It's a big holiday weekend in the U.S. and everywhere you look you see red, white, and blue, even in the kitchen. If you're planning a holiday party or family dinner, why not put some red, white, and blue food on the menu? Since it's a holiday, I'm starting with desserts, but if you'd like some other options for Fourth of July Food, check the list after the photos!

If you like rice, you probably like fried rice, the side-dish standby of Chinese American restaurants, and a great way to use up leftovers if you make it at home. Variations of fried rice are are found in many countries, but certain steps in the recipe are universal. Learn the basics of making fried rice, and you can create endless variations by using whatever ingredients you'd like. I'm certainly not a fried rice expert like some of the Asian bloggers whose recipes I'm featuring in this post, but here are a few things I've learned from making it many times.

Granola is such a common food to grab on the cereal aisle at the grocery store, many people probably haven't ever thought of making it at home. There are good reasons to try it though. Not only is homemade granola much cheaper than store-bought varieties, but when you make your own, you can control what goes in and make sure the granola you're eating doesn't have extra sugar, trans-fats, or high-fructose-corn-syrup.

This weekend is Father's Day in the U.S., and lots of families will be cooking on the grill in honor of dad. Maybe your family already has a dad-tested grilling specialty that's mandatory for holidays like this, but if your dad likes to try new things, here are five delicious variations on grilled kabobs that could be perfect for your Father's Day menu.

From cookbook author, blogger, and reportedly all-around nice guy Michael Ruhlman comes the ultimate summer challenge for serious cooks: make a BLT sandwich from scratch. Now if you're thinking to yourself, no big deal, I make BLT sandwiches all the time, read on to see why this challenge is for truly serious cooks.