FOOD ART AND FAMILY FUN - SOME TASTY RECIPES FOR JULY 4TH

(From the recipe collection tested and tried and found to be true by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

The Meal Celebration for Independence Day is looking good! 

M E N U

Drinks:          White Sangria with Red, White and Blue Stared ice

                      Cubes/Sweet Tea,/Water

Appetizer:     American Taco Cups

Bread:           Best Blueberry Muffins

Salad:           Pasta with Beans and Greens

Entrée:         Pulled Pork BBQ Sandwiches with White Sauce

Side:              Fresh Corn on The Cob

Desserts:     Pretty Patriotic Pie, Linzer Star Cookies

Serve the traditional cold iced tea and water to drink with your meal, but before time to gather together, freeze several ice cubes in star-shaped trays.  Use food coloring to make the ice red and blue. Fill them into a pitcher of White Sangria and place along side a tray of glasses and serve first along side of the appetizers.

WHITE SANGRIA

Ingredients:

1 bottle of white wine (I use Riesling)

2/3 cups white sugar

3 oranges

1 lemon

1 lime

½ liter ginger ale or club soda

Directions:

Pour wine into your pitcher and squeeze juice from the orange, lemon and lime into the wine.  Toss in the fruit wedges, and add sugar.  Chill overnight.  Add ginger ale or club soda just before serving.

Make the appetizer below to serve with the Sangria:

American Tacos

(They are American because we are eating them on Independence day (LOL)

Ingredients:

1 can refried beans

½ pound cooked taco-seasoned meat

1 cup shredded cheddar

1 cup salsa

½ cup sour cream

½ cup sliced black olives

1 bag of Tostitos “Scoops”

Directions:

Set chips on a platter and layer with beans, meat and cheddar.  Heat in microwave until hot.  Top with salsa, sour cream and black olives. 

You know I’m going to say it….pull out the red, white and blue dishes! 

It is okay to mix styles of china, that only makes things more interesting.  If you don’t have red, white and blue dishes, don’t fret about it, there are lots of great paper styles.  Go casual and use paper, or bring out the colors in your napkins and tablecloth or centerpiece.   

You might consider tucking a tiny flag into your napkin rings.  If you don’t want to spend a lot on flowers for a center piece, go to the dollar store and stock up on flags.  Put several of them inside a clear vase in the center of your table.  You’re all set!

Since we will be having bread with the sandwiches already, I’ve chosen to serve blueberry muffins. Here is my favorite blueberry muffin recipe:

BEST BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

Ingredients:

1-3/4 cups flour

¾ teaspoon salt

¼ cup sugar

2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

1-1/4 cups blueberries

1 egg

¾ cup milk

1/3 cup vegetable oil

Melted butter and sugar

Directions:

Sift all dry ingredients into a large bowl.  Sprinkle over lemon zest and blueberries. Beat egg well and add milk and oil.  Mix (don’t beat.)  Spoon into prepared muffin tins. Fill to the top.  Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes until beautiful and a little brown. Cool for 5 minutes.  Remove from tins.  Brush muffin tops with butter and dip in a bowl of  crystallized sugar.  Serve warm.

Here is one of the best salads ever, and my family always enjoys it.  I’ve often used it in lieu of the traditional boring baked beans.

PASTA WITH BEANS AND GREENS

Ingredients:

8 ounces uncooked bow tie pasta

1 large onion chopped

1 package fresh mushroom caps, sliced

2 teaspoons olive oil

4 cups fresh kale

1 cup chicken broth

2 teaspoons minced garlic

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

1 15 ounce can Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed.

¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese.

Directions:

Cook pasta.  Saute onion and mushrooms in oil for five minutes.  Add kale and next five ingredients and cook while stirring for 15 minutes, or until kale is tender.  Add beans and cook for one minute more.  Remove to serving platter, tossing gently.  Top with cheese.

Now for the main dish!  The very important ingredient here is the white sauce.  White sauce is a southern tradition, and my family loves it!  Here is a main dish that uses white sauce and always turns out good.  I’m making it a 4^th of July tradition at our house:

PULLED PORK BBQ SANDWICHES WITH WHITE BBQ SAUCE

Make the Sauce first and let it sit for several hours in the refrigerator.

SAUCE

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups mayonnaise

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/3 cup white vinegar

1 teaspoon pepper

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon sugar

1 garlic clove, minced

Directions:

Mix all together and refrigerate for several hours. Flavors need to blend before using.

PORK

Ingredients:

1-1/2 pounds pork tenderloin – trimmed.

½ cup apple cider vinegar

¼ cup water

3 Tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons kosher salt

¾ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon ground red pepper

½ teaspoon chili powder

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

Directions: 

Cut the pork into 2 – ½ inch chunks.    Mix the other ingredients together and pour into a sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, add pork and simmer for one hour or until tender.  Remove pork from pan.  Using two forks, shred.  Place on a platter and pour liquid left in pan over pork.  Serve with your favorite bread, mini buns or biscuits, and top with White BBQ sauce.

For a side dish I want to have an old favorite, fresh corn on the cob, cooked in the husks and served hot with butter.  Here is an easy way to prepare:

CORN ON THE COB

Buy very fresh, healthy corn, preferably from a local grower.  Preheat oven to 350°F.  Leave the husks on the corn. Place the corn on the cob directly on the oven racks. Bake for about 1 hr depending on size. When the husks have turned a light brown on the outside they should be done. This is the best way to cook fresh corn on the cob.  It is easy and it is always good.

This year I chose two easy, tasty and colorful desserts that are a bit lighter after such a heavy meal.  I also wanted them to be cool.  I may add a little vanilla bean ice cream to go with these selections as well.

PATRIOTIC PIE

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups boiling water

1 – (3oz.) pkg. Jello Berry Blue Flavor Gelatin

1 pint fresh blueberries, washed and drained.

1 cup ice cubes, divided

1 Honey Maid Graham Pie Crust (6 oz.)

1 – (3 oz.) pkg. Jello Strawberry flavor gelatin, or any other red flavor.

1 pint of fresh strawberries, washed and sliced into thin slices.

1 cup Cool Whip Whipped Topping

Directions:

Add ¾ cup boiling water to blue gelatin mix;  stir two minutes until completely dissolved.  Add ½ cup ice cubes; stir until melted.  Pour into crust; refrigerate 5 to 10 minutes or until set but not firm.  Meanwhile repeat to dissolve red gelatin mix in a separate bowl; stir in remaining ice cubes.  Cool 5 minutes or until slightly thickened.  Spread fresh blueberries over top of blue gelatin when firm.  Spread Cool Whip over blue gelatin layer; Spread sliced strawberries over Cool Whip layer,  cover with red gelatin.  Refrigerate 2 hours until set.  Garnish with fresh fruit before serving.

LINZER COOKIE STARS

Ingredients:

1-1/4 cup softened butter

1 cup sifted powdered sugar

2-1/2 cups all purpose flour

½ cup finely chopped roasted pecans

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

¼ cup seedless raspberry jam

Powdered Sugar

Directions:

Using a medium speed mixer, beat butter and add powdered sugar slowly until light and fluffy.  Combine flour with next five ingredients and gradually to mixture.  Divide dough into two parts and cover and refrigerate for one hour.   Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface and cut out 3” stars with a star shaped cookie cutter.  Using a smaller cutter, cut a star out of the center of half of the stars  Place all on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes.  Spread solid cookies with jam, and sprinkle remaining cookies with powdered sugar.  Top the solid cookies with the hollow stars sprinkled with powder sugar.  This should give you 3 dozen cookies, you can take the leftovers to work later.

Hope your 4^th of July Independence Day holiday is wonderful and full of this country’s traditions!

May God Bless America Forever!