4th of July recipes – yummy desserts!
One of my favorite holidays is just around the corner. I love the 4th of July! Independence Day is one of my family’s favorite holidays – the fireworks, the food, the parades, the camping, the picnics – there are so many fun things to do. We even have a family birthday on the 4th of July – so much fun! We always pack as much fun as we can into the holiday. We always seem to be going to at least one picnic or party and we always bring something yummy to eat. We have some favorite 4th of July recipes that we seem to use every year.
4th of July recipes vary from family to family. Some families are all barbeque and others are all sandwiches and chip – no matter what it is, the 4th of July is a holiday where food is part of the fun. No matter which kind of 4th of July recipes you are using, I bet most of you are looking for a recipe for a treat! The first of the 4th of July recipes below is one of my family’s very favorite recipes. We have this treat on lots of occasions and take it to lots of picnics and parties. The second is simple but super cute and it looks great on the table. If you are still looking through your 4th of July recipes for a dessert to make – try one of these! If you try it, let us know how you liked it. We love to hear from you!
Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Makes 16 servings
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups crushed pretzels
4 1/2 tablespoons white sugar
3/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup white sugar
2 8 ounce packages cream cheese
1 8 ounce container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 6 ounce package strawberry flavored Jell-O
2 cups boiling water
1 16 ounce package frozen strawberries
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the pretzels, 4 1/2 tablespoons sugar and melted butter. Press into the bottom of a 9×13 inch pan.
2. Bake for 10 minutes, or until lightly toasted. Set aside to cool completely.
3. In a medium bowl, beat the sugar and cream cheese until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Spread evenly over the cooled crust.
4. Refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes.
5. In a medium bowl, stir together the gelatin mix and boiling water.
6. Mix in frozen strawberries, and stir until thawed.
7. Pour over cream cheese mixture in pan. Refrigerate until completely chilled, usually at least 1 hour.
Red, White and Blue Shortcake
Makes 1 9×13-inch cake
Ingredients:
1 package yellow cake mix
1 8 ounce container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 pint blueberries, rinsed and drained
2 pints fresh strawberries, rinsed and sliced
Directions:
1. Prepare cake according to package directions and bake in a 9×13 inch pan. Cool completely.
2. Frost cake with whipped topping. Place blueberries in a square in the corner, and arrange sliced strawberries as stripes to make an American flag.
3. Chill until served.
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Homemade Ice Cream – Make it in a bag!
Yesterday was the first official day of summer; the summer heat is officially here. For many parts of the country, the heat of summer has been here for weeks or even months. We have all been trying to beat the heat in a variety of ways. One of the all time favorite ways to beat the summer time heat is to have homemade ice cream.
Almost everyone I know LOVES homemade ice cream. There are more flavors of ice cream than you can count, meaning it is easy to please almost everyone with a dish of ice cream on a hot afternoon. Homemade ice cream is so versatile. You can have it plain or with an infinite amount of toppings. There are so many choices when it comes to homemade ice cream. It is one choice everyone seems to enjoy.
There are lots of things you can do at home to make homemade ice cream. There are all sorts of machines and contraptions that promise frozen deliciousness. There are big electric ice cream makers and small people powered ice cream makers. One way of making ice cream is a hit with all the kids and it doesn’t require you to own any kind of machinery. Homemade ice cream can be made using a couple of plastic zipper bags. Have you even made homemade ice cream in a bag? Try it at your next family party or summer time gathering. Here is our favorite recipe for making homemade ice cream in a bag.
If you use this recipe, let us know how you like it. Did you add any toppings or mix-ins? Do you have a favorite recipe for making ice cream in a bag? Let us know! We love to hear from you!
Make Homemade Ice Cream in a Bag
Makes about eight half-cup servings.
Ingredients:
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 cups half-and-half cream
1/2 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 bag crushed ice
4 cups coarse salt
For each person you will need:
2 pint-size zipper plastic freezer bags
1 gallon-size zipper plastic freezer bag
Gloves or towel to protect fingers
Directions:
1. In a pitcher or large measuring cup, stir together the whipping cream, half-and-half, sugar, and vanilla extract until sugar has dissolved.
2. Pour about 1/2 cup of mixture into a pint-size plastic bag and seal carefully, squeezing out extra air. Place each sealed bag into a second pint-size bag, again squeezing out extra air. Seal carefully.
3. Fill each gallon-size plastic bag about halfway with ice and add 1/2 cup coarse salt. Place one sealed small bag into the large bag, squeeze out most of the air, and seal the large bag.
4. Wear mittens or thick gloves, or wrap the bag in a towel to protect hands against the extreme cold. Shake and massage the bag for about 5 minutes or until mixture thickens into ice cream. Add more salt and ice to the outer bag if ice cream hasn’t formed after 10 minutes of continuous motion.
