We all have fond memories of great barbecues. It is hard to say no when one of our friends or a family member invites us to a barbecue. The thought of the food on the grill with the smoky aroma all around is admittedly hard to resist. The barbecue has been a traditional get together meal for decades and it will be here for many more.

There are many different methods for cooking a great barbecue meal. Some prefer to use a dry rub seasoning on the meat while grilling, others like to marinate the meat for a day or so before cooking it, some people enjoy adding wood chips to the grill for added smoke flavor, and some just like their food smothered in lots of barbecue sauce.

Traditional barbecue sauce is a blend of tomato sauce and vinegar. You can use ketchup in place of those two items. If you like, cider can be used either in place of or in addition to the vinegar. Then, the creativity really kicks in, flavors and spices are added to give each sauce its own distinctive taste.

For sweet barbecue sauces, brown sugar or honey are usually added. You can also use fruit or jelly to sweeten a sauce. To make it spicy, you can add any type of pepper or hot sauce that you like, cayenne will give it a milder flavor while you can really spice it up with something like Habanero sauce. Any combination of herbs and seasoning can be used in your barbecue sauce, garlic and onion powder are very common but for added flavor you can also use something like fresh cilantro. Another ingredient that is often put into a good barbecue sauce is smoke flavoring. This can be used in place of wood chips in the grill. Mustard is also used in the making of several barbecue recipes.

Marinades are also very popular. Try out several different methods with this as well. A good marinade can either be made by adding water to one of your barbecue sauce masterpieces or creating something entirely new. Try a soy sauce, brown sugar and sesame for something different. Don’t be afraid to experiment and try new things. Then, you just soak your meat in it overnight in the refrigerator to let it really soak in the flavors.

The key to making the perfect barbecue sauce is to make it the way you would like it to taste. Add any ingredients you like, switch them up and use a lot of variety. Try new things especially if you have a few favorite herbs or flavor preferences.

Every year on the 4th of July Americans try to out do themselves from previous years with their fireworks. This year, why not take it one step further and make 4th of July 2009 the best barbecue party you have ever had? You can begin by choosing from the top gas barbecue grills way before the 4th of July because as our independence day comes closer, all the best grills will begin to vanish from the marketplace.

Once you have your grill picked out and on order, start creating your menu. The best barbecues are usually those that have top quality home made barbecue sauce on hand. You may want to experiment with a few before the 4th of July is here to be sure that you are making your guests the best barbecue that you can. You may even want to offer them a choice on bbq sauce flavors to make their independence day a truly special occasion.

Don’t forget the side dishes, lots of fruit and of course chili or baked beans are always a necessity at a 4th of July barbecue. Remember to make things that are easy to eat outdoors while you are watching your fireworks show as well. Beverages are better served from cans or disposable cups. Since they tend to get lost in all the excitement when the sun goes down and the 4th of July fireworks show begins, you will want to be sure to have lots of extra things to drink at your independence day barbecue.

Sturdy and durable disposable dinnerware is the order of the day on the 4th of July because it will most likely be a warm summer night in your neighborhood and people will want to wander around outside. Locating a couple of highly visible trash receptacles around the grounds to help keep down on the mess is also a good idea.

Make this 4th of July 2009 the best it can be by taking the time to plan a proper get together way in advance. It is sure to be a day of independence you will remember for years to come.

Americans use more than 500 billion matches per year to light anything from birthday candles to campfires. Watching their parents light candles, gas stoves or barbecues, children

often become fascinated with the allure of dancing flames and sparks.

Because children have a natural curiosity about fire, they might experiment with it when adults are not around to supervise. That’s why it is important to teach children at an early age about match safety and the danger of fire, as well as the difference between a controlled flame and one that is unsafe.

Birthday parties and other family events provide opportunities for parents to demonstrate match and fire safety. Diamond, the No. 1 producer of wooden matches in the United States, offers the following safety tips.

* Always keep matches in a secured drawer or locked cabinet away from curious children.

* Encourage children to tell an adult when they have found matches in a place that is easily accessible to them.

* When lighting candles on a birthday cake, use the occasion to discuss match safety with children and demonstrate proper safety practices. Use Diamond’s Birthday Candle Matches, which are twice as long as standard wooden matches, to easily light candles and keep your fingertips away from the flame’s reach.

* Once a match is used, discard it properly. If you blow out a match and throw it in the trash, there is a danger that it might not be totally extinguished. To reduce this risk, use the Diamond MatchGuard, a new matchbox design with a push-to-open match drawer and safety disposal chamber for extinguished matches.