Have Yourself a July 4th Cook-In

With Independence Day right around the corner, everyone has their mind on cooking out and having their annual parties. But what do you do to celebrate if you aren't into cooking out and having a big party? Can you celebrated Independence Day without the big bash? I know that I can with just a few of the tips below.

Like to grill, but hate the hassle? You can still enjoy grilling, even if you aren't using a traditional outdoor grill. You can use a countertop grill, be it electric or gas, to cook your chicken, hot dogs, sausages, and burgers on them. If you have the right type of countertop grill, you can even grill your vegetables. You still get the great grill marks on your food without all the mess and hassle of propane or charcoal grills. The type of grill doesn't make the food, the food makes the quality of grilling.

Like the side dishes that go with the traditional cook out, but not the left overs? Pick just one of your favorites and make that. Pick one salad and cut the recipe in half, or even into quarters if it's a large recipe. My personal favorite is a simple pasta salad. It's quick and easy, but it makes a fairly large batch.

Quick and Easy Pasta Salad
1lb Favorite Pasta (My choice is a mix of different shapes)
1 bottle Italian Salad Dressing
1 jar Green Olives (sliced or halved)
1 can Black Olives (sliced)
1/2 Red Onion (diced)
1 cucumber (diced)

Cook pasta according to directions on the package, drain and rinse thoroughly under cold water.
While pasta is cooking, prepare your olives, onion, and cucumber, mix in a large bowl.
Add cooled and drained pasta, 1/2 (or more if preferred) bottle of dressing and toss until thoroughly mixed.
Cover with foil, plastic wrap or a lid and refrigerate until serving.

Now, what would Independence Day be without a good dessert? It wouldn't be right, really. For a simple, traditional and yummy dessert, you can't go wrong with strawberry shortcake. It's quick, it's easy and it's delicious. If you can't get fresh, local strawberries, or you don't want to mess around with preparing them you can pick up frozen ones at your local grocery.

With just a bit of thought and creativity, you can have a cook-in for one that is just as good as any cook-out that you could attend. Remember, just because you don't go to the annual cook-out, it doesn't mean that you can't enjoy your own cook-in.