BBQ and Beyond: Fourth of July Eats

Wondering what to serve your guests at your Fourth of July bash? Here are some recipes to get you started.

• If you've have guests staying over, surprise them with patriotic French Toast with Berry Butter from the Pioneer Woman for breakfast. Simple, homemade raspberry and blueberry butter melted over crisp french toast make a perfect red white and blue breakfast. 
• Grill the ultimate chicken with Bay Area Chef Tyler Florence's recipe. If you prefer your chicken fried, try his to die for recipe, currently being served at his San Francisco restaurant, Wayfare Tavern.
• If you're feeling adventurous, try making your own special BBQ sauce to slather on grilled chicken. Joy the Baker has a recipe for Bourbon Orange Coriander Barbecue Sauce that can be done in 10 simple steps. Come on, you can do it!
• Keep hot dogs interesting by trying one of these 30 variations dreamed up by the Food Network. Heck, with that many options, you could eat hot dogs every day for the rest of the month!
• Too hot to grill? Make perfect in the microwave. Take out the trash, and your guests will think you were slaving over a hot stove all day long. Who has to know?
• Have a fiesta with Foster City Patch Editor Sarah Yokubaitis' and
• Make this beautiful flag cake to serve for dessert. It may look tricky, but this blog has photos and videos to walk you through it, and the work will be well worth it when you cut into the cake the revel the beautiful flag slices.
• If the old adage "as American as cherry pie," is to be believed, no Fourth of July celebration is complete with a stellar pie for dessert. Try this recipe for Sour Cherry Pie for a spin on an old classic.