Fourth of July goodies

I know it has been awhile since I have last posted.  I have been one busy lady.  I still enjoy cooking and posting great recipes I make or I find online for you all to enjoy.  I promise to try to get back to posting at least once a week.

This week, I have been searching through pinterest and my recipe book for some great Fourth of July goodies.  Listed below is a great punch recipe, a creative fruit appetizer, a main dish, a savory side dish, and a simple, but delicious dessert.  I hope you can use at least one of the recipes.  Until next time, happy cooking and eating everyone!

Recipe: Fourth of July Punch (Courtesy of Pinterest):

Ingredients:

Cranberry Juice

Blue Gatorade Frost

Diet 7-Up

Ice Cubes

Directions:

1. (Either in a Glass or a drink dispenser)

2. Fill the glass or drink dispenser with Ice.

3. Pour In the Cranberry Juice.

4. Next Pour in the Blue Gatorade Frost, BUT make sure that when you're pouring the Blue Gatorade Frost that you pour straight onto some of the ice to gently add the layer. If you pour it directly into the juice it will mix!

5. Next, pour in the Diet 7up, also pour onto an ice cube to prevent them from mixing.

Recipe: Red, White, and Blueberry Skewers (Pinterest)

Ingredients:

Skewers (10 inch)

Strawberries (cut up in 4ths)

mini marshmallows

blueberries

Directions:

Wash and dry your fruit, cut your strawberries in fourths, now you’re ready to go. You can make them in fun patterns or just random. A helpful tip: add your fruit first, as it will help the sticky marshmallows slide right on down. If you try to add a marshmallow to a dry stick, it will get all gummy and sticky.

Recipe: Grilled Bacon Cheeseburgers (My recipe)

Ingredients: 

3lbs of the leanest ground beef you can find

1 large onion (chopped finely)

Seasoning: season all, black pepper, garlic powder

Hamburger buns (whole wheat, sesame, or honey wheat) toasted and split

1 cup of ranch dressing

enough bacon for each burger (crisply cooked and cut in half.  I cook mine in the oven).

Directions:

1. Heat your gas grill or your charcoal grill.  In a large bowl, mix the beef, onions, and seasonings.  Shape the meat into hamburger patties (not too thick though)

2. Cover and grill on medium heat for about 10-12 minutes (turn it once half way through).  If your burger is still pink in the center, let it cook a little longer (unless you like it that way). 

3. Place burger on the bun (bottom bun).  Then add some ranch dressing to each burger (you could also use blue cheese or just omit the dressing all together).  Then add two pieces of bacon to each burger.  Place the other bun on the burger. 

**I also add lettuce and tomato to my burger.  

Recipe: Side Order: Grilled Corn on the Cob (My Recipe)

Ingredients: 

Corn on the cob (remove the husks and silk)

Butter (about 1/4 cup and softened)

Grated Parmesan Cheese

Fresh chopped parsley

Directions:

1. Heat grill to medium heat

2. Rinse the corn and make sure all silk is removed (or as much as you can).  Wrap each corn on the cob  in aluminum foil.

3. Grill corn for about 20 minutes or until tender (make sure to turn it every now and then)

4. Mix the butter, Parmesan cheese, and parley in a bowl.  Once corn is done, spread mixture all over corn.  Serve!

**I like to add paprika and garlic powder to my corn

Recipe: Spangled Ice Cream Pops (Pinterest)

Ingredients:

Popsicle sticks

Mini ice cream sandwiches

Sprinkles or nonpareils

Colorful cupcake liners

Directions:

1. First, skewer mini ice cream sandwiches on Popsicle sticks.

2. Press the exposed filling into a plate of sprinkles or nonpareils

3. To keep mess to a minimum, serve the pops in a colorful cupcake liner (maybe Fourth of July inspired). 

**This is a great recipe for all occasions: Christmas, Easter, Valentine's Day, etc. Just change the sprinkle colors. 

 

Somewhat Healthy Homemade Chicken Nuggets

Last week, I knew I wanted to make something with the chicken tenderloins in my freezer, but I wasn't sure what.  Well that same day, I drove by McDonald's and saw they had a special on chicken nuggets.  I wondered if there was a healthy way I could eat some chicken nuggets, so I went online and searched for recipes.  I took a little from all the recipes and came up with my own interpretation of somewhat healthy chicken nuggets.  When I made these chicken nuggets, they were so good and will definitely be made again.  I took the leftover chicken nuggets and made my husband a chicken salad to take to work.  I know you and your family will enjoy this recipe.  

Recipe: Ranch Style Chicken Nuggets

Ingredients:

1 pack of chicken tenderloins (chopped into bite size pieces...not too small)

Seasoned wheat bread crumbs

2-3 Tbsp of olive oil

Seasoning: season all, black pepper, and garlic powder

2 tbsp of grated Parmesan and Romano cheese

About 1/2 cup of ranch dressing

Cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.  Spray a baking dish with the cooking spray.  Wash your chicken.  Cut the chicken tenderloins into bite size pieces. pieces.

2. Place the olive oil in a bowl.  Season chicken with seasonings listed above. Mix chicken in the bowl with olive oil.  The place the half cup of ranch on top of the chicken.  Mix well.  

