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I'm Ree Drummond.
I'm a writer, blogger, photographer, mother,
and I'm an accidental country girl.
I live on a ranch in the middle of nowhere,
and all my recipes have to be approved by cowboys,
hungry kids, and me.
It's the Fourth of July,
and we're throwing our big, annual celebration on the ranch.
We've got all our friends and family
and Ladd's fabulous fireworks display.
[ Fireworks pop ]
The food's the result of teamwork.
Ladd's grilling his Fourth of July steaks.
I'm whipping up perfect, make-ahead baked beans
and a fabulous tomato-mozzarella salad to keep things cool.
And for dessert,
peach crisp with maple-cream sauce -- to die for.
Then the rest of the menu is up to the guests.
They're bringing potluck food to share.
So get ready to celebrate -- 6:00 p.m. at the Drummond Ranch.
[ Fireworks pop ]
Welcome to my frontier.
[ Trimmer buzzes ]
I love the Fourth of July,
and I love our annual Fourth of July party.
We invite all our friends and family,
a bunch of people we know from church,
and we just kind of provide the basics
and then see how it unfolds from there.
I always do a lot of cooking ahead of time.
Earlier today, I whipped up perfect baked beans.
I cannot imagine Fourth of July without them.
I can't remember a Fourth of July
when I didn't whip up a huge batch of baked beans.
I'm using two pots to make it easy,
and I've got diced-up bacon --
about four slices -- in each pot.
They've been cooking a while, so the fat's nice and rendered.
All right, now, to each pot, I'm gonna add a diced onion.
All right, and with the onion,
I'll add a diced green bell pepper.
[ Sizzles ]
And then one diced red bell pepper.
Lots of great color in these beans.
Now, since it's a festive occasion --
It's the Fourth of July, after all --
I'm gonna add some fresh jalapeño -- about one per pot.
Now, if you're a little concerned
about the spice sensitivity of your guests,
you can just add half the jalapeño,
but I happen to know
most of the people that are coming to my house,
and they appreciate a little spice in their life.
I'm just gonna slice them up with the seeds and all.
Another thing you can do if you're concerned about the heat
is you can scrape the seeds out of the jalapeños.
That takes away a little of that ouch, brow-sweat heat.
I love baked beans because you can really make them your own.
I don't think I've ever made them
exactly the same, year after year.
I always kind of throw in
a little of this and a little of that.
You know, we always have so much fun
at our Fourth of July thing every year,
and I think it's because
it really is such a low-stress event.
For as many people that show up, nobody really sweats anything.
I think that's partly because of the potluck approach.
Ladd always grills steaks. I provide a few basics.
But then everybody that shows up brings salads, desserts, sides.
But the thing is
I never orchestrate what anybody's gonna bring,
so we never know what's gonna show up.
Now I'll move on to the bean part of the baked beans.
I'm just gonna add four cans per pot
of regular, old pork and beans.
This is a really easy recipe.
The hardest thing about it is opening all the cans.
Okay, now I'll stir those around
so they can start getting to know the peppers and onions.
Now, while those get going,
I'll get the other ingredients in there.
To each pot, just add a cup of barbecue sauce,
white vinegar,
some yellow mustard --
It just gives it a nice tang --
ketchup, of course, then brown sugar.
Beans have to have a sweet edge.
And canned chipotle peppers for heat.
The beans actually don't need to cook in the pots at all.
I'm gonna take them home and stick them in the oven,
and they'll bake for at least a couple of hours.
I'll put some bacon slices on top first.
Ooh, are these good. I just love them.
Those are all ready.
Now, I am a huge believer
in disposable foil pans on the Fourth of July.
We have such a huge fireworks display,
and the next morning, we have plenty to clean up
without my having to scrub a whole bunch of pots and pans.
The beans look so pretty with the red and green bell peppers
and the dark-red chipotles.
[ Sighing ] Okay. That's my exercise for the day.
I love making things early in the day on the Fourth,
'cause then I can just sort of just enjoy life
and not stress at the last minute.
This is a lot of baked beans here,
and there's not going to be one bite left
by the end of the night.
Man, those beans are gonna be good.
You know, when it comes to table decorations for the party,
I keep things really simple.
I just need Mason jars, some American flags.
And then later,
I'll add some sunflowers to brighten it all up.
You know, this party is so much fun,
but it does require a little bit of prep work.
It's nice that I have Ladd and the kids to help me out.
Every year, Ladd and his brother Tim
take the kids on a pilgrimage
to get a trailer-full of the biggest, noisiest fireworks
this side of the Mississippi.
It's a little out of hand sometimes.
Okay.
No, I like them.
Every Fourth of July,
it seems like the guys try to outdo last year's show.
So, I think it's pretty safe to say
they have something spectacular planned for tonight,
and I got to say it -- I can't wait.
