Cooking out on the grill has always been one of my favorite ways to cook during the summer, and there’s no better time than the 4th of July!  Growing up around a lot of extended family always meant that holiday celebrations were well attended, and Independence Day was no exception.  Everyone would bring their own meat to grill, along with a salad and dessert to share.  We usually kept it simple with hot dogs and hamburgers, but every once in awhile, we’d change things up a little.  One year, my uncle had a new smoker that he wanted to try out, so he made smoked jalapeno poppers, similar to this recipe, except they were smoked instead of baked.  They were so good!

I’ve been trying to decide what to grill this year for the holiday celebration, but there are too many choices!  On tasteofhome.com, there are 726 recipes that come up when I enter “grilled” in the search box, so I’ll have to narrow it down somehow.  It’s been awhile since I grilled shrimp, so maybe I’ll try this yummy looking Grilled Chipotle Shrimp recipe.  Oh, and look at this recipe, Grilled Corn Dip!  It’s something a little different than the usual lineup of grilled appetizers or snacks, but still looks delicious.  Luckily, I have both a gas and charcoal grill, so I have lots of space to cook all of this!  For dessert, I think I’ll finish things off with the Grilled Pound Cake with Berries.  It’s essential to have some red, white and blue in my menu, and this will be perfect.  Well, it’s time to head to the grocery store and pick up the ingredients, I’ll let you know how the recipes turned out

What are some of your favorite grilling recipes that you like to have on the 4th of July?  Maybe I can add them to my menu next year!