5. Remove the outer pint-size bag before you open the inner bag so you don’t get any of the salty ice on your ice cream!
Father’s Day Recipes!
Father’s Day is almost here! Do you have big plans to spoil the dads in your life? We do! We love to try fun new recipes and make yummy new treats for dad on Father’s Day. We always do a fun bbq for dinner but breakfast, lunch and dessert will be all new. I’ve found some great recipes to try this Father’s Day! Do you have some favorites that you make on Father’s Day? Share them with us- we love to hear from you!
Father’s Day Casserole
Original recipe makes 1 9×13-inch baking dish
Ingredients:
1 (16 ounce) package bulk pork sausage
3 cups frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
1/4 cup milk, or as needed
1 (16 ounce) can refrigerated buttermilk biscuit dough
1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
5 eggs
Directions:
1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and stir in the sausage. Cook and stir until the sausage is crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
3. Drain and discard any excess grease. Stir in the hash brown potatoes, cooking and stirring until potatoes are browned, about 5 minutes more.
4. Line the bottom of the prepared baking dish with a layer of buttermilk biscuits, splitting the biscuits in half to completely cover the dish.
5. Spread the sausage and hash brown mixture evenly over the biscuits, and sprinkle the Mexican cheese on top.
6. Whisk together the eggs and milk in a bowl, and pour over the cheese.
7. Bake in the preheated oven until the eggs set, about 25 minutes.
Pepperoni Roll Up Bread
Original recipe makes one – 1 pound loaf
Ingredients:
1 (1 pound) loaf frozen bread dough, thawed
1 egg, beaten
4 ounces sliced pepperoni sausage
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet.
2. Roll frozen bread dough out into a rectangle. Brush dough with beaten egg.
3. Arrange pepperoni, mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese over the dough. Sprinkle on the Italian seasoning.
4. Roll up dough like a jelly roll and pinch seam to seal; place, seam side down, on prepared baking sheet.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until golden.
Grandma’s Sour Cream Pound Cake
Original recipe makes 1 10-inch Bundt Cake
Ingredients:
2 cups butter, softened
3 cups white sugar
6 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pinch ground mace
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar for dusting
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan or 9-inch tube pan.
2. Beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. The mixture should be noticeably lighter in color. Add the room-temperature eggs one at a time, allowing each egg to blend into the butter mixture before adding the next. Beat in the vanilla with the last egg.
3. Pour the flour mixture into the bowl alternately with the sour cream, mixing until just incorporated. Transfer the batter into the prepared pan and spread it smooth.
4. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Cool for at least 10 minutes before inverting pan onto a cooling rack, and tapping out the cake.
5. Dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving.
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Popsicles – Keep cool with a yummy treat!
It’s getting hot out where I live and in some parts of the country it is getting REALLY hot. When it gets really hot we all seem to have the same goal – staying cool! I am one of those crazy people who likes it to be cold so the summer heat makes me try almost anything to stay cool. I have a couple of kids who are just like me – they hate being too hot. Sometimes that also means finding creative or fun ways to keep the whole family cool. There is one way to keep cool that is tasty and fun! Popsicles – everyone loves popsicles in the hot summer!
Popsicles – there are so many kinds and they are almost always yummy! From the cheap Otter Pops to more expensive gourmet popsicles to homemade popsicles, these cold treats are a summer favorite. It seems to can freeze almost anything and it becomes a treat. In my house we make a lot of popsicles with yogurt or pudding or fruit puree. I am always on the lookout for more ideas and more ways to make yummy popsicles.
These are just a few of the fun summer popsicle recipes we’ve tried. They are all really yummy and a great way to beat the heat. Try them and see what you think. Have a great popsicle recipe? Let us know! We love to hear from our readers!
Nutella Popsicles
Makes 8 servings
Ingredients:
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup milk
6 tablespoons chocolate-hazelnut spread (such as Nutella)
Directions:
1. Stir cream, milk, and chocolate-hazelnut spread together in microwave-safe bowl.
2. Microwave until chocolate hazelnut spread is melted, 1 to 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds.
3.Pour the mixture into ice pop molds and freeze until set, 3 to 4 hours.
Frozen Blueberry Yogurt Pops
Makes 8 servings
Ingredients:
1 cup Ocean Spray Blueberry Juice Cocktail
1 cup Ocean Spray Fresh Blueberries, cleaned and rinsed
1 (6 ounce) container fat-free vanilla yogurt
8 wooden craft sticks
Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients in blender. Cover; blend on high speed 15 to 20 seconds or until smooth.
2. Pour into 8 frozen pop molds (2.5 ounces to 3 ounces each). Cover, insert craft sticks, and freeze for 2 hours or until completely firm.
