1 C cream of coconut
3 C chilled pineapple juice
1 C of Club Soda
5 C crushed ice
Pineapple chunks

Place the cream of coconut and pineapple juice into the blender.  Pour in the club soda.  Blend until the ingredients are just combined.  Add the crushed ice a little at a time, blending until just slushy as add.  Pour into 8 glasses and garnish with a pineapple chunk.

Makes 8 servings

These coolers just say “cool.”  Instead of individual servings pour the slushy mixture into a small punch bowl and garnish the top with pineapple rings instead.

1 1/2 of C water
2 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tbsp dry milk powder
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
4 C of bread flour
3 tsp active dry yeast
3/4 C pizza sauce
1 (3 1/2 oz.) pkg. sliced pepperoni
2 C Mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 C Parmesan cheese, grated
1 egg white
1 tbsp water

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Following the order as directed by the manufacturer of your bread  machine place the first 8 ingredients into the machine.  Select the dough setting and allow the dough to make.  When the cycle is completed remove the dough from the machine and turn it out on a lightly floured surface.

Roll the dough into a 15X12 inch rectangle.  Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray and place the dough on the sheet.  Spread the pizza sauce in a 3 inch strip down the middle of the dough coming within 2 inches of the ends  Arrange the pepperoni evenly over the sauce.  Sprinkle the cheese over the pepperoni.

Along each long side cut 1 inch wide strips about every 2 1/2 inches in the dough cutting about 2 inches into the center.  Starting at the end, fold alternating strips at an angle across the filling pinching  the ends to seal.

Place the egg white into a small bowl.  Add the water and beat until combined.
Brush the dough with the egg white mixture.  Bake for 22 minutes or until golden brown.  Allow to stand 10 minutes before cutting.

Makes 1 loaf

If you don’t have a bread machine refrigerated pizza dough will work just as well.

1 (11 1/4 oz.) pkg. frozen garlic bread, thawed
1/2 C pizza sauce
1 (3 1/2 oz.) pkg. pepperoni slices
1 (8 oz.) pkg. mozzarella cheese, shredded

Set the oven to the broiler setting and allow it to heat.  Line a 15 X 10 inch baking pan completely with foil.  Place the garlic bread onto the prepared pan.
Spread the pizza sauce evenly over the garlic bread.  Layer the pepperoni onto the pizza sauce.  Sprinkle evenly with the cheese.  Broil 4 inches from the heat for 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted.  Remove and allow the bread to cool enough to handle.  Cut the bread into bite size pieces.

Makes 24 appetizers

Other toppings can be added or substituted for the pepperoni.  Browned sausage, mushrooms, chopped onions, olives, or peppers can all make this a tasy appetizer.

Grilled Top Sirloin Skewers

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
3 lbs. beef top sirloin steak, 1 inch thick and cut into 1 inch cubes

Pour the oil into a mixing bowl.  Whisk in the garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, pepper and salt until well combined.  Trim any excess fat off the cubes of meat and discard.  Add the meat to the oil stirring to coat will.  Let the meat to marinate for 30 minutes.

Allow the grill to preheat to medium temperature.  Thread the meat on to the skewers leaving a 1/4 inch between each piece of meat.  Place the skewers directly over medium heat, cover and grill 12 minutes or until no longer in pink in the middle.

Makes 6 servings

If you are using bamboo skewers be sure to soak them in water for 30 minutes before using to keep them from burning or breaking.

Beef au jus Hamburger Hoagies

2 lbs. ground beef
2 tsp season salt
1 C spreadable garden vegetable cream cheese
8 hoagie buns split
2 (12 oz.) jars beef au jus gravy

Place the beef into a mixing bowl.  Sprinkle in the season salt and mix until well combined.  Form the beef into 8 oval shaped patties.  Heat the grill to medium heat.
Place the patties on the grill and cover.  Grill the patties for 8 minutes.  Turn the patties and continue grilling for 6 minutes or until they are as done as you like.

Spread the cream cheese over the cut side of the buns.  Place a patty on each bun and replace the tops.  Place the au jus gravy into a metal pan or bowl and place on the grill.  Stirring often heat the gray for 5 minutes or until warmed through.  Serve the gravy as a dip for the sandwiches.

Makes 8 sandwiches

By using this cream cheese spread you don’t have to worry about buying and preparing tomatoes, onions and other toppings for your hamburger.  If you prefer to use fresh vegetables instead be sure to have mayonnaise on hand.

