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Tag: 4th of July

July 4th Cheese Board

July 4th Cheese Board

July 4th Cheese Board

 

Blueberries

Strawberries

Cherrries

Crackers

Salami

Cherry tomatoes and mozzarella balls

Mediterranean Baked Crackers

Brie cheese

Blue cheese

Laughing Cow Cheese

Star cookie cutter with chocolate covered almonds, Trader Joe’s

Star cookie cutter with pistachio nuts

Star cookie cutter with maracona almonds

4th of July Dessert Dip

4th of July Dessert Dip

4th of July Dessert Dip

 

125 grams mascarpone

250 ml whipping cream, 1 cup

1 teaspoon vanilla paste

1 tablespoon maple syrup

200 grams blueberries

200 grams raspberries

1 tablespoon pomegranate arils

150 grams biscuits, to serve

For Toppings – I use pomegranate arils, blueberries, and raspberries, but strawberries, red currants, and cherries will work too.

 

Whip the mascarpone and vanilla paste in a bowl for 60 seconds. Add the cream and whisk again until soft peaks form. Fold in the maple syrup. Arrange the blueberries onto the platter, followed by the cream. Top with the raspberries and pomegranate arils. Serve and enjoy!

Red, White and Blue Pinwheel Icebox Cookies

Red, White and Blue Pinwheel Icebox Cookies

Red, White and Blue Pinwheel Icebox Cookies

 

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

1 1/3 cups sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

Red food coloring

Blue food coloring

 

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and continue beating until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating between each addition, then add the vanilla. Turn the mixer off. Add the flour and then beat just until combined. Remove the dough and separate it into three equal pieces. Shape one piece of the dough into a 4- by 4-inch square, wrap it securely in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge. (This will be the white portion of the cookies.) Return one of the remaining pieces of dough to the stand mixer bowl, and with the mixer on “low,” add in the red food coloring until it reaches your desired color. Remove the red dough, shape it into a 4- by 4-inch square, wrap it securely in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge. (This will be the red portion of the cookies). Clean out the bowl to remove any red food coloring residue. Add the final piece of dough to the stand mixer bowl, and with the mixer on “low,” add in the blue food coloring until it reaches your desired color. Remove the blue dough, shape it into a 4- by 4-inch square, wrap it securely in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge. (This will be the blue portion of the cookies.) Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes. Remove the dough from the fridge and cut each square in half to form two rectangles. Wrap half of each color of dough in plastic wrap and return it to the fridge. Place the red dough in between two pieces of wax paper and roll it into a rectangle about 1/8-inch thick. Roll out the white dough between two separate pieces of wax paper until it is a rectangle about 1/8-inch thick. Roll out the blue dough between two separate pieces of wax paper until it is a rectangle about 1/8-inch thick.

Peel the top layer of wax paper off of the red dough and then peel the wax paper off one side of the white dough and use the other side to transfer the white dough on top of the red dough. Peel off the wax paper from one side of the blue dough and use the other side to transfer it atop the white dough. Very lightly roll the three layers together. Starting at the shorter end of the rectangle, roll the dough as tightly as possible into a log. Repeat the rolling and stacking process with the remaining dough in the fridge. Wrap the logs in wax paper and then plastic wrap and refrigerate them for 1 hour. Remove the dough logs and roll them on the counter several times so they don’t develop a flat side. Alternately, stand the rolls up in glasses in the fridge. Refrigerate the dough for 4 more hours. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350ºF and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove the dough from the fridge and slice each log into 1/4-inch rounds. Place the rounds about 2 inches apart on the baking sheets, as the cookies will expand when baked. Bake the cookies for 9 to 11 minutes until pale golden, and then transfer them to a wrack to cool completely.