3. To serve, dip outsides of molds into warm water to loosen.
Fudgecicles
Makes 8 servings
Ingredients:
1 (3.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1/2 cup white sugar
3 cups milk
Directions:
1. In a mixing bowl, combine pudding, sugar, and milk.
- Pour mixture into small plastic cups (if you do not have ice pop molds) and freeze.
- When set, place a wooden craft stick into them (if you are using plastic cups). Serve when frozen.
Fresh Fruit and Yogurt Ice Pops
Makes 8 servings
Ingredients:
2 cups fresh blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and sliced bananas, mixed
2 cups plain or vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup white sugar
8 small paper cups
8 popsicle sticks
Directions:
1. Place the mixed blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, sliced bananas, yogurt, and sugar into a blender.
2. Cover, and blend until fruit is chunky or smooth, as desired.
3. Fill paper cups 3/4 full with fruit mixture. Cover the top of each cup with a strip of aluminum foil. Poke a popsicle stick through the center of the foil on each cup.
4. Place the cups in the freezer for at least 5 hours. To serve, remove foil and peel off the paper cup.
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National Iced Tea Day
Summer time is here and that means warm weather, picnics, patio dining and more! I love warm weather and all of the fun foods and drinks that come with it. Growing up in the south led me to love a warm weather drink – iced tea. When I was younger I would always notice big glass jars of ice tea brewing on neighbors’ front porches. It seems you couldn’t drive down a street without seeing someone making their iced tea for the day in the warm summer sunshine.
Fast forward more years than I’d like to admit and I am now one of those nutty people who puts a big jar of iced tea out on the back porch. People have been putting tea out in the sun for years and I bet most people don’t even know why they do it. At this point, brewing iced tea in the sun is more tradition than function. It is thought that people started brewing iced tea outside to keep from heating up the kitchen in the heat of the summer. The gentle heat of the sun is also supposed to brew the tea without destroying the flavor. Even if it is just for fun, I still brew iced tea outside.
There are lots of recipes for making iced tea. Some are flavored and some are herbal. I’m a huge fan of iced peppermint tea. I cheat and just use tea bags but it think it sure tastes great. Since today is National Iced Tea Day it seems like the perfect day to pull the big glass jar back out and try one of my favorites. I think I will go with my favorite – peppermint iced tea. It’s yummy and inexpensive to make. I really could drink it every day during the warm summer weather. When I make my peppermint tea, I make it unsweetened. I like it that way, but anyone who wants to can add a bit of sugar or sweetener to their glass. Yum! I need to make this now.
Want to make some iced tea to celebrate? Here is one basic iced tea recipe and a few ideas to change it up. If you try it, let us know how you like it. Have another favorite recipe for making iced tea? Share that with us. We love to hear from you!
Sweet Tea
Makes 2 Quarts
Ingredients:
1 pinch baking soda
2 cups boiling water
6 tea bags
3/4 cup white sugar
6 cups cool water
Directions:
Sprinkle a pinch of baking soda into a 64-ounce, heat-proof, glass pitcher.
Pour in boiling water, and add tea bags.
Cover, and allow to steep for 15 minutes.
Remove tea bags, and discard; stir in sugar until dissolved.
Pour in cool water, then refrigerate until cold.
Sweet Lime Iced Tea
You can change this recipe up and add the juice of four limes. You’ll have Sweet Lime Iced Tea! Yum!
Boston Iced Tea
Again just add something to the above recipe – add cranberry juice to taste and you’ll have a yummy Boston Iced Tea.
Today is National Donut Day!
Oh my – another fun holiday today – today is National Donut Day! I didn’t know that, did you? It turns out that National Donut Day is celebrated the first Friday in June. What? Where did this crazy and yummy holiday come from? National Donut Day was started in 1938 by the Salvation Army. The Salvation Army wanted a day to celebrate their “donut lassies.” During World War One the donut lassies provided treats and other assistance to soldiers on the front lines. Sounds like the perfect reason to celebrate with a yummy holiday!
National Donut Day means FREE donuts too! In honor of National Doughnut Day, on Friday, June 5, stop in to any Krispy Kreme US or Canadian location for a FREE doughnut of any variety–including its world famous Original Glazed doughnut. Awesome! Dunkin’ Donuts will commemorate the holiday by offering guests a free donut of their choice (while supplies last) with the purchase of any beverage. The offer is good all day on June 5th at participating Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants nationwide. Yummy!
Want to take a bash at making your own donuts in honor of National Donut Day? Here is a much loved recipe to get you started.
Creamy Crispy Doughnuts
Makes 18 doughnuts
Ingredients:
2 (.25 ounce) envelopes active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/3 cup shortening
5 cups all-purpose flour
1 quart vegetable oil for frying
1/3 cup butter
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
4 tablespoons hot water or as needed
Directions:
1 – Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water, and let stand for 5 minutes, or until foamy.
