"cookouts" news and stories

Happy Fourth of July!

Holidays always give us an excuse to eat badly. We always say that it's OK that we're eating cheeseburgers and drinking beer because we'll start exercising and eating well - seriously! - on July 5. At least that's what I'll be saying today when I have cheeseburgers and beer.

So what are you eating? Are you going to a cookout? Are you having a cookout yourself? Are you going to the movies instead to see Live Free and Die Hard and eating popcorn and candy? If you need some ideas, check out some of our recipes for the Fourth, including Thomas Jefferson's Ice Cream, Hamburgers with Herb Butter, Grilled Korean Marinated Ribs, Roasted Fig, and varous red, white and blue desserts.

I think one of the reasons I hate summer, besides the whole HUMIDITY factor, is that I don't like all the typical summer things. Beaches, cookouts, parades...all of these things mean pretty much nothing to me. And you can add fireworks to that list. I have never in my life set off any type of fireworks, and I don't think I've been around anyone who has either.

But I'll happily eat them! Here's a recipe for Chocolate Haystack Fireworks from Elizabeth LaBau at about.com. It's a very easy recipe to make and there's no cooking involved except a microwave, so your house won't get any hotter.

• Here's an interesting idea: let's get rid of restaurant menus!
• The Best New Wine Lists of 2007.
• A list of products and trends you'll see in the kitchen in the next few years.
• Three interesting burgers to try this July 4th.
• Speaking of the 4th, a French chef shows you how to grill a steak.
• Heading to Richmond, VA? Check out this guide to the city.
• If you're not going to Richmond, how about Paris?
• How to preserve summer flavors.
• This month's recipes: Blueberry-Lemon Parfait, Summer Melon with Crab, Potato Salad with Bacon and BBQ Sauce, Tuna with Provencal Vegetables, Almond Ice Milk, and Cucumber-Basil Martini.

This seems to be the week for chipotle-based glazes to put on your corn.

Yesterday I posted the recipe for Grilled Corn with Chipotle-Lime Butter, and today it's Maple-Chipotle Glazed Grilled Corn. It's from Schwan's and uses their Mini Super Sweet Corn on the Cob. It seems sweeter than the chipotle-lime glaze, but also hotter. Full recipe after the jump.

You surf around the web long enough and you see that there are "theme" drink days for any ocassion. I haven't found one for Arbor Day yet, but I'm sure it's out there.

Associated Content has a list of Memorial Day drinks. I'm not sure what makes them special for today (other than the fact that most of them are summer-ish), but they sound interesting. The Colorado Bulldog combines vodka, coffee-flavored liqueur, cola, and light cream, while the Aqua Pearl features soursop (guanabana) juice, gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, blue curacao, and angostura bitters. There's one called Bees Knees II, which sounds like a horror sequel.

After the jump, the full recipe for another drink, the Lunar Lemon Quencher.