Patriotic Gelatin Salad

Patriotic Gelatin Salad

Patriotic Gelatin Salad

 

2 packages (3 ounces each) berry blue gelatin

2 packages (3 ounces each) strawberry gelatin

4 C. boiling water, divided

2-1/2 C. cold water, divided

2 envelopes unflavored gelatin

2 C. 2% milk

1 C. sugar

2 C. (16 ounces) sour cream

2 tsp. vanilla extract

 

In 4 separate bowls, dissolve each package of gelatin in 1 C. boiling water. Add 1/2 C. cold water to each and stir. Pour 1 bowl of blue gelatin into a 10-in. fluted tube pan coated with cooking spray; chill until almost set, about 30 minutes. Set the other 3 bowls of gelatin aside at room temperature. Soften unflavored gelatin in remaining cold water; let stand 5 minutes. Heat milk in a saucepan over medium heat just below boiling. Stir in softened gelatin and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream and vanilla until smooth. When blue gelatin in pan is almost set, carefully spoon 1-1/2 C. sour cream mixture over it. Chill until almost set, about 30 minutes. Carefully spoon 1 bowl of strawberry gelatin over cream layer. Chill until almost set. Carefully spoon 1-1/2 C. cream mixture over the strawberry layer. Chill until almost set. Repeat, adding layers of blue gelatin, cream mixture and strawberry gelatin, chilling in between each. Chill several hours or overnight.

Patriotic Pie Bites

Patriotic Pie Bites

Patriotic Pie Bites

 

Nonstick cooking spray, for greasing

1 box (14.1 ounces, or 399 g) refrigerated piecrusts (2 piecrusts), thawed

Flour, for dusting

½ C. (130 g) prepared blueberry pie filling

¾ C. (195 g) prepared cherry pie filling

¾ C. (195 g) prepared apple pie filling (if the apple pieces are large, chop up the filling)

Whipped cream, for topping (

 

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C; gas mark 5). Spray a 24-C. mini muffin pan with cooking spray.  Unfold one thawed piecrust at a time on a lightly floured surface. With a 2½-inch (6 cm) round biscuit or cookie cutter, cut 24 rounds from the piecrusts. Using the cookie cutter, cut 6 mini star shapes from the extra dough for garnishing the blueberry pies. Press a round of piecrust into the bottom and up the sides of each prepared muffin cup. Lay the prepared muffin pan horizontally in front of you and fill the crusts to look like an American flag as follows: top row, 3 blueberry and 3 cherry; second row, 3 blueberry and 3 apple; third row, all cherry; and bottom row, all apple. Top each blueberry pie with a mini star-shaped piece of dough. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the filling begins to bubble and set in the center and the crusts turn golden brown around the edges. Allow to cool for 10 minutes or so before removing from the pan and recreating the flag shape on a platter. Top the apple pie bites with a dollop of whipped cream (if using).

Red, White and Blue Fruit Salad

Red, White and Blue Fruit Salad

Red, White and Blue Fruit Salad

 

2 cups red fruit

2 cups white fruit

2 cups blue fruit

2 T. mango syrup

1 1/2 T. lime juice

1/2 tsp. poppyseeds

 

Rinse any berries and pat dry with a paper towel, transfer to a mixing bowl. For any larger pieces of fruit, like watermelon, slice into 1/4″ thick slices and use the cutter to make star-shaped pieces. If you don’t have a star shaped cutter, cut the fruit into 1/2″ dice and add it to the bowl with berries. In a small bowl, combine the mango syrup, lime juice and poppyseeds and stir to combine. Pour the dressing over the fruit salad and toss to combine. Serve.

Uncle Sam’s Sangria

Uncle Sam’s Sangria

Uncle Sam’s Sangria

 

1 bottle dry white wine

2 cups fresh blueberries

1 cup fresh raspberries

1 cup apple juice or white grape juice

1 pound fresh strawberries, sliced

3–4 thin slices pineapple or Granny Smith apple

1 bottle prosecco (or other dry sparkling white wine)

 

Using a small, star-shaped cookie cutter, cut small stars out of pineapple or apple (pears work too) to get the “white” in the red, white and blue and for extra visual whimsy with this sangria version. Mix all ingredients together, except for the stars and sparkling wine, and let sit overnight or for 4 hours in the refrigerator. Stir in the fruit stars and sparkling wine just before serving.