3. Place the bread crumbs in a separate bowl from the ranch chicken.  After you have mixed the ranch, chicken, and olive oil in a bowl, place in the bread crumbs (not all at once, a handful at a time).  Make sure all the chicken is nicely coated.  

4. Place all the breaded chicken on to the baking dish.  Then lightly spray the chicken with the cooking spray.  Let the chicken cook for about 12 minutes.  Take a spatula or a spoon and stir the chicken.  Let it cook for another 3-5 minutes.  

5. Serve.  I served mine with mac and cheese for the kids and sweet potato french fries for the hubby and me. 

Memorial Day Favorites

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service as well as those who are currently serving.  I am so thankful for the soldiers who have served and are serving in the name of freedom.  Soldiers sacrifice their lives everyday for us.  I thank all soldiers, past and present for their bravery, courage, and sacrifice.  

People do a variety of things on this day.  They go to the cemetery, have a picnic, and most commonly have a barbecue.  Below are some really good recipes: beverage, appetizer, side item, main entree, and dessert.  I hope you enjoy them all.  And remember, if you see a soldier, please thank them for their service and commitment to our country.

Recipes (All courtesy of kraftrecipes.com, except the potato salad is all me)

Beverage: Watermelon Lemonade

Ingredients: 

1-1/2 pounds of sliced seedless watermelon

zest of 1 lemon

3/4 cups of fresh lemon juice

1/2 cups of mild honey

1 lemon, thinly sliced, for garnish

Directions:

1. In the bowl of a food processor, place watermelon and process until very smooth. Strain through a coarse sieve set over a bowl, stirring to push through any pulp. Pour juice into a large pitcher. Add lemon zest.
2. In a bowl, whisk lemon juice and honey until honey dissolves; stir into watermelon juice. Stir in 1 1/2 cups cold water; cover and refrigerate until very cold. Serve over ice and garnish with lemon slices.

Appetizer: Fresh Tomato Salsa

Ingredients:

3 tomatoes chopped

1/4 cup finely chopped red onions

1/4 cup of chopped fresh cilantro

1 jalapeno pepper finely chopped

1/4 cup of Kraft Italian dressing

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients.  Mix well and serve with tortilla chips

Main Entree: Sweet and Hot BBQ Chicken

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup of Kraft Original BBQ sauce

2 tbsp of honey

1-1/2 tsp of hot pepper sauce

1/4 tsp of garlic powder

1 broiler fryer chicken (3lbs) cut up or boneless chicken thighs

Directions:

1. Heat greased grill to medium heat.  Mix all ingredients except chicken

2. Grill chicken 35-40 minutes or until done turning occasionally and brushing with BBQ sauce mixture for the last 10 minutes. 

Side Item: Mama's Famous Potato Salad

Ingredients:

potatoes (I use about a half a bag)

4 large eggs

1/4 cup of relish

bacon bits

1 tsp of paprika

2-3 tablespoons of mustard

1/2 cup of mayo

salt, pepper, and garlic powder

1/4 cup of milk

Directions: My mother gave me this recipe and it is a hit everywhere we go.

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Peel potatoes and then cut them into chunks.  Wash them and then add to the boiling water until they are tender but still firm. When they are done cooking, drain the water.  Add potatoes to a large bowl.  Get a masher and mash the potatoes (almost like you are making potato salad).  

2. Place eggs in a small pot and boil them.  When eggs are done boiling, remove from heat, let them cool, and then peel your eggs.   

3. Add milk, mayo, mustard, relish, salt, pepper, and garlic to the bowl.  Mix well.  Place in a large pan.  Cut up eggs and place on top of the potato salad.  Then sprinkle potato salad with bacon bits and paprika.  You can serve this warm or you can refrigerate until you are ready to serve!

Dessert: S'mores

Ingredients:

4 Honey Maid Honey Grahams, broken in half (8 squares)

4 Jet-Puffed Marshmallows toasted

1 Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bar quartered (1.55 oz)

Directions:

1. Fill graham squares with marshmallows and chocolate squares to make 4 s'mores.  

*If you are going to use the microwave:

1. Do not toast marshmallows.  Place 4 graham squares on microwaveable plate.  Top with chocolate and marshmallows.

2. Microwave on HIGH for 15-20 sec or until marshmallows puff.  Cover with remaining graham squares.  Press together to secure and then serve!

Alternate Dessert: Patriotic Poke Cake

Ingredients:

2 baked 9 inch round white cake layers, cooled

2 cups of boiling water divided

1 pkg. (3oz) of JELL-O Strawberry flavor Gelatin

1 pkg. (3oz) of JELL-O Berry Blue flavor Gelatin

1 tub of COOL WHIP whipped topping, thawed

Directions:

1. Place cakes, top-sides up, in clean 9-inch round pans; pierce with large fork at 1/2-inch intervals.

2. Add  1 cup boiling water to each flavor dry gelatin mix in separate small bowls; stir 2 min. until completely dissolved. Pour red gelatin over 1 cake and blue gelatin over remaining cake. Refrigerate 3 hours.

3. Dip bottoms of cake pans in warm water 10 sec.; unfold. Fill and frost cake layers with COOL WHIP. Refrigerate 1 hour.