Luv Cooks Fourth of July FAVES!

Hi lovely Luv Cooks foodies!

In honor of this very special holiday weekend, where we get to celebrate the beauty and freedom of America, and American cuisine, I wanted to give you guys a special round-up of all of the recipes that are SURE to bring a smile to the ones you love this Fourth of July.

This post is all about my favorite summertime recipes that not only taste delicious, but are a great way to bring some fun and love to those outdoor BBQ’s.

Without further ado…

White BBQ Sauce

White BBQ Sauce This recipe, adapted from Southern Living’s version, is a huge crowd pleaser! Use it to top smoked chicken, burgers, even stir it into coleslaw!

Steak Pizza!

Grilled Greek Pizza with Steak Two words: GREEK DRESSING! This post features my favorite homemade Greek dressing of all time and the fabulous The Style Gathering– plus steak tips!

Grilled Tomato Salsa

Grilled Tomato Salsa: I adore salsa, and grilling the tomatoes in this recipe gives even more depth of flavor to already fantastic Southern tomatoes.

Strawberry Lemonade

Strawberry Honey Lemonade This lemonade is one of my favorites I’ve ever made, plus it uses honey and only a bit of sugar for sweetness. And, it involves summertime strawberries- deal!

Gluten Free Peach Cobbler Ice Cream

Gluten Free Peach Cobbler Ice Cream

This recipe is soooo tasty and even uses gluten-free pie crust in the ice cream. YES!

White BBQ Sauce

Pure, saucy deliciousness
Pure, saucy deliciousness

Y’all, if there ever was a sauce that is as loved or divisive in the South- maybe as much or more than how you take your tea, which football team you cheer for, or who you invited to your last get together- it’s white BBQ sauce.

Your standard BBQ sauce is essential for any proper barbecue, of course.  Whether it’s sweet, spicy, tomato-based or laced with vinegar, frankly, that’s up to you. But white BBQ sauce? I land on it’s side. To me, that sauce is the piece de resistance, the cherry on the sundae, the touch that brings all of the smoky, juicy flavors of barbecue to their pinnacle.

And the power of a good white BBQ sauce doesn’t just end with the meats. In fact, I am such a fan of this sauce that I feel it absolutey necessary that I list my top five favorite foods to douse it with:

1. Smoked chicken (specifically from here, Oh my Lord, is it goooood!)

2. Scrambled eggs

3. White sticky rice

4. Mashed potatoes

5. Sandwiches of any type (BLT, turkey, ham, roast beef, etc.)

The possibilities are endless, and this sauce is oh-so-easy to make. Therefore, I highly recommend you spreading the white BBQ luv and making some for Labor Day weekend.

Without further waxing of the bbq poetic, I give you a slightly tweaked version of the white bbq sauce from Southern Living. For those of you who don’t know about this magazine, their look is absolutely lovely and reminds me of home. Oh, and check out The Daily South for a daily dose of all things Southern and fabulous. It’s currently a standard site in my blog feed!

I hope each of you takes time to get away, love on those around you, and eat some delicious food this weekend. Topped with white BBQ sauce, of course.

White BBQ Sauce

White BBQ Sauce (This recipe is tweaked a bit from the version here from Southern Living)

What You Need:

  • 1 1/2 cups plus 1-2 tablespoons mayonnaise; I prefer Duke’s
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon coarsely ground pepper
  • 1 tablespoon Creole mustard (I used Zatarain’s)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon white sugar
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 teaspoons prepared horseradish

What You Will Do:

1. Whisk together the 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise, water, vinegar, pepper, mustard, salt, sugar, garlic, and horseradish.

2. Taste your sauce and see what you think. I like mine a bit creamier, so I whisked in about 1 1/2 tablespoons more mayonnaise.

3. Enjoy and serve alongside anything you choose! Can’t wait to hear what your fellow tasters think.