feasting on the fourth

When faced with planning the menu for this year's Fourth of July celebration, burgers and dogs didn't even cross this girls mind. Not once did I consider whipping up my favorite potato salad or perhaps giving Bratwursts a try. Nope, not this year. Because this year? Well, I decided to go Cuban.

I suppose it's not so much of a surprise given the affair that's turned into a committed relationship between Cuban cuisine and I this year. There's something about the flavors and the overall feeling of happiness and festiveness that this food genre most literally brings to the table that I thought would be perfect for a Summer party. And when faced with the skeptics who say, the Fourth is an All-American holiday, well I'll quickly have their lips zipped. Because as our friend Donna said, there are plenty of Cubans living in America. And with that, I got to planning.

MENU

Roasted Pork Shoulder Cuban Style (orange, lime, garlic galore)

Coconut Brown Rice with Black Beans

Shrimp and Avocado Ceviche

Cuban Grilled Corn (à la Cafe Habana)

Tostones (fried plantains)

Homemade Mango Sorbet

Mojitos (lots and lots of Mojitos...maybe Mango Mojitos)

But the special thing about this year's spread is that I have delegated out the dishes amongst three of us (the other two are seriously well-seasoned cooks that ALWAYS deliver phenom food). A hard thing for me to do, I will admit. But I'm thinking about it this way: the more I get out of the way the night/morning before, the longer I get to lazily lounge in the sun on my good friend's boat laughing the day away with the best of company. In other words, Saturday could not come soon enough.

So with that, I now ask you: What are your BBQ plans for this year's Fourth??