Patch Picks: Fourth of July Cooking Tips and Recipes

The best thing you can do for your Fourth of July barbecue is make easy, delicious recipes. Whether you've got people coming over, or you're heading to a friend's house, you don't want to prepare anything that takes too long, or tastes too bland. Socialize outside. Don't get stuck in the kitchen. But make sure your food is good.

Check out these four ideas for your Fourth of July fare, and feel free to share any great recipes you have in the comments. 

1. Use wonton skins.
This might sound a bit unusual, but wonton skins (available at ) are an amazing vehicle for whatever they are holding, and they make great bite-sized snacks.

All you have to do is moisten them with a little oil, push them down into a muffin tin, and bake for six to seven minutes at 375, or until the tips turn golden brown. My best recommendation for wonton skins this way is to make them into fish tacos. Saute up a little bit of tilapia, top it with avocado and mango, put it together in your wonton skin cup and you're good to go.  

2. Pre-sauce your patties
After you take your ground meat (beef, turkey, whatever) out of its packaging to make burger patties, massage in some barbecue sauce and diced red onion. Even if you accidentally overcook the meat later, you wont lose much moisture, due to the sauce, and the patties will be way more flavorful than they would have been otherwise.

3. Microwave corn on the cob
Don't waste your time boiling or grilling corn on the cob. Wrap the corn in a damp paper towel, and microwave it for two minutes. Take it out, unwrap, butter, salt, pepper, done, delicious. 

4. Get Creative with guacamole
Most people love guacamole, and while it's ridiculously easy to make, homemade guacamole still impresses party-goers. So spice it up a little bit. Try making three different variations for your guests.

You wouldn't believe how delicious a simple avocado-goat cheese-pomegranate seed guacamole is. Leave some extra seeds for the top just for the aesthetic. Also, you can try putting a Middle Eastern/Central Asian twist on guacamole by adding curry powder and cumin to the mix. 

Share your recipes and Fourth of July cooking tips in the comments!