PATRIOTIC CHEESE BALLS
Soften three large packages of cream cheese in three separate bowls. Add 1 cup white shredded cheese to each package cream cheese. Add a bit of milk if needed. You can add any herbs or spices you like to each cheese bowl to make three different flavors, such as taco seasoning, dillweed, onions, garlic, chopped almonds, or sun-dried tomatoes. Add some red food coloring to one bowl and some blue food coloring to another bowl. Leave the last bowl white. Place the mixtures in the refrigerator to chill for at least two hours. Then using a melon baller, scoop out balls of each mixture and roll in crushed almonds (which can also be tinted), parsley, dillweed, paprika, or red or blue candy sprinkles. Arrange the red, white, and blue cheese balls on a large platter, stick a miniature flag in each one and serve as appetizers.
PATRIOTIC DRINKS
Make two different pitchers of Kool-Aid in clear glass pitchers, one in a red color and one in a blue color according to package directions. You can use two packs of Kool-Aid and 1 cup sugar to make a drink more like a non-carbonated soft drink. Make a third clear glass pitcher of limeade or lemonade or a combination of the two flavors for the white color. Add ice and set all three pitchers in an area where your guests can help themselves to red, white, and blue plastic cups and extra crushed ice.
FAUX PERUVIAN MASHED POTATOES
Peel 8 potatoes and dice them. Wash and place them in a pot and boil them in water for 15 minutes. Drain off water. Add 1 stick butter, 1/2 cup heavy cream, 10 drops of blue food coloring, and salt and pepper to taste. Beat with mixer until smooth and fluffy. Serve warm.
RED, WHITE, AND BLUE SALAD
In a large bowl, whisk together 4 Tablespoons each olive oil and balsamic vinegar, 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon each salt, black pepper, and tabasco sauce. Add 1 package cherry tomatoes, 1 cup sliced radishes, 1 cup diced white onions, 1 diced red bell pepper, 1 cup fresh blueberries, 2 cans each rinsed black beans, red kidney beans, and white kidney beans or Canellini beans. Mix well. Serve on a platter on top of one package pre-washed baby spinach leaves. Garnish with crumbled Turkey Bacon Bits and some shredded Mozzarella Cheese.
PLATTER OF PATRIOTIC VEGGIES OR FRUITS
On serving platters, place fresh clean vegetables or fruits cut in bite-sized pieces. Use cherry tomatoes, radishes, red onion slices, strawberries, raspberries, cauliflower florets, jicama sticks, bananas dipped in lemon juice, eggplant, blueberries, blackberries, red or blue grapes, or any other red, white, or blue fruits or vegetables you can think of to use. Stick a flag toothpick into each one to serve. Have small bowls of Ranch Dressing, Tomato Dressing, and Blue Cheese Dressing in the same area for dipping sauces for the vegetables and bowls of strawberry marshmallow fluff, whipped cream, and blueberry yogurt for the fruits dipping sauces.
BARBEQUED BEEF
In your favorite grocery store, look for Lloyd's Barbequed Beef that is fully cooked and shredded, and just needs to be reheated in your microwave, and put into your own buns. This frees up a lot of valuable time you can be enjoying the festivities instead of cooking over a hot stove or grill. It just would not be the Fourth of July without some good barbequed beef on a bun. Add some CA Blend Faux Slaw, Bush's Vegetarian Baked Beans, and Lay's Potato Chips with a soft drink of your choice for an easy, quick, delicious meal for any patriotic holiday.
CA BLEND FAUX SLAW
In a food processor, place as many servings as you will need of the frozen carrots, cauliflower, and broccoli florets, and turn it on high until it has become the consistency similar to cabbage slaw. Stir well to make sure there are no large pieces in it. Add mayonnaise, salt, and black pepper to suit your taste. Mix well. Keep stored in a covered bowl in your refrigerator until served. This is an easy recipe I came up with to use when I don't have green cabbage on hand. It looks just like cabbage slaw, and no one will probably even notice that it is not, because it tastes like it as well.
EASY INDIVIDUAL PATRIOTIC CAKES
Buy Little Debbie Individually wrapped White Cakes and tubes of red and blue frosting gel. Remove the cakes from wrappers. Using the lines already on the cakes, go over them with the red and the blue frosting gels. Let them air dry. They make a good dessert for July 4th. If you waited too late, and all the red and blue frosting gels are gone, buy a bag of red and blue fruit to top the white cakes with, or use sliced poundcake or angelfood cake topped with the red and blue berries and Cool Whip.