Hot Dog Bar

Hot Dog Bar

Hot Dog Bar

16 Hot Dogs

Beef hot dogs

Turkey dogs

Linguica

Hot Links

Bratwursts

Italian Sausage (Sweet, mild, or spicy)

Polish Sausage

Chicken Sausage

Veggie Dogs

16 hot dog buns

Regular or Whole Wheat Hot Dog Buns

Homemade Hot Dog Buns

Brioche Hot Dog Buns

Pretzel Buns

Crescent Rolls

Condiments

Aioli

BBQ Sauce

Dijon or whole-grain mustard

Gochujang

Guacamole

Ketchup

Mayo

Ranch

Salsa or Pico de Gallo

Teriyaki

Yellow mustard

Sliced or shredded cheese or cheese sauce

Bleu cheese crumbles

Cheddar

Cotija

Feta

Goat cheese

Mozzarella

Nacho cheese sauce

Pepper jack

Queso fresco

Meat Toppers

Bacon

Chili

Chorizo

Shredded Chicken

Veggie Toppers

Avocado

Bean sprouts

Bell pepper

Corn

Cucumber

Kimchi

Lettuce

Onions

Pickled Jalapenos

Pickles

Sauerkraut

Shredded carrots

Tomato

Sides that Double as Toppings

Baked beans

Caramelized onions

Coleslaw

Creamed Corn

Macaroni and cheese

Macaroni Salad

Peppers and onions

Potato chips

Choose 2-3 hot dog styles, then 1 or 2 buns that will go with them ALL.

Average about 1 ½ hot dogs per person. Obviously not everyone will eat ½ a hot dog, but it will make sure there are just enough extras for those who want two.

Most toppings are used in about 1-2 tablespoon portions per hot dog. Not everyone will use every topping. Prep more of the popular ones like cheese or chili, and less of things like shredded lettuce which you don’t use much off.

Most condiments are used in 1/2-1 tablespoon amounts per dog. Estimate the amount you need by portioning a 1/2 tablespoon per hot dog. Not everyone will use every condiment!

Prep ahead! Anything that can be chopped ahead of time is a win. All you have to do is set it out and cook dogs to get going.

4th of July French Toast

4th of July French Toast

8 slices French bread, cut 1½-inches thick

5 eggs

3/4 C. milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3 C. frozen strawberries

2 C. frozen blueberries

1/3 C. sugar

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Whipped Cream

 

Break eggs into large bowl and stir well. Stir in milk and vanilla. Dip bread slices into egg mixture for about 30 seconds on each side. Place bread slices on baking sheet and let stand for 10 minutes until egg mixture is absorbed.  Heat oven to 450°F. Grease a 13x9x1½–inch glass baking dish. Spread frozen strawberries and blueberries evenly over bottom of dish. In small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle ½ of sugar mixture over the berries. Carefully place bread slices over berries. Sprinkle remaining sugar mixture over bread. Bake for 15 minutes until bread is golden brown. (Bake 5 minutes more if necessary.) To serve, use a spatula to place one piece of toast on a plate, and then spoon some of the berries and syrup on top.  Top with whipped cream.

4th of July Molded Salad

4th of July Molded Salad

2 (3-oz.) packets strawberry gelatin dessert mix

1 1/2 C. cran-raspberry juice

1 1/2 C. cold raspberry-flavored club soda

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1 lb. hulled, sliced strawberries (2 C.)

1/2 pt. blueberries (about 1 C.)

