Having the fourth of July fall on a Friday has its pros and cons. The pro is obvious – you get to enjoy the nice, long, four-day weekend. The con is that the following week would feel so long. (I’m definitely going to have the case of the Mondays when I return to work tomorrow.)

But never mind the cons when I think about the wonderful time I always have at the annual Independence Day BBQ, hosted by my parents. My father, who usually stays far away from the kitchen, looked so at home in front of the old-fashioned charcoal barbeque grill, while my mother made delicious side dishes like Asian cole slaw (cabbage, fried wonton, tossed in Italian dressing), her famous spaghetti salad and different kinds of onigiri (rice balls).

My father and my beau enjoyed an ice-cold beer, while the girls (my sister, her roommate, my mother and me) washed down perfectly grilled vegetables and New York steaks with a glass of Merlot that my sister kindly brought for the festivity.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Fourth of July with friends and family!

The chickens and onions caramelizing perfectly on the grill.

This is only my first plate. More to come! (my first steak in months!)

The Leftovers: Don’t fret if you have a whole lotta baked potatoes and corns left over from the barbeque.  I absolutely love leftovers and I even make extra food so I can enjoy them the next day. If I have potatoes and some grilled vegetables left over, as in this case here, I like to turn them into a delicious, summer potato salad.

I like using baked potatoes in this salad more than the boiled ones because they have these lovely texture and add a burst of flavors to the dish. I added grilled corns, fresh red onion, a handful of parsley from the garden, and tossed it a dressing of olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper.