My favorite childhood memories of July 4^th are about roasting marshmallows on our grill while watching the fireworks dotting the starlit night sky in the distance. Lots of our neighbors would bring their lawn chairs out in front of the garden-style apartment homes that lined our street in Mill Basin, Brooklyn. The grilling wasn’t done out back where I lived….we had a big front porch…no roof over it…and my Dad had a small Japanese hibachi-style grill that he would barbecue hamburgers and hot dogs on. Nothing fancy…no big recipe required, and yes, we would say we were having a “barbecue” and we ate right out there, too!

My mom would make a homemade potato salad that always had hard-cooked eggs in it – just like Mr. Food’s version of Homestyle Potato Salad, and my grandmother was famous for her freshly grated homemade coleslaw…and yes, Mr. Food’s Country Coleslaw is a pretty close version to hers. Dad liked the crunchy really tart deli-style pickles you could get from a barrel in the supermarket, so we often had those on hand. Many of the kids on the block would play games in the street – yes, in those days, kids could play outside at night…and be safe. It’s almost a by-gone era…but it’s such a nice summer memory. We’d hold sparklers and twirl them in our hands…and then after eating, we’d toast those big puffy marshmallows over the hot coals on long wooden skewers. It’s amazing they didn’t burn up…but they didn’t!

Popping a hot melty marshmallow in my mouth, with a bit sticking to my lips was as it good as it gets. The excitement of the colorful fireworks and the sound of them blasting in the sky was our version of a really good time. No video games today can compare…I think most folks would agree that the simplicity of enjoying a family gathering to celebrate our nation’s independence beats any high-tech experience.

All these years later, as I spend time with the team here planning our show topics and consulting with Mr. Food and our Test Kitchen on the perfect July 4^th recipes…we’ve sure shared a load of them, and you’ll find loads here on mrfood.com right now. Some of my favorites from years gone by would have to be the simple ones…like Fresh Lemonade and anything with seafood…and whether you make your own S’mores with toasted marshmallows, graham crackers and a candy bar, or take it one step further and bake up our decadent recipe for S’more Brownies, you can’t go wrong!

I have to admit though…no matter how delicious they are…I still miss those days when I could enjoy my parents and grandparents food on a warm summer night, when life was a whole lot less complicated and an entire summer of lazy days and nights lay ahead. Hope you get to spend this all-American holiday weekend with your family and friends enjoying some good food and fireworks, just like my husband and I plan to do. And as we celebrate the holiday, let’s remember and thank all of our troops worldwide and their families who are without them today…so that we can be safe here at home.

Wishing all of you no matter where you are or what you are doing… a very Happy July 4^th !

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