Something about summertime makes me want hot dogs. I won’t eat a hot dog all fall and all winter, but the minute it gets warm outside I buy a package at the grocery store.

If I’m at a barbecue and the hosts went all out for some delicious steak and chicken, deep down I’m disappointed I couldn’t have just a couple bites of a classic hot dog.

As perfect as that classic hot dog is smothered in ketchup, mustard and onions, there are too many amazing hot dog variations out there that have been ignored for far too long. It’s time to elevate our barbecue hot dogs so they can stand there proud with the steak and chicken!

These bruschetta hot dogs do just the trick. Hot dogs are grilled, placed in a toasted Italian bun, then topped with tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic, balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Dang-nabbit, these hot dogs are good!

The bruschetta ingredients bring freshness, acidity and complexity to the hot dog, while the crusty bun envelopes the dog with enough room to hold the flavorful topping in place.

If you’re someone who can’t imagine a hot dog without ketchup or mustard trust me when I say the tomatoes, balsamic vinegar and olive oil provide no need for condiments. Elevate your barbecue hot dogs this summer and make some fancy bruschetta hot dogs!

Bruschetta Hot Dogs

 

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Yield: 4 hot dogs

Ingredients

• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for serving
• 2 large leaves fresh basil, torn
• Salt
• 4 hot dogs, grilled
• 4 Italian buns, toasted

Directions

1. In a small mixing bowl combine the diced tomatoes, garlic, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, basil, and salt to taste.
2. Place the grilled hot dogs in the toasted buns then top with the tomato mixture. Drizzle with olive oil before serving.

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Recipe from July/August 2010 issue of Food Network Magazine.

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I don’t have some great tale associated with this recipe. It doesn’t come from some heartfelt childhood memory. Nor did I stumble upon it in a cookbook with excitement and rush to make it. And it’s definitely not a copycat recipe from my favorite meal at my favorite restaurant.

The story is quite simple. One day I was deciding what to have for lunch. I had leftover noodles and tuna fish so I mixed them together with some raw veggies. It was yummy so I kept making it. The end. Sometimes the best recipes are the most simple ones.

Many years ago this was my most requested dish from my friends for all our summer barbecues. This was before I ditched the boxed cake mixes and started baking these Perfect Chocolate Cupcakes of course.

I don’t make it as often now since Matt is a tunafish-hater. Do you have anyone like that in your house? I rinse the can, toss it in the enclosed trash, run the disposal and eat the evidence, yet as soon as Matt walks in the kitchen the first words out of his mouth are, “Did you make tunafish?” Insert scrunched up grossed out face here. Is he a secret detective or do all tunafish-haters have such a ridiculous tunafish radar?

Anyways, back to this delicious pasta tuna salad. The creaminess of the mayonnaise mixed with the pasta and delightful tunafish make this a perfect barbecue side dish, but the best part comes from the crunchy sweetness of the peas, bell peppers and grape tomatoes. I keep mine pretty basic, but feel free to jazz yours up with different veggies, different seasonings or even sun-dried tomato mayo.

Pasta Tuna Salad

 

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Yield: 8-10 servings

Ingredients

• 1 pound tri-color short pasta, cooked al dente
• 12 ounces tunafish, drained and flaked
• ½ red bell pepper, chopped
• ½ orange bell pepper, chopped
• 1 cup Hellman’s mayonnaise, more if desired
• 1 pint grape tomatoes
• 8 ounces frozen green peas, cooked and cooled
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Combine the pasta, tunafish, bell pepper and mayonnaise in a large mixing bowl.
2. Carefully stir in the tomatoes and peas. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Notes

If serving after being refrigerated stir then add more mayonnaise if desired to renew it’s creamy texture.

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Lemon & Mocha has been all about Fourth of July the last couple weeks so why stop the trend now? I’ve never done a roundup post before, but with this delicious and patriotic holiday only one week away I decided to share Lemon & Mocha’s favorite barbecue recipes. Hopefully this post will provide some inspiration for your own holiday meal! You can view even more Fourth of July inspiration from around the web on the Lemon & Mocha’s Fourth of July Pinterest board.

Sun-dried Tomato and Smoked Paprika Deviled Eggs with Crispy Shallots. The quintessential barbecue appetizer with a tasty twist.

Grilled Pineapple Guacamole. Heat up your grill for this sweet and smokey dip.

Grilled Steak and Peach Salad with Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing. Bring some refreshing summer flavors together in this flavorful salad.

Mushroom Overload Cheddar Burgers. Lemon & Mocha’s first burger recipe is still my favorite!

Dallas Burger with Barbecue Sauce and Coleslaw. This burger is so yummy it doesn’t even need cheese.

Crispy Baked Kale Chips. The perfect healthy snack for your Fourth of July barbecue. You don’t have to feel guilty about munching on these all day!

Sun-dried Tomato Mayonnaise. This condiment needs to be on your picnic table next week!

Coleslaw. Not just a side dish; use this on top of your burgers and hotdogs.

Summer Berry Trifle. Not only does this dessert scream Fourth of July, but you won’t be able to stop eating it. Your guests won’t even know it’s low fat!

Stracciatella Chocolate Hazelnut Gelato Pie. Wow your chocolate lovers with this life changing treat.

Croissant S’mores. There couldn’t be an easier sweet that everyone will enjoy.

S’mores Fudge. Bring summer to your barbecue with this addictive make ahead dessert.

Lemon Curd Tart with Fresh Berries. Simple and fresh!

