What Will You Be Eating on the Fourth of July?

29023351_S-125x125Summer is a breath of fresh air…for your lungs and for your stomach. With so many parties and outdoor events, this is the time of year to expand your taste palette and find what foods really make your tongue click.

Fourth of July is tomorrow and at R & R Caterers, we’re curious – what are some of your favorite Fourth of July foods? The holiday is really as American as it gets and it’s pretty hard to avoid hot dogs, hamburgers, potato salad, cole slaw, and all of that jazz. That might seem boring, so here are some recipes that will spice up those American standbys.

In this Communitytable.com article, Theresa Greco writes, “While burgers and dogs are the traditional foods to eat a cookout, you can make your July 4 picnic more memorable by adding a few new recipes to your menu. It doesn’t have to be anything over the top; but after attending so many traditional events your guest will welcome something new and exciting.”

That should be what Fourth of July is all about – taking a tradition and making it better. Some of these recipes include Sesame Seed Burger Buns, Homemade Vinegar BBQ Sauce, The Italian Sausage Burger, Sorghum Salad with Avocado Yogurt Dressing, Fresh Fruit & Yogurt Popsicles, and much more.

Of the Sorghum Salad, Greco writes, “Dressed in a healthy mixture of avocado and Greek yogurt, this grain salad makes the perfect side dish to most grilled foods.”

21287201_SThat sounds tasty to us! While tasty, scrumptious to the tongue and belly, we shouldn’t get carried away with these foods. All this summer partying can have a negative effect on your health, as pointed out in this Yahoo Health article points out.

The article states, “Who doesn’t love picnics and barbecues? Thing is, if you don’t practice safe food preparation, outdoor eating can also set the stage for foodborne illness. Every year approximately 1 in 6 Americans gets sick, and 128,000 are hospitalized from foodborne diseases, according to the CDC. Among 31 known pathogens, most deaths occur from Salmonella, Toxoplasma, Listeria, and norovirus.”

Of course, these things can be pretty scary, so it’s best to watch out for your health. It’s easy for us to get carried away in the summertime, a desperate attempt to escape the darkness and winter blues that kept us imprisoned for so long. But while summer is for fun and relaxation, it should also be a time that you watch out for your health, and that means watching what you eat, as boring as that sounds!

According to Yahoo Health, here are the 14 most dangerous summer foods: burgers, sprouts, Caesar dressing, leafy green salads, oysters, homemade ice cream, melons, chicken, tomatoes, deviled eggs, macaroni salad, leftovers, charred meats, and potato salad.

That really limits your Fourth of July options, doesn’t it? Are these really the most dangerous summer foods? Let us know in the comments below. And from all of us at R & R Caterers, have a safe (and healthy!) Fourth of July!