All right. Operation flowers.
I'm gonna get all these cut and arranged,
and then I'm gonna leave the flowers under the shade
for the rest of the day, 'cause I don't want them to shrivel up
or blow away, for that matter.
Honestly, sunflowers and American flags --
You don't need anything other than that
for a Fourth of July party.
Up next, it's peach crisp with maple-cream sauce,
and we're cracking open the fireworks
and lighting up the sky for the Fourth of July.
Whoo!
[ Metal squeaking ]
LADD: Y'all need to do this while I go take a nap, all right?
[ Chuckles ] That doesn't sound too right.
You boys want to go dump that out?
It's Fourth of July -- time for the big party tonight.
I can't wait.
You know, this party is so much fun.
We have so many people -- even more fireworks.
But part of what makes it so great
is it really is a low-stress event.
Part of what contributes to that are paper plates.
I feel like Fourth of July
is the one time of year I can use them.
And then, we don't have to spend the whole night doing dishes.
One exception to the disposable rule --
I got to have steak knives for Ladd's awesome steaks.
[ Knives clatter ]
Can't use plastic for those beauties.
All right, the kitchen scene is set.
All the appetizers and munchies will go over here.
The entire dinner spread will go over here.
I've got an area just for drinks over here,
and then the glorious desserts will go here.
You know, it's always fun to see how the desserts turn out.
One year, we wound up with about 17.
One year, we wound up with two. So we'll see how it goes.
One thing I know that's gonna make an appearance
on the dessert table is my peach crisp.
I made a couple of them earlier today.
I'm starting with about 12 good-sized peaches,
and I'm just slicing them up.
I do not like peeling peaches, so I just don't peel them.
[ Chuckles ]
I think the peel actually adds some nice color.
This peach-crisp recipe isn't just about the crisp.
Later, I'm gonna whip up a maple-cream sauce
that gets drizzled over the crisp when it's done.
It will change your entire life.
All right, I've got all the peaches sliced,
so I'll throw them in this rather-large bowl.
I'm actually doubling my regular peach-crisp recipe.
Okay.
Now, I'm gonna zest a lemon right into the bowl...
...and then I'll just slice the lemon in half,
squeeze in the juice.
I'll just use my hands as a little sieve.
And then for some sweetness and flavor, 1/4 cup of maple syrup.
Ah, what a yummy combination.
Okay, now I'll just let the peaches sit for a few minutes,
and I'll move on to the topping for the crisp,
which I think is my favorite part.
The peaches are good, but the topping --
Oh -- is so delicious.
I'll start with 2 cups of all-purpose flour.
And then a cup of regular sugar.
And a cup of brown sugar.
And then a teaspoon of ground cinnamon.
And then 1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg.
And finally, 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
Now I'll just smash this all together,
and then I have 2 sticks of salted butter -- really cold,
and I cut it into pieces.
So, I'll just throw those pieces in.
I wonder why this topping is so delicious.
It's basically all butter and sugar.
I just answered my own question.
Okay, now I'm just gonna use the pastry cutter
to cut the butter into the dry ingredients.
This takes a few minutes,
so it always takes a little bit of patience on my part.
You can throw it into a food processor
and just pulse it around if you want,
but I think the consistency is a little bit better
when you do it yourself.
Okay, this consistency is just right.
Basically, you want to keep working it
until you can't see any more fine powder from the flour.
All right. I'll set this over here.
Now, I have two baking dishes
that I smeared very generously with butter...
...and then I'll just pour the peaches into the pans.
I'll grab the topping,
and it just goes right over the tops.
Just get it really evenly spread.
Oh, man.
When this bakes, it turns nice and golden brown.
It gets kind of crispy.
Now I'm just gonna cover these with foil,
and they need to bake at 350
for about 15 minutes with the foil on,
and then I'll take the foil off
and let them bake for an additional 30 minutes,
and that'll make sure the topping gets nice and crisp,
so the dessert will live up to its name.
I made most of the Fourth of July food
up at the lodge earlier today,
so I'm just gonna head up there and get it.
Hey, guys, come with Mama.
I need some help loading up the food at the lodge, okay?
Thank you.
Up next, it's steaks and delicious maple-cream sauce
to go with the peach crisp.
Then our Fourth of July party
kicks off with a frontier-style firework display.
[ Metal squeaking ]
We're getting ready
for the big Fourth of July party down at our house,
so we ran up here to the lodge to get the food I made earlier.
I made perfect baked beans,
a balsamic glaze to drizzle over the tomato-mozzarella salad
I'm gonna make later, delicious peach crisp,
and maple-cream sauce to drizzle over the peach crisp.
This is so yummy.
I'll tell you how I made it on the ride down to the house.