Don’t worry; I’ll have even more Fourth of July tastiness to share with you next week! Happy Friday, friends!

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I don’t have very many Fourth of July food traditions, but there was one dessert my grandma and I used to make every year: the quintessential flag cake.

I’m sure most of you know the cake I am talking about as I’m sure it has appeared on almost every Fourth of July spread at some point in time. Vanilla sheet cake, vanilla frosting, cut strawberries, or raspberries, laid across to create the stripes in the American flag, 50 blueberries placed in the upper left corner to mimic the flag’s stars.

It is a delightful classic, but I decided this classic needed a major makeover. As much as I love the original, oftentimes the red from the strawberries bleeds into the vanilla frosting if decorated ahead of time and who wants to be laying out lines of strawberries in the kitchen while everyone else is outside enjoying the barbecue.

Also, I am all about multi purposing and the flag cake is not really an enjoy-it-all-summer-long kind of treat. When I was looking through an old issue of the Food Network magazine I came across the perfect solution: this patriotic berry trifle.

Cubes of moist angel food cake are layered with fluffy homemade whipped cream and fresh sweet berries to create a delicious, fuss-free, make-ahead, presentation-worthy dessert. Now that’s a quadruple win right there!

I must admit that I had a serious addiction to this dessert and may have eaten three servings in one sitting… I’ll never tell!

Perfect for your Fourth of July party, Labor Day potluck and just-because-it’s-a-nice-day-out barbecue.

Summer Berry Trifle

 

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Yield: 8-10 servings

Ingredients

• ¾ cup sugar, divided
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
• ¼ teaspoon almond extract
• 1 pre-made angel food cake, cut into 1" slices
• 8 ounces reduced fat cream cheese, at room temperature
• 16 ounces fat free Cool Whip
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, to taste
• 2 pints blueberries, washed and stems removed
• 2 pints strawberries, washed, hulled and thinly sliced

Directions

1. Over medium-high heat in a small saucepan heat ¼ cup of the sugar and ¼ cup of the lemon juice. Stir frequently while heating until the sugar dissolves. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the almond extract.
2. Lay the angel food cake slices face down and brush with the syrup. Flip over and brush the other side of the cake slices. Cut into 1" cubes.
3. Beat the remaining ½ cup of sugar and the cream cheese on medium speed with a mixer until fluffy. Add the Cool Whip and very lightly beat until smooth. Stir in the tablespoon of lemon juice, to taste.
4. Using a 13 cup trifle bowl place half the cake cubes in an even layer on the bottom. Add a layer of ⅓ of the blueberries, followed by half the cream mixture. Layer with half of the sliced strawberries, followed by the remaining cake. Then layer ⅓ of the blueberries, followed by the remaining cream mixture.
5. Top with a layer of strawberries overlapping around the edge of the bowl. Place the remaining ⅓ of blueberries on the top in the center. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

Notes

For easiest preparation, cut angel food cake with a serrated knife in a slow sawing motion.

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One of my first cookbooks I purchased was Bobby Flay’s Burgers, Fries, and Shakes. As soon as I saw the title I knew I had to have it. I like burgers! I love fries! I would bathe in milkshakes!

Unfortunately I haven’t tried nearly enough of the mouthwatering recipes by now, but everything I have tried has been mmm-don’t-talk-to-me-right-now-I’m-busy-eating good.

One of those is the Dallas burger. Complete with creamy coleslaw, pickles and a sweet and spicy sauce, this burger is a barbecue lover’s dream. All the components add an extra flair to your average backyard burger, but this finger-lickin’ amazing sauce needs to get a special mention.

Sautéed onions, molasses and ancho chiles are just a few of the ingredients that add layer upon layer of flavor to this pourable gold. The ultimate proof for how good this sauce is? I am a cheese addict and never eat a burger without cheese. Notice something? This is a burger recipe, not a cheeseburger recipe. Now that is the delicious power of this sauce.

Impress your guests this Fourth of July and serve up these extreme barbecue burgers. They will not only thank you, but might randomly show up at your house all summer long with a six-pack of beer just hoping you’ll have an impromptu barbecue featuring these burgers. Don’t worry, you’ll want one too.

Dallas Burger with Barbecue Sauce and Coleslaw

 

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Yield: 4 burgers, 2 cups barbecue sauce

Ingredients

for the barbecue sauce

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 Spanish onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 chipotle chile in adobo, chopped
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• Salt and pepper

for the burger

• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 1 pound 80% lean ground beef
• 2 tablespoons canola oil

for assembly

• 4 burger buns
• 1 cup coleslaw
• Dill pickles

Directions

for the barbecue sauce

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook the chopped onion until softened, about 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
2. Add ⅓ cup water and the ketchup and stir. Bring to a boil then let simmer for 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, except the salt and pepper, and simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Remove from the heat and puree until smooth in a food processor. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour into a bowl and let cool to room temperature.

for the burger

1. Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat.
2. Divide the ground beef into four equal parts and create 4 uniform burgers. Make an impression with your thumb in the middle of each burger patty so it doesn’t bulge in the middle when it cooks. Season both sides of the burgers with salt and pepper.
3. Lightly brush the seasoned patties with the prepared barbecue sauce as they cook and grill until cooked the way you prefer, turning once. For medium cook for 8 minutes total.

for assembly

1. Lightly toast the burger buns then top with the cooked patties, some barbecue sauce, coleslaw and dill pickles.

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