Grilled Dogs with Slaw

3 C of green cabbage, shredded
1/2 C of carrots, shredded
1/3 C of sweet onions, sliced thin
1/4 C rice vinegar
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp salad oil
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp garlic minced
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp dried dill weed
8 all beef hot dogs
8 hot dog buns

Toss the cabbage, carrots and onions together in a large mixing bowl.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the vinegar, lime juice, oil and honey.  Add the garlic, ginger and dill weed and whisk again until well combined.  Pour the dressing over the cabbage mixture stirring to coat well.  Cover and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 24 hours.  Prepare the grill coals to medium heat.

Place the hot dogs on the grill and cook 3 minutes.  Turn the hot dogs and continue grilling 3 additional minutes or until the hot dogs have cooked through.  Slice the hot dogs from end to end 1/4 of the way through the hot dog and place on each bun.
Top with the coleslaw and enjoy.

Makes 8 servings

Not have your party at home?  That’s okay because these hot dogs work anywhere there’s a grill.  Be sure to store the slaw in the bottom of a cooler and cover it with ice so that it stays fresh and chilled until your ready to use it.

4th of July Burgers

1 lb lean ground beef
2 tsp peppercorns
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp green onions, finely chopped
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/4 cup yogurt or sour cream
1 tbsp parsley, minced

Heat up your BBQ.

Shape your ground beef into 4 hamburger patties and set aside.

Place the peppercorns on a large piece of foil or waxed paper. With a heavy object (bottom of pan) crush and crack peppercorns coarsely. Spread the cracked peppercorns evenly on the paper and place the four patties on top of them. Press down so that the peppercorns stick to the meat and turn around. Repeat until all peppercorns are used up. Put the peppercorn patties onto the BBQ.

In the meantime, heat vegetable oil in a pan and add the green onions and wine vinegar. Cook over medium heat until green onions are just done. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the yogurt/sour cream and parsley.

Spoon the sauce over the burger. Perfect for a 4th of July BBQ!

1 quart of fresh strawberries
2 C of sour cream
2 C of brown sugar

Clean the strawberries well.  Place the sour cream into a small bowl.  Place the brown sugar into a small bowl.  Dip the strawberries into the sour cream and then coat with the brown sugar.

Makes 16 appetizers

This is often served as a dessert in many elegant restaurants.  They work great as a slightly sweet treat at any party.  Seedless grapes will also work well with this combination of dips.

If you are having a get-together, this may be an easy alternative to cooking out or other more complicated main dishes.

2 (1 lb.) loaves of French Bread
20 slices deli smoked turkey
20 slices deli roast beef
20 small lettuce leaves
20 slices Colby-Monterey Jack cheese
20 slices of Cheddar Cheese
2 C of roasted sweet red peppers, drained, pat dry and sliced
40 mild banana peppers, drained, pat dry and sliced
1 C mayonnaise
½ C of sour cream
1 tsp lime juice
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 (5 oz.) bottle sandwich dressing

Cut both loaves of the bread into 22 slices, cutting off and discarding the end pieces.  Between every other slice of bread place a piece of each kind of meat, a lettuce leaf, a piece of each kind of cheese, red pepper and banana peppers.
Whisk together in a small serving bowl the mayonnaise, sour cream and lime juice.  Stir in the garlic and chili powder until well combined.  When ready to serve, cut between the slices of plain bread.  Serve with the mayonnaise sauce and the sandwich dressing on the side.

Makes 20 sandwiches

These sandwiches taste great even without the sauces.  If you want to travel with this sandwich just take along the sandwich dressing and spread it on the sandwich before consuming.

1 C of strong brewed coffee
2 tbsp vanilla
1 pint vanilla ice cream
Chocolate shavings

Pour the coffee into the blender.  Add the vanilla in with the coffee.  Carefully scoop the ice cream into the blender.  Blend just until the ingredients are just mixed together.  Place the mixture into a punch bowl.  Top with the chocolate shavings just before serving.

Makes 16 servings

This creamy punch is a great addition to any outside lunch party.  Place a can of whipped cream next to the punch bowl along with a bowl of maraschino cherries to use as a garnish.

2 lbs. deli ham, sliced thin
1 C of water
1 C of ketchup
1/4 C brown sugar, packed
1/4 C Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp white vinegar
2 tsp mustard

Place the ham into a slow cooker.  Pour the water into a mixing bowl.
Whisk in the ketchup and brown sugar until well combined.  Blend in thoroughly the Worcestershire sauce and vinegar.  Add the mustard and stir until blended in well.  Pour the mixture over the ham in the slow cooker.
Stir to ensure all the ham is well coated.  Cover and cook on low for 4 hours or until completely heated through.

