of the patty. This will help keep your burgers from shrinking when cooking.

Preheat your grill to medium-high heat. Season the burgers generously with salt and pepper. Grill the burgers to the desired doneness. Toast your buns!

To build the burgers, generously spread the Pimento Cheese on the bottom and top of each bun. Top the bottom bun with a lettuce leaf, then a patty, then a slice of tomato. Cover the burger with the top bun and dig in.

Smoked Mac N’ Cheese

Ingredients

  • 1 pound macaroni or penne rigate or fusilli
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup diced shallot
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 12 ounces Fontina cheese or aged white cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • Salt and freshly ground white pepper

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons salt and the pasta and stir well. Cook according to the package directions. Drain and set it aside.

Meanwhile, to make the Béchamel Sauce, melt the butter for the sauce in a saucepot over medium heat. Add the shallot and bay leaf and sauté until the shallots are soft and begin to caramelize, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaf. Add the flour, and cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Slowly add the milk, a little at a time, whisking constantly to avoid lumping. When the flour and milk have been completely combined, stir in the cream. Bring the sauce to a simmer, stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula, until it thickens, about 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in the mustard, cheese and salt and pepper. Simmer the sauce for 5 minutes and set aside.

Place a cast iron skillet over med-high heat until almost smoking. Carefully add the olive oil and then the cheese sauce (it will bubble vigorously). Stir with a spatula, like an omelet, as the cheese toasts a bit on the bottom of the pan. After 1 minute, add the drained cooked noodles. Toss the pasta thoroughly with the sauce and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until you have about one-quarter of the mixture is golden brown from the bits of toasted cheese.

Fire up your smoker or place a perforated metal pan or smoker box on your grill with soaked wood chips. Smoke the Mac n’ Cheese for 30 minutes.

Firecracker Dogs

Ingredients

  • 8 wooden skewers 8 HOFFY Big Dog XXL Premium Beef Franks
  • 1 tube refrigerated breadstick or pizza dough
  • 1/4 cup Everything Bagel Seasoning

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375ºF.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Insert a skewer through each of the hot dogs, leaving 1/2-inch of hot dog exposed at the top.

Take one piece of the bread stick dough or cut a 1/2-inch wide and 8-inch long strip from the pizza dough and wrap the strip of dough around each hot dog, leaving space between the concentric circles of dough.

Repeat with the remaining hot dogs. Place the Everything Bagel Seasoning on a flat plate and roll the wrapped dogs in the seasoning.

Place the dogs on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until the bread dough is golden brown. Serve with your favorite toppings.

Star Spangled S’mores

Ingredients

  • Red food coloring
  • Blue food coloring
  • 16 graham cracker squares
  • 2 Hershey’s chocolate bars
  • One (10-oz) bag marshmallows
  • Cooking spray, for pan

Instructions

Grease a small baking pan with cooking spray. In a medium pot melt marshmallows completely. Working quickly, divide into three bowls. Dye one bowl red and another blue.

Pour red marshmallow into prepared pan, then blue, and then white. Spray a small knife with cooking spray (this helps the marshmallow from sticking!) and run it through the marshmallow layers to marble it. Let cool.

Place half of the graham cracker squares on a small baking sheet and top with chocolate squares. Cut marshmallows into squares and place on top of the chocolate then top with remaining graham cracker squares.

Wrap each S’mores in aluminum foil and grill over medium heat until the chocolate is melted, turning often.

Grilled Doughnutholes with red, white and blue sauces

Ingredients

  • Doughnut Holes
  • Skewers
  • Raspberry Sauce
  • Blueberry Sauce
  • White Chocolate Sauce

Instructions

Preheat your grill to low. Thread the doughnut holes onto 6 to 8 ten-inch wooden skewers. Grill the doughnuts, turning, until warmed and marked, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Serve with the sauces.

Pop Corn Ice Cream Sundaes

Ingredients

  • 1-pint vanilla ice cream
  • Caramel Sauce
  • 2 cups kettle corn
  • 1/2 cup honey-roasted peanuts, chopped

Instructions

Scoop ice cream into bowls. Drizzle each with caramel sauce. Top each with popcorn and nuts.

Grilled Peach Cobbler

Ingredients

  • 6 large peaches, pitted and halved
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
  • For the Biscuit Topping
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • Pinch of salt

Instructions

Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.

Place the peaches on the grill, cooking for 5 minutes total with the lid closed, flipping halfway through.

Remove peaches and slice, once cool enough to handle, into thin slices.

Add peaches to a large bowl with sugar, flour, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt. Stir to combine until everything is evenly coated. Add the mixture to a 10-inch or 12-inch cast iron skillet and top with the small piece of butter all over. Cover with aluminum foil.

Place skillet on the grill, cover, and cook until bubbling and hot, about 15 minutes.

While the peaches are cooking, make the biscuit topping. Add flour, sugar, and baking powder to a medium bowl. Stir until combined. Make a well in the center and add cream and melted butter to the center. Stir until the mixture comes together.

Remove the foil from the skillet and dollop peaches with the dough mixture all over. Discard foil and cover the grill. Cook until the biscuits are browned, about 15 minutes. Remove from grill and let rest 10 minutes before serving with vanilla ice cream.

This aired on the KTLA 5 Morning News on July 1, 2022.