PATRIOTIC CAKE
Buy a box of Red Velvet Cake Mix and bake four equal round layers out of it instead of two, mixed according to the package directions and baking instructions. Over every cooled layer frost with Cool Whip French Vanilla or Cream Cheese Frosting, leaving the sides unfrosted. Decorate the top layer with a layer of sliced fresh strawberries and blueberries placed in circles over the frosting. Put a flag in the center. Keep chilled until time to serve.
This cake could also be baked in a rectangular sheetcake pan to make a Flag Cake and when cooled, frosted with cream cheese frosting or the Cool Whip. Add strawberry halves to make red stripes and blueberries to make the stars.
PATRIOTIC PARFAITS
Make some red Jello and some blue Jello. Schwan's sells Blue Raspberry Drink that you can use to make a bright blue gelatin by mixing it with unflavored gelatin instead of water. In parfait glasses chill the blue Jello on the bottom layer until firm. Then add a layer of Cool Whip over the firm blue Jello. Next add the partially chilled red jello and chill until firm. You want three equal layers in red, white, and blue to make your parfait glass full. Just before serving, add a dollop of Cool Whip to the top and a miniature flag.
PATRIOTIC FRUIT SALAD
Slice some bananas and dip them in lemon or lime juice so they won't turn dark. Add some whole blueberries, and some sliced strawberries or raspberries and toss together with some Cool Whip in a bowl. Cover and keep chilled until served.
RED SOUP
4 cups chicken broth
1 large can tomato sauce
1 diced shallot
1 can diced tomatoes
1 diced red bell pepper
1 jar diced pimentoes
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. garlic powder
Place all ingredients in a pot and heat through. Serve.
WHITE SOUP
4 cups chicken broth
16 oz. package Vigo Potato Gnocchi
1/2 stick butter
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. white pepper
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 sweet Vidalia onion, diced
2 cups diced potatoes
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 Tbsp. chicken bouillon powder
1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained
1 can white creamed corn
1/4 cup milk
Plain Rice Krispies
In a large pot, place the chicken broth and the package of Gnocchi. Bring to a boil until the Gnocchi floats to the top. Cut the chicken breast into bite-sized cubes and carefully add to the boiling broth. Add all the remaining ingredients, except the milk and Rice Krispies, stirring well. Cook soup until the chicken, onions, and potatoes are done. Stir often to avoid sticking on the bottom. Use low heat. It should be nice and thick. Stir in the milk and serve in bowls. Serve the Plain Rice Krispies along with the soup to use as crackers. They will make a sizzling sound when you add them to the hot soup. Delicious!
You could use any white canned beans, parsnips, or cauliflower florets for additional texture if desired.
BLUE SOUP
1 diced eggplant
2 cups diced potatoes, tinted blue with food coloring gel
1 cup blueberries
1 cup blue seedless grapes
4 cups vegetable broth
blue food coloring
Place everything in a pot and heat through. Add the blue food coloring to tint it the shade of blue you want. Serve in bowls.
MICROWAVE CORNBREAD
Mix together in a bowl, 1 cup self-rising buttermilk white cornmeal, 1/2 cup Half and Half milk, 1 beaten large egg, and 2 Tablespoons Wesson Vegetable Oil. Butter spray a 4 oz. white ramekin and fill the ramekin with the cornbread batter. Microwave on high for 3 minutes. Repeat with another ramekin until batter is gone. Makes a beautiful presentation for four servings. If you need more servings, just repeat the recipe until you have what you need on hand to serve to your family or guests. This is a great way to not have to overheat your cool home in the hotter months to bake cornbread in your regular oven. The crust on top and bottom will not get browned is the only difference. The texture remains the same.
For any patriotic holiday, add 2 Tbsp. each diced red bell pepper, diced sweet onions, and dye corn niblets blue with blue food color gel, then added to your cornbread batter.
Or try these Southern American picnic favorites any time:
potato salad, baked beans, cole slaw, and fried chicken with apple pie for dessert, you either prepare or purchase at a grocery store deli or KFC and you can still have a great Fourth of July picnic. Schwan's also sells great Fourth of July foods that are quick and easy to fix and enjoy, and they will deliver them to your home. Some of their products are pre-cooked so all you need to do is reheat them.
Don't forget the red, white, and blue accessories and to fly flags as party decorations. You can buy disposable cups, silverware, and plates in red, white and blue colors at your supermarket. Buy navy blue, red, or white napkins in matching colors. Stores are carrying a lot of Fourth of July supplies this year. Please be careful if you shoot off fireworks as so many areas are so dry now from drought and high temperatures that fires can happen easily from them, even from sparklers. Make sure fireworks are not illegal in your area, or you could be arrested by your local police.