Makes 12 servings

Ingredients:
1 lb lean ground beef
2 tsp peppercorns
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp green onions, finely chopped
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/4 cup yogurt or sour cream
1 tbsp parsley, minced

Method:
Heat up your BBQ.

Shape your ground beef into 4 hamburger patties and set aside.

Place the peppercorns on a large piece of foil or waxed paper. With a heavy object (bottom of pan) crush and crack peppercorns coarsely. Spread the cracked peppercorns evenly on the paper and place the four patties on top of them. Press down so that the peppercorns stick to the meat and turn around. Repeat until all peppercorns are used up. Put the peppercorn patties onto the BBQ.

In the meantime, heat vegetable oil in a pan and add the green onions and wine vinegar. Cook over medium heat until green onions are just done. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the yogurt/sour cream and parsley.

Spoon the sauce over the burger. Perfect for a Father’s Day BBQ!

1 lb. frozen beef sandwich steaks, thawed
4 tsp vegetable oil, divided
1 sweet onion, chopped
3/4 C green pepper, julienned
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 C dill pickles, chopped
1/4 C tomato, chopped
1/2 C Italian dressing
5 hard rolls split
2 C mozzarella cheese, shredded

Place 2 tsp of the oil into a large skillet over medium heat.  Place the steaks into the skillet and cook 3 minutes or until no longer pink.  Add the remaining oil to a separate skillet.  Place the onion and green pepper into the skillet.  Sprinkle the vegetables with the salt and pepper.  Sauté for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

Place the pickles and tomatoes into a small mixing bowl.  Add the Italian dressing and toss to coat well.  Set the oven on broil.  Place the top of the rolls, cut side up on an ungreased baking sheet.  Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the rolls.  Broil the buns 4 inches from the heat for 2 minutes or until the cheese has melted.

Divide the steaks between the 5 rolls.  Top the steaks with the onion mixture.  Place the pickle mixture on top of the onion mixture.  Cover the sandwich with the top buns.

Makes 5 sandwiches

Need more than 5 sandwiches to serve? Double all the ingredients and you can have 10 delicious sandwiches to serve to your guests during the big game.

Looking for some great food ideas for the Fourth of July? You’ve come to the right spot! Below are some ideas you can use to make your Fourth of July celebration fun and festive with food!

Flag Cake

1. Make a 13×9 cake using your favorite cake recipe (can be from a box mix too, any flavor)
2. Frost with white frosting (cream cheese or vanilla)
3. Use blueberries to make the stars of the flag in the upper left corner
4. Use strawberries to make the red stripes on the flag
5. For added spark (pun intended) add a few sparklers!

Red, White and Blue Cupcakes

1. Make your favorite flavor cupcakes
2. Divide white frosting into thirds. Color 1/3 with red food coloring and 1/3 with blue food coloring.
3. Frost each cupcake, alternating colors.
4. You can make little flags on each cupcake using the red, white and blue frosting.
5. Get little flags or sparklers to stick in the center of each cupcake

Need some ideas for lunch or dinner? Try these easy to make, yet fun food ideas!

Red, White and Blue Potato Salad – Use new red potatoes, white baby potatoes and blue or purple potatoes in your favorite potato salad recipe. (Leave the skins on the red and blue potatoes.)

Grilled Hamburgers with Bacon – Mix hamburger with chopped onion and Worcetershire sauce, form 1 inch thick patties and wrap each patty with a slice of bacon, securing it with a toothpick. Grill on each side about 5 to 7 minutes. Top with your favorite burger toppings.

Festive Steak Fajitas – Using grilled skirt steak, red and yellow bell peppers, onions and your favorite toppings like shredded cheese, lettuce and tomatoes, fold together in a warmed tortilla. A colorful main course that can be served with guacamole, refried beans and Spanish rice!

Faux Fried Chicken –  It looks like fried chicken, but it’s baked-healthy and delicious! Dip pat-dried chicken drumsticks in a mixture of buttermilk and your favorite seasonings and roll each of them in a crushed Cornflakes cereal mixed with parmesan cheese. Bake in the oven at 425 degrees for 40 minutes, or until the chicken is done. Serve with your favorite side dishes like corn on the cob and mashed potatoes! Great summertime meal, perfect for a Fourth of July celebration!

Here are a couple of festive, cool desserts or treats you can serve on the fourth. These are sure to please family and guests of all ages!

Frosted Fireworks –  Using red and blue flavored beverages, such as Kool-aid or Gatorade, pour into ice cube trays and freeze. Place some red, blue and clear cubes in a festive dessert glass and pour seltzer (flavored if you prefer) over the colored ice cubes. Toss in a little flag for added festiveness.

Red, White and Blue Fruit Salad – Toss diced apples, strawberries and blueberries into a mixture of honey, lime juice and fresh, chopped mint. Serve as a side dish with any entrée or use as a topping over vanilla ice cream.

These ideas will make for a festive, fun and colorful addition to any Fourth of July Celebration.

Red, White and Blue Food Ideas

Are you planning a smashing Fourth of July party, but don’t want to serve the traditional burgers or chicken? Here are some simple, yet very festive food ideas using red, white and blue. Use a combination of the following food ideas to create a red, white and blue Fourth of July Feast.

Red Foods

Main Course
New Mexico Style Red Enchiladas – Brown some ground beef, drain. In a large skillet, combine a large can of red enchilada sauce and 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. In a separate skillet warm tortillas until just flexible. Then dip each tortilla in the enchilada sauce. Next, make layers starting with a dipped tortilla then add a couple of spoonfuls of meat, a couple of spoonfuls of the enchilada sauce. Top with shredded cheese. Repeat, making as many layers as you‘d like, but a good amount is usually 3. Top it all off with a fried egg and serve with a dinner roll. (Trust me!)

Salad
Summer Tomato Salad – Using not-too-ripe, coarsely chopped tomatoes and cherry tomatoes combine with chopped basil and parsley leaves. Drizzle EVOO and toss.

Appetizer
Fourth of July Apples – Combine an 8 oz. pkg. of cream cheese, 3 tbs. butter-softened, ½ cup of crumbled blue cheese, ½ cup chopped walnuts. Refrigerate for 3 hours. Core and cut apples into eighths and sprinkle with lemon juice. Use a butter knife to apply spread to apples.

Blue Foods

Main Course
Blue Catfish Fillets – Dip catfish fillets (patted almost dry) in ¾ cup blue cornmeal with finely chopped jalapeno pepper, 2 cloves of garlic and ½ tsp. salt. Heat one inch of oil in large skillet and fry the fillets until brown on each side and the fish begins to flake inside. Serve salsa, or lemon or lime wedges.

Salad
Blue Potato Salad – Using ½ lb. Peruvian fingerlings (blue potatoes), boil until soft, but not mushy. Gently mix in 2 tbsp. grainy mustard, ¼ cup white wine vinegar, 3 thinly sliced celery stalks, 2 tbsp. minced flat leaf parsley and 2 sliced green onions. Makes 8 servings.

Appetizer
Blue Cheese Ball – Using 3 (3-oz each) pkgs. cream cheese, 1 (4-oz) pkg. blue cheese, crumbled,1  jar Kraft Old English cheese spread, 1 small onion, grated finely, 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce, Mix all together. Form into two balls, medium size then wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight. Roll in chopped nuts. Serve with Blue Corn Tortilla Chips

Dessert
Blue Ice Cream – Scoop vanilla ice cream into a parfait bowl or other clear dessert cup. Add some blueberry syrup, fresh blueberries, another scoop of ice cream, some more blueberry syrup and top with whipped cream.

White Foods

Main course
Pork Steak in Mushroom Sauce – You can make this in the oven or in a crock pot. I prefer the crock pot because the pork comes out so tender! Place 6 to 8 boneless pork steak in crock pot; let cook for 2 hours on high. Add 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup, 2 cans of cream of celery soup and cook for 2 more hours on high. To bake in the oven, place the pork steak in a 13×9 glass baking dish, top with the cans of soup and cover with aluminum foil. Bake on 350F for an hour to an hour ½. Top with shredded cheese, if desired.

Salad
White Pineapple Salad – Drain 1 large can pineapple and reserve juice; add enough water to the juice to make 2 cups. Heat to a boil and add Jello, mix until dissolved. Chill until thick as syrup. Mash 2-8 oz. pkgs. cream cheese and add to Jello mixture. Mix well with mixer. Add ½ pt. whipped cream and 1 cup crushed nuts, mix well. Pour into a 9x 12 dish and chill well.

Appetizer
White Pizza Bagel Bites – Using 1 pkg. frozen bagel bites, place on cookie sheet, cut side up. Sprinkle with garlic powder and bake until lightly toasted. Top with shredded mozzarella cheese, sliced olives and chopped green pepper. Bake for 5 more minutes, until cheese is melted.

Dessert
All American Cup Cakes – Make cupcakes using your favorite recipe, top with white frosting. Make a flag on each one using blueberries for the stars and red licorice pieces for the stripes.

If you’re like us, we usually hit a parade or two, then head to the beach for a few hours, and then spend the evening in a park waiting for the Fireworks to start.

With kids, grandkids and teens it’s hard to keep them from “starving to death”, so I’ve learned to tote snacks to have on hand at all times, to serve between meals.

I try to divide as much as possible into individual servings for convenience and to ward off any possible sharing issues from the get-go. I use zippered baggies and those cloth grocery bags that most stores carry now. These snacks will also fit in your diaper bag nicely.

Healthy Snack Ideas:

• Slice apples and sprinkle with lemon juice to keep from turning brown
• Seedless grapes, removed from the vine
• Goldfish crackers
• Crackers with peanut butter inside
• Graham crackers
• Nuts
• Cheerios or other cereal
• Raisins
• Any dried fruit
• Trail Mix
• Pretzels
• Wheat Thins
• Pickles
• Animal Crackers
• Fruit Snacks
• Cereal Bars
• Granola Bars
• Pudding Packs

Easy to Tote Beverages:

• Juice boxes or pouches
• A water bottle for each person and a box of the individual powdered drink mix tubes
• Small sports type beverages such as Gatorade

The key is to keep the weight down, make them easily accessible and divide them up for individual servings. Using these suggestions will help make your Fourth of July a happy and less stressful one!

(serves 1)
1 cup soy milk (plain or vanilla)
1 medium banana, quartered
2 tbsp chocolate syrup
3 ice cubes

In a blender, blend all ingredients until smooth. Pour into a tall glass and enjoy!

This chocolate banana soy smoothie is a great way to start the day. Your children will love this treat on special occasions.

In our small town, the Fourth of July is a huge, all day party in the park, starting with a parade in the morning and ending with the fireworks after dusk. When my children were small, we would go to the park early and make our “base camp” for the day. Because we live in a small town, as my children got older, they could then go around with their friends to the various activities and check in periodically back at the base camp.

We would pack enough food to last the whole day including snacks and beverages. We usually plan to eat one meal “out” because, well, it’s fun and a nice treat. We also plan on buying other special treats and beverages throughout the day, which lessens the weight of the cooler.

The best way to pack for a day long park party is to make it light and easily accessible. The way to accomplish this is by planning ahead. We usually take lots of finger food that is nutritious, yummy and doesn’t require refrigeration. We try to tote only one cooler to the park and this is usually easily done since we do get some drinks and other goodies in the park.

First, put what beverages you do plan on taking (like bottled water) in the bottom. Cover them with ice. Then put all your snacks and other food items that need to be kept cold on the top of the ice. Be sure to seal them all in zippered baggies to seal out moisture.

Some great snack ideas that are healthy and easy to pack for a long day in the park are:

• Chopped, raw veggies
• Nuts
• Dry cereal
• Cheese slices or cubes
• Beef Jerky
• Peanut butter and crackers
• Goldfish
• Pickles
• Firecracker Pretzel rods (recipe below)

How to make Firecracker Pretzel Rods:

Dip pretzel rods in melted white chocolate chips or almond bark. Decorate with red white and blue sprinkles. Allow to harden before packing to tote.

Want to add a bit of flavor to your water? Throw in some individual packs of powdered drink mix (flavored water, kool-aid, etc.) to add to bottled water.

Another thing to think about when planning your Fourth of July in the park is comfort. You will want to take lawn chairs or beach chairs, blankets and even pillows. In our neck of the woods, it can get really chilly at night, yes even on the Fourth of July! Be sure to take an extra blanket in case moisture builds up from the dew.

You will also want to have baby or hand wipes on hand for spills, stickiness and other such uses. You never know how accessible clear running water will be, or if the restroom will be clean. I know our public restroom at our park gets quite nasty. We try to use one of the nearby restaurants when we get food. Obviously, you have to do what works in your park or town.

As always, use caution when lighting your own firecrackers and sparklers. Please don’t leave lighters or other matches lying around for small fingers to get a hold of and be sure you only use legal firecrackers. They are illegal for a reason!

(Serves 4)

Ingredients:
11 oz beef mince
3 shallots, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 inch piece fresh ginger, grated
1 tbsp green peppercorns, crushed
2 tsp fish sauce
2 tsp brown sugar
Lime wedges
Wooden skewers

Method:
Soak the wooden skewers in water to prevent them burning.

Chop the beef mince with a large knife to make sure the mince is very fine. Add the ginger, garlic, shallots, peppercorns, fish sauce and brown sugar and combine with your hands. Form the mixture into balls using about 2 tsp of mixture at a time. Put three balls on each skewer.

Heat up your BBQ grill and oil lightly. Cook the meat for about 7 to 8 minutes or until the meet is cooked through.

Serve with the lime wedges.