1/2 Granny Smith apple, peeled and cored, cut in 1/2-inch pieces

1 C. mini-marshmallows (optional)

 

Place gelatin in a medium bowl. Heat juice to boiling and pour over the gelatin. Stir until completely dissolved, about 2 or 3 minutes. Mix in cold soda and lemon juice. Refrigerate the mixture about 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until it has the consistency of raw egg white. (Or, set the bowl of gelatin into a larger bowl of ice and water to cool it, stirring frequently, about 12 to 15 minutes.) Into the thickened gelatin, mix in strawberries, half the blueberries, the apple and marshmallows (if using). Stir to distribute fruit evenly. Reserve remaining berries for garnish. Pour fruit and gelatin mixture into a 5-C. ring mold. Chill until very firm, about 4 hours, or overnight. (This salad can be made 1 to 2 days ahead. Store it in the mold, covered with foil wrap, until ready to serve.)    To serve, dip the mold into a large bowl of very hot water for 10 seconds. Place a flat serving plate on top of the mold and, holding the plate firmly in place

Red, White and Blue Parfaits

Red, White and Blue Parfaits

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 16-oz. container vanilla yogurt

2 T. lemon juice

2 pints fresh strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced

2 pints fresh blueberries, washed

Whipped topping for garnish

8 parfait glasses or other clear glasses

 

Combine cream cheese, vanilla yogurt and lemon juice and mix well. Place 1/4 C. of cream cheese mixture in the bottom of each glass followed by 1/4 C. strawberries. Repeat with cream cheese mixture and blueberries. Top with whipped topping and serve. These desserts are tasty, colorful and right in keeping with the red, white and blue holiday. You could add a layer of sponge cake in each glass if you want to make the dessert a little more hearty.

Berry Raspberry Icebox Cookies

Berry Raspberry Icebox Cookies

2/3 cup butter, nearly melted and cooled slightly

2 eggs

2 pouches (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix

Red food or icing dye

Blue food or icing dye

1 tablespoon raspberry Jell-O

1 tablespoon berry blue Jell-O

 

Line an 8×4-inch loaf pan with waxed paper, extending paper over sides of pan. In a stand mixer beat butter and eggs together. Add the sugar cookie mixes and beat until just combined. Divide the dough into three equal parts and place in bowls. Set one part aside. Add raspberry Jell-O and red dye for color (You’ll need quite a bit or they’ll be pink) to one part. Knead with your hands in the bowl until the Jell-O is mixed in then pick the dough up and finished kneading folding the dough over with your hands until combined. Repeat with berry blue Jell-O and blue dye. Divide the doughs in half again to make 6 layers. Pat a red dough into the wax paper lined pan. Press gently with the back of a dry measuring cup to even out the dough. Next, pat a plain dough between your hands to form nearly the size of the pan. Press the plain dough into the pan over the red layer. Repeat with blue, red, white and blue. Fold the wax paper over the cookie dough and cover with foil. Refrigerate for several hours until firm. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Once chilled, dump the dough out into a cutting surface. Remove dough from pan and trim edges. Cut log into ¼” thick slices. Then cut slices in half to form squares. Place cookies on sheets 1 1/2 inches apart. Freeze sheets for 10 minutes to retain shapes if desired. Bake 8-10 minutes or until cookies are no longer wet looking and are very lightly golden on the sides. Let cookies firm up on the cookie sheets for a couple of minutes then move to a cooling rack.  Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Red, White and Blue Fruit Salad

Red, White and Blue Fruit Salad

1 C. pitted and chopped Northwest fresh sweet red cherries

1 C. pitted and chopped Northwest Rainier cherries

1 large Northwest white peach*, pitted and cubed (about a C.)

1 C. fresh blueberries

Minted Honey Lemon Dressing

 

*Casaba melon, lichee, julienne jicama or cubed jack, swiss, mozzarella or cream cheese can be substituted. Toss together cherries, peach and blueberries. Sprinkle with dressing and toss gently.

Minted Honey Lemon Dressing: Combine 2 T. fresh lemon juice, 1 T. each honey and olive oil, 2 tsp. chopped fresh mint and 1/4 tsp. salt. Mix well. Makes 1/4 C.

