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):
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.
