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Can it be that it’s almost the 4th of July? It’s time to think of foods to fix for the eating part of your 4th of July celebration.

Cooking foods on the grill is almost a given for many of us. Bud and our boys (now grown men, but I still call them boys) do the grilling when we have family gatherings.

My motto––bring something for the grill and something to pass. This way everybody gets what they want to eat. And, guess who gets to clean up the mess on the grill when the cooking is over and everyone’s gone home? I’m getting so I don’t like that picture. But with increasing numbers of new products on the market to make clean-up easier, it’s a snap. We now use non-stick foil on the grill, foil food packets and DIY (do-it-yourself) foil pans to help eliminate the mess on the grill. Thus making clean-up a breeze.

The recipes for today are grilled foods you might like to prepare for the 4th or anytime for that matter, using foil for less-of-a-mess.

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This recipe for ribs comes from Zarda Bar-B-Q restaurant in Kansas City, Missouri. They are delicious!

KANSAS CITY-STYLE

BBQ RIBS

2 sheets (18x24-inches each) heavy duty aluminum f oil

DRY RUB: 1/4 c. packed brown sugar

1-3 T. salt (on a low-sodium diet, I’d use 1 T)

1 T. chili powder

1 T. black pepper

1/2 t. ground allspice

1/2 t. garlic powder

1/2 t. onion powder

1/2 t. celery salt

1/4 t. cayenne pepper

1/4 t. ground cumin

INGREDIENTS

3 lbs. pork spare ribs, cut in half

1/2 c. water

3/4 c. your favorite barbecue sauce

Preheat gas grill to medium heat.

Combine ingredients for DRY RUB in a small bowl; sprinkle over ribs and rub into meat, turning to coat ribs evenly.

Center half of ribs in a single layer on each sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil. Bring up foil sides. Double fold top at one end.

Through open end add 1/4 c. of the water. Double fold this end to seal packet, leaving room for heat circulation inside (don’t press air out of foil packet). Repeat to make two packets.

Grill 45-60 minutes in covered grill. Carefully remove ribs from foil; put ribs on grill and brush with BBQ sauce. Continue grilling 10-15 minutes, brushing with sauce every 5 minutes. Serves 4.

Prep time 10 minutes; grill time one hour.

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Maybe you’d like to have chicken rather than ribs. This recipe comes from the Dinosaur Bar-B-Q Restaurant in Syracuse, New York, with a taste of Hawaii.

GRILLED CURRY PINEAPPLE BBQ CHICKEN

Ingredients:

4 (4-6 oz. each) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1 medium red onion, sliced 1/4-inch thick

1 T. vegetable oil

1/2 medium fresh pineapple, cored, sliced 1/4-inch thick or half of a 20 oz. can pineapple slices, drained

Release non-stick foil

CURRY RUB

2 T. curry powder (go easy on the curry if you’re not sure you will like this spice)

1 t. salt or 2 t. kosher salt

2 t. black pepper

1 t. packed brown sugar

COCONUT LIME SAUCE

1/2 c. coconut milk (not cream coconut)

1 t. curry rub

juice from half of a lime or 1 T. lime juice

HONEY BBQ SAUCE

1/4 c. your favorite barbecue sauce

1/4 c. honey

Preheat grill to medium-high. Use a sheet of release non-stick foil long enough to cover entire grill grate. Make drainage holes in the sheet with a large grilling fork.

Combine ingredients for curry rub, coconut lime sauce and honey BBQ sauce in three separate bowls; set aside.

Sprinkle curry rub over chicken. Brush onion slices with vegetable oil. Put foil sheet with holes on grill rack with non-stick (dull) side towards food (or dull side up); immediately put chicken, onion slices and pineapple slices on foil. Grill chicken, onion and pineapple 4-5 minutes; turn. Brush chicken and onion slices with honey BBQ sauce; grill 5 minutes longer.

Take onion and pineapple slice off foil onto a plate, covering with foil to keep hot. Turn chicken and brush with barbecue sauce. Continue grilling 4-5 minutes or until chicken is tender and juices run clear or meat thermometer reads 170 degrees. Put onion and pineapple on top of chicken.

Drizzle with coconut lime sauce. Grill 2-3 minutes or until sauce is heated. Serves 4.

Prep time 10 minutes; grill time 20 minutes.

Alice’s note: If you count the amount of time it took to read and understand this recipe, you can probably add another 10 minutes to the prep time. It’s worth it, though.

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And, a potato recipe from the Salt Lick Bar-B-Q Restaurant, Driftwood, Texas.

TEXAS HILL COUNTRY POTATOES PACKET

1-18x24 sheet of release non-stick foil

4 medium potatoes, cut in 1/2-inch cubes

2 T. butter, cut in pieces

DRY RUB

2 t. garlic powder

2 t. paprika

2 t. packed brown sugar

2 t. salt

2 t. black pepper

2 t. cayenne pepper

Pre-heat grill to medium-high.

Center potatoes on sheet of non-stick foil with dull side toward food.

Combine rub ingredients; sprinkle 2 t. over potatoes. Top with butter. Put leftover rub in plastic zipper bag and save for another time.

Bring up sides of foil. Double fold top and ends to form one large foil packet, leaving room for heat circulation inside. Grill 18-20 minutes in covered grill.

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How about a patriotic look for an easy dessert.

OLD GLORY DESSERT

1-18 oz. tube refrigerated sugar cookie dough

1-8 oz. and 1-3 oz. package cream cheese, softened (lite may be used)

3/4 c. powdered sugar

4-1/2 t. lemon juice

1/2 c. fresh blueberries

2 c. quartered fresh strawberries

Press cookie dough into a greased 15x10x1 inch pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely.

Beat next three ingredients in a medium bowl until smooth. Set aside 1/4 c.

Spread cream cheese mixture over crust. Decorate with blueberries and strawberries to resemble a flag. Cut a small hole in the corner of a plastic bag and fill with the 1/4 c. cream cheese mixture. Pipe little blobs between the blueberries to resemble stars. Makes 12-15 servings.

NOTE: 2 cups of any cookie dough may be used.

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Thought for today: Independence Day, July 4th was first celebrated in Philadelphia, PA in 1777, one year after the Declaration of Independence and during the height of the Revolution. Entertainment included church bells ringing, bonfires, fireworks and music. The first official celebration was in Massachusetts in 1781. Bet they celebrated in the same way as 1777. If you have a flag, be sure to fly it and if you don’t have a flag, get out and buy one. Have a safe 4th of July celebration and be very careful if you’re shooting off fireworks.

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