Red, White, and Blue Cheesecake

Red, White, and Blue Cheesecake

1 C. reduced fat graham cracker crumbs (about 8 whole graham crackers)

1/4 C. light butter, melted

32 oz fat free cream cheese (soft or block, brought to room temperature)

1 1/4 C. sugar

1 egg

5 egg whites

6 oz fat free vanilla yogurt

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tbsp cake flour

2 tsp. cake flour

1/4 C. blueberries

1 pint med strawberries, trimmed to uniform size (about 3 c)

 

Arrange rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 325ºF. Combine crumbs with melted butter and stir. The mixture will be a bit crumbly. Press evenly into bottom of 9″ round (or square) springform pan. Bake crust 5 minutes. Meanwhile, with electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. (If lumps remain, use spatula to remove them before proceeding.) Reduce speed to low and add egg and egg whites, one at a time, as you continue to mix. Add yogurt and vanilla extract and mix to incorporate, being careful not to overbeat. Add flour and mix until just combined. Coat inside edges of pan containing baked crust with unflavored cooking spray. Pour cream cheese mixture into pan. Return to oven for about 55 minutes (or until top is well set, but center is still slightly soft and edge is light golden brown). Remove pan from oven and loosen cake from edge of pan using a spatula or butter knife (do not remove pan side). Allow cheesecake to cool 30 minutes before placing in refrigerator. Chill at least 4 hours before serving. Remove pan side and then decorate cake to resemble a flag: Place blueberries in upper left and then arrange strawberries in horizontal rows to cover remainder of cake. Cut and serve.

 

Yield: 12 servings

Calories; 140

Fat: .5g

Fiber: 1g

 

 

Red, White and Blue Salad

Red, White and Blue Salad

Pecans:

2 T. butter

1 1/2 C. pecan halves

1 C. sugar

 

Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add pecans and sugar; stir to combine. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until sugar melts around pecans and is caramel-colored. Remove pecans with a slotted spoon and spread in a single layer on a sheet of lightly greased aluminum foil. Cool completely and break up pieces as needed.

 

Salad:

1 1/2 bags Salad Mix

1/2 bag baby spinach

Halved Strawberries

Sliced Bananas

Blueberries

Craisins

Combine lettuce and spinach in a salad bowl and toss. Add strawberries, bananas, blueberries, Craisins and toss gently. Drizzle lightly with dressing and serve remaining dressing on the side. Sprinkle pecans on top of salad. Serve with mini-muffins.

 

Yield:

Calories:

Fat:

Fiber:

Blueberry Pie

Blueberry Pie

Crust
2 cups flour
12 tablespoons butter, chilled and cut into pieces
2 tablespoons heavy cream, chilled
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, chilled
2 tablespoons ice water

Filling
4 cups blueberries
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla

Assembly
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon heavy cream

For the crust: In a food processors, pulse the butter and flour until it resembles a coarse meal. With the processor on, slowly add the cream, vinegar, and ice water until the dough begins to hold together. Press the dough into a rough ball, then transfer to a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough a few times until smooth. Flatten dough into a disk. Wrap disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

For the filling: Toss blueberries with lime juice, sugar, flour, cornstarch, cinnamon, and vanilla in a bowl. Set aside.

For the pie: Preheat oven to 375°F. Set aside 1/4 of the pie dough. Roll the rest out on a lightly floured surface into an 11″ round, then fit it into a 9″ pie plate. Transfer filling to pastry bottom and scatter the 3 tablespoons of butter over fruit. Roll the remaining 1/4 of dough out on the lightly floured surface and cut out shapes for the top. Place on top of filling. Brush crust and cut-outs with 1 teaspoon cream. Bake until pastry is deep golden (cover edges of crust with foil if browning too quickly), 60–70 minutes. Set pie aside to cool for several hours before serving.