Fourth of July

Strawberries, blueberries, nectarines and vanilla ice cream team up in a quick sundae.

Dry-rubbed before grilling, the delicious bird is then generously drizzled with a zesty sauce at the table-twice the firepower for twice the fun.

This recipe is an accompaniment for Annabel's Baby Back Ribs. Prepare this sauce 2 days ahead of your party for the flavors to meld. Any extra freezes well.

To impart smoky flavor to food when using an outdoor gas grill, add a handful of wood chips (soaked in cold water 30 minutes and drained) to a smoker box and place it under the grates and on top of ceramic briquettes in the far right or left corner of the grill.

Buttermilk and lemon juice add some tang; carrots and celery add crunch.

Beef and Roquefort have a long-standing culinary partnership, but the thick and sweetly smoky slices of barbecued red onions are what really make these burgers great. Keep the meal all-American with chilled beer, homemade lemonade and iced tea. A fresh peach pie with vanilla ice cream is a perfect dessert.

These "patriotic" sundaes with their terrific blueberry-caramel sauce are a lot of fun for a Fourth of July party.

To prepare these without an ice cream maker, pour the sherbet base directly into pop molds. If you don't want to use the molds and you have churned the mixture in an ice cream maker, the sherbet can be transferred to a resealable container, then simply scooped into bowls. Begin making this dessert one day ahead.

A creamy fruit filling goes between split Cardamom Biscuits for a beautiful dessert.

Zingerman's is one of the best-known corner delis in the Midwest. This classic creamy potato salad, which has just the right amount of mayonnaise tang, is a mainstay on the menu there.

Add a glass of rosé and some crusty Italian bread to make a perfect summer lunch.

Active time: 30 minutes Start to finish: 1 1/2 hours

The mixture of fruit in this dessert, a long-standing menu item at The Marx Bros. Cafe in Anchorage, might include anything from wild Alaskan blueberries to apples, depending on the time of year.

If you have a gas grill and want great smoky flavor, soak hickory-wood chips in water one hour. Drain well; place chips in a disposable aluminum pie pan directly over flames (or over lava rocks if they are part of the grill's design). Allow chips to begin smoking, then grill vegetables until tender. This recipe is an accompaniment for Spicy Barbecued Rib-Eye Steaks with Smoked Vegetable Salsa .