Okay, I got to tell you about this maple-cream sauce.
It is to die for.
Just add 3 cups of heavy cream to a saucepan over medium heat,
add 3/4 cup of maple syrup,
then add 1/3 cup of light corn syrup.
Then you just stir the mixture over about a 20-minute period
until it's reduced by about a third.
Then when it's nice and thick, transfer it to a container
and chill it for at least an hour --
several hours is better.
I think we're in great shape for the party tonight.
Ladd still has to cut up all his steaks,
and then he's got his whole grilling job ahead of him.
As for me -- I've still got to get the flowers on the table,
the food in the oven, and I've got to whip up
a really simple salad that I absolutely love.
So, what do you think, guys? You excited?
Yeah.
I'm getting hungry. I'm ready for the party.
You're welcome.
The baked beans start with bacon,
and they're gonna end with bacon.
I just lay about six slices of thick bacon over the top,
and as the beans cook,
the bacon cooks very, very slowly.
The flavor seeps into the beans. So good.
These need to bake at 325 for about 2 hours
until they're nice and thick and bubbly.
I could eat these every day of my life.
Usually, I save them for the Fourth of July.
All right.
Now I'm gonna go change clothes and get ready.
[ Metal squeaking ]
Everything outside's almost all ready.
I've just got to put the last of the flowers on the table.
Ladd's in the kitchen cutting up the steaks.
He's got his good friend Butch helping him out,
so it's going really smoothly.
All right. So pretty.
The party is gonna be awesome.
So, what do you think that is -- About 1 1/4 inch?
BUTCH: Just about. Perfect for cooking.
As long as you don't overcook them.
I'm not gonna overcook them.
Well, I got tenderloins now.
I'm just putting a little lemon pepper and seasoned salt.
You try to keep it simple when you're cooking, don't you?
I'm not a big sauce guy or any of that stuff.
Just a little butter and a little seasoning.
That's about all you need.
How long will you cook them on each side?
You know, when they start getting
pretty dark on the bottom, I'll go ahead and turn them.
I like to lift them up,
get a little butter under them every now and then,
'cause I think that butter dries up
on that bottom side of them.
To prevent a traffic jam in the kitchen,
I set up a kids' table outside, and I've got
everything they need for their burgers and hot dogs --
ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, chips, of course, fruit.
All right. Back to the kitchen for me.
Up next, it's our Fourth of July party on the ranch.
There's just a tomato-mozzarella salad to make
and so much fun to have
with a frontier-fireworks extravaganza.
For recipes from this episode,
go to foodnetwork.com/pioneerwoman.
Fourth of July means party time around here,
and we've figured out a pretty stress-free formula
to throw a really relaxed party.
We just provide a few basics. Everybody brings a dish.
And it really turns out to be a fun time for everybody.
BUTCH: Looking good, Ladd.
LADD: They're coming along nicely.
To go with all the steaks and baked beans
and wonderful sides, I'm making a really delicious,
really light tomato-mozzarella salad.
I've got really big leaves of basil,
and I just like to keep them whole.
Now, the secret to my tomato-mozzarella salad --
this balsamic reduction.
The balsamic glaze is just
balsamic vinegar brought to a boil,
then simmered until it becomes a thick glaze.
How yummy is that?
You just drizzle it right over the salad,
and it gives the salad this really dramatic glaze.
So beautiful.
Delish.
All right, now I'll give it a little drizzle of olive oil.
All right, then at the end,
just a little sprinkling of salt and pepper for flavor.
I love this time of the day on the Fourth of July,
'cause most of the work is done.
It's all about just watching the friends arrive
and having fun.
Oh, man.
Those tenderloins are looking good.
You want me to help you with that, Pawpaw?
Let me get my seasoning.
Down.
The people and the food are pouring in.
I'm just trying to keep it all organized
and still have room for Ladd's steaks.
Hi. Oh, how are you doing?
Well, yes.
Dessert? All right.
They look good. All right.
There you go. Thank you, Butch.
Take my beans out. Ooh, the bacon's nice and crisp.
Yum.
Ah, Butch.
A little rare, but they're good.
Rare is good.
[ Sizzling ]
Thank you, sir.
Guys, come get in line!
[ Indistinct conversations ]
These are pretty rare, if you like rare.
We have so many desserts.
I think we have 35 desserts so far,
so I had to move them out of the kitchen
and onto the dining table.
My peach crisp.
Thank you.
The fireworks are the grand finale of this great evening,
so I pull all the quilts off of every bed in my house,
spread them out so everybody has a place to sit.
[ Western music plays ]
[ Fireworks popping ]
Whoo!
Now we're cooking.
Whoo!
What a great end to a perfect night.
[ Cheers and applause ]
-- Captions by VITAC --
Closed Captions provided by Scripps Networks, LLC.