Although the temperatures on the Fourth of July may be hot, you shouldn't be cookin' -- at least not literally, that is.

Or so says Angel Shannon, author of the "Stick of Butter Cookbook," published by Springville's Cedar Fort Publishers.

For the gourmand and her family, holidays are meant to be spent together -- not in the kitchen.

"You don't want to mess up the dishes and have to clean up the kitchen," said Shannon, who shares recipes on her Web site, www.cookingwithangel.com. "You want to make food that is simple with minimal clean-up, because it's all about hanging out and celebrating."

So this Fourth of July, Shannon and other savvy cooks are sticking with dishes that are simple, delicious and easy to make-and-take to any Independence Day celebration, whether it be at a pool, on a picnic or at a campout.

If you are strictly looking for a meal with minimal effort, there are some fairly obvious choices, Shannon says.

"Hot dogs are always in vogue, aren't they?" she said with a laugh. "But seriously, the potato-chips-and-hot-dogs-over-the-grill thing means you can spend more time with your family and less time putting your food together on-site. You put it together, have it in a cooler and it's done."

Grilled hot dogs and hamburgers are tried-and-true Fourth of July fare, but if you want to take it up a notch, try grilling chicken, steak or bratwurst, Shannon says. Potato chips are cheap and easy to transport, and go well with pasta salad or macaroni salad. Less conventional salads like Shannon's Citrus Wild Rice Salad or Chopped Salad also pair nicely with backyard picnic foods.

"It kind of depends on which way you do your celebrating, and if your family likes to cook together or not," Shannon said. "We're pretty standard."

Debbie Murdoch of Alpine and her family area also prefer to spend time outdoors rather than indoors cooking and baking. But the one dish Murdoch does make every holiday is her potato salad, which can be time-intensive but travels well, Murdoch says. Leftovers also keep well in the fridge, making the work worth it. (Just be sure to store and transport salad in a temperature-controlled cooler to avoid food poisioning).

"Family gatherings are probably the only time we have potato salad," said Murdoch. "It's great for picnics and barbecues outdoors."

The Murdochs usually pair their potato salad with a barrel of chicken from Kentucky Fried Chicken and bags of potato chips. To cool off, they drink homemade lemon punch made from a family recipe.

"It's fast and easy and you don't have to be tied down in the kitchen," she said.

Ribs are another Fourth of July favorite, said Nancy Judd, director of the Maceys Little Theatre in Orem. The Little Theatre offers free weekly cooking classes for the community.

Her popular Simple Country Ribs recipe, which calls for pork spareribs or baby back ribs, requires few ingredients and is easy to master, Judd says.

"They cook for a while on the stove and then you can put them on the grill or baste them in the oven," she said. "You can even make them a day ahead of time, store them in the fridge and then reheat them on the grill."

For Judd, ribs are a welcome change from hot dogs or steaks without being overly fussy.

And even if your food choices aren't fussy, that doesn't mean they have to come without frills.

In fact, the Fourth of July is one of the best times to be creative with presentation, Judd says. The Americana colors of red, white and blue are widely found in food, which makes it easy to create eye-pleasing plates. Red and white chips with dip, a basic sheet cake decorated with the stars and stripes or a layered trifle made with angel food cake, blueberries, strawberries and vanilla pudding are a few of the patriotic dishes Judd has served on the Fourth of July.

"You can make anything more festive," Judd said. "I think people don't realize that you eat with your eyes first. Whatever you serve will taste better if you present it in a beautiful way."

2 to 4 pounds pork spareribs or baby back ribs

2-18 ounce bottles barbecue sauce

1 onion, sliced or chopped

1/2cup brown sugar

1/2 cup soy sauce

water

Put ribs in a large stock pot with barbecue sauce, onion and brown sugar/soy sauce mixture. Pour in enough water to cover. Bring to a low boil and cook for one-and-a-half to two hours. Preheat grill for high heat. Lightly oil grate. Remove ribs from stock pot and place on the grill. Use remaining barbecue sauce from stock pot to baste ribs while cooking. Baste ribs and turn frequently for about 20 minutes or until nicely browned.

6 cups prepared vanilla pudding (can use instant and add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract)

1/2 to 1 purchased angel food cake

2 1/2 pounds hulled and sliced strawberries (or frozen strawberries thawed)

fl cup sugar

1 16 ounce carton whipped topping, thawed

3 cups blueberries (can use blueberry pie filling or frozen blueberries thawed)

Add sugar to strawberries and set aside. In a glass bowl, layer torn up angel food cake, then half the strawberries, half of the pudding, half the whipped topping and half of the blueberries. Repeat, except save the other half of the whipped topping and a few berries for the center. After the last layer of blueberries spread on the other half of the whipped topping. Cover and chill three hours. When ready to serve either put a sparkler in the center and light it or drench sugar cubes with lemon extract, place on cut strawberries and light. Stick in two or more mini flags. Expect ooohs and aaahs.

-- Recipes courtesy of Nancy Judd and Maceys Little Theatre

Red potatoes, skins on, cubed into 1/2 inch chunks (enough to fill 2/3 of a large stock pot)

6 to 8 hard cooked eggs

1 cup real mayonaise

/cup milk

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon mustard (just a small squirt)

2-3 celery stalks, finely chopped

1-2 teaspoons dill juice (optional)

radishes (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

Paprika or seasoning salt for color (optional)

Place cubed potatoes in pot and barely cover with water. Boil until partially firm. Drain water. Remove skins. Chop eggs finely, and add to potatoes. Add celery. Mix mayonaise, milk, onion powder, mustard and optional ingredients separately. Add gradually to potato mixture until consistency is to your liking. Can double sauce if needed.

3 gallons water

1 4 pound bag of white sugar

2 ounces lemon extract

3 to 5 tablespoons citric acid (depending on how strong you want it to be)

1 bag of shaved ice

Mix in larger cooler and serve.

-- Debbie Murdoch

1 cup uncooked wild rice

2 apples, chopped

Juice of 1 lemon

1 cup golden raisins

1 cup seedless red grapes, halved

2 tablespoons each fresh mint, parsley and chives

1 cup pecan halves

Dressing:

1/4 cup salad oil

· cup orange juice

2 tablespoons honey

Cook rice according to directions and drain; cool. In large salad bowl toss apples with lemon juice and add raisins, grapes, herbs and rice. Salt and pepper ste. Whisk dressing together. Mix into salad and chill. Serve topped with pecan halves.

-- Angel Shannon, www.cookingwithangel.com