Preparing for the 4th of July

Tomorrow is the 4th of July! I know a lot of you will be grilling and having people over to share the holiday with. Here are a few tips to help things run smoothly…

* Marinate meats the night before. I do this even when I am not preparing for a holiday. Meat takes time to absorb the flavors you are soaking them in. So save yourself the hassle of same day prep and prepare the meat for grilling today! Place the meat in a dish soaking in your favorite marinade, cover and place in the fridge over night.

*Outsource side dishes to your guest. When you call to invite or remind friends about your cookout tomorrow, ask them to please bring a side dish. This will save you time not having to prepare a ton of dishes and the guest will get to sample more than just your cooking too! You just focus on the meat and veggies you will be grilling, since that will be the main attraction anyways 🙂

*Prepare the seating today. Unless you have rain in the forecast tonight, go ahead and set out the table and chairs in the yard for tomorrow. This is just one of those things that can easily slip your mind until everyone shows up with food in hand and nowhere to set it up at. Save the tablecloths for the morning, because that is just too easy for birds to use as target practice before your guest arrive.

*Designate a topping station. Rather than leaving the goodies that go atop the delish grilled meats on random tables, make one area just for that. This will save a lot of potential spills as people pass them across tables and over your head. Let us try to civilize our family and friends… haha yea… well it is worth a shot!

So get a little done today to make tomorrow a little less stressful. Maybe you will have time to enjoy and kick back a bit and not work the entire time!