2 – In a large bowl, mix together the yeast mixture, milk, sugar, salt, eggs, shortening, and 2 cups of the flour. Mix for a few minutes at low speed, or stirring with a wooden spoon. Beat in remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough no longer sticks to the bowl. Knead for about five minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Place the dough into a greased bowl, and cover. Set in a warm place to rise until double. Dough is ready if you touch it, and the indention remains.
3 – Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and gently roll out to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut with a floured doughnut cutter. Let doughnuts sit out to rise again until double. Cover loosely with a cloth.
4 – Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in confectioners’ sugar and vanilla until smooth. Remove from heat, and stir in hot water one tablespoon at a time until the icing is somewhat thin, but not watery. Set aside.
5 – Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large heavy skillet to 350 degrees. Slide doughnuts into the hot oil using a wide spatula. Turn doughnuts over as they rise to the surface. Fry doughnuts on each side until golden brown. Remove from hot oil, to drain on a wire rack. Dip doughnuts into the glaze while still hot, and set onto wire racks to drain off excess.
Do you have a great donut recipe? Do you make something fun and yummy with donuts? Share it with us! We love to hear from you!
Have you tried Zaycon Fresh?
Are you busy with all of the summer break activities? Is it hard to find the time to think about other things? It is for me! Sometimes the business of summer break makes it hard to do some of the other things we usually do like bargain hunting and shopping. There is one great way to save money that that I want take a few minutes to talk about because the clock is ticking on some of the deals. This is by far one of my favorite money saving things – I love ordering meats from Zaycon. It saves money and I think the products they sell are really great!
Why would someone buy from Zaycon? For me, there are so many reasons. They sell great fresh meats including chicken, beef, turkey, pork and fish. I think buying meat in bulk saves money and time. My reasons sound a lot like the three great reasons that Zaycon lists on their website:
1) Quality: We only sell what we eat ourselves— high-quality, healthy food products
2) Price: Fresh, high-quality retail food products sold for wholesale prices
3) Customer Service: Exceptional service all along the way, from order to reminder to convenient, efficient pickup.
I have to say that I agree with what they claim. Their meats really do seem to be top quality and their customer service it great! It is so easy to get the great deals from Zaycon. You go online to ZayconFresh.com and place your order. You will love how much great food you can get for such low prices. On the day of your local Zaycon sales event, you bring your order confirmation to your pick up location and you get your fresh, delicious, nutritious food!
Details about two of the most popular Zaycon products:
The Zaycon chicken breasts are sold by the case. Each case weighs 40 pounds and includes four separate bags of chicken breasts, which are not always sealed and not uniform in weight. The larger outer bag is sealed in the cardboard case. The chicken is 100% natural chicken with no added hormones, additives or artificial ingredients. The chicken is fresh directly from the farm to the sales event and has never been frozen.
The Zaycon ground beef is fresh 93/7 and super lean. It is 100% grown in the USA. There is no pink slime in the Zaycon ground beef. There are no chemicals, additives or water added to meat during processing. The beef cattle have a grass diet which is supplemented by grain after they reach approximately 700 pounds.
Available for ordering now from Zaycon:
A few of these deliver in the next few days – there is still time to order them!
* Fresh Ground Beef, Lean (93/7) – 40 lbs
$4.49/lb | $179.60/case
* Chicken Breasts (Fresh Boneless Skinless)
$1.69/lb X 40.00 lbs | $67.60/case
* Fully Cooked Breaded Chicken Strip Fritter
$3.49/lb | $69.80/case
* Frozen Alaskan Sockeye Salmon Fillets
$6.99/lb | $174.75/case
* Fully Cooked Maple Chicken Sausage Patties
$3.79/lb | $37.90/case
* Bacon – Hickory Smoked, Medium Sliced – 36 lbs
$3.49/lb | $125.64/case
* USDA Choice or Higher Patio Steaks
$6.49/lb X 33.00 lbs | $214.17/case
Do you buy from Zaycon? What is your favorite product? Let us know – we love to hear from you.
Homemade Lego Gummy Candies
Have you heard the latest internet buzz? Everyone seems to be talking about making homemade Lego gummy candies. If you have been online, you have probably heard about it and perhaps even seen the video. There is a great instructional video by Grant Thompson who is otherwise known as “The King of Random”. His video is AWESOME and has lots of people all over the internet wanting to make homemade Lego gummy candies. He even made me want to make them. I want to make them so much that I posted deals on the molds today. And now I am even blogging about his recipe and his methods!
Grant’s video has gone viral, everyone is sharing it. I have yet to see a copy of his directions typed up so I thought I would type it up for myself. After I typed it up I thought there was no reason not to share it with you all. It’s am easy and yummy looking recipe. Grant said he “played around with loads of variations in recipes to see what texture and tastes I liked the best. And I’ve kept experimenting off and on for the last 4 years, using my kids and wife for feedback.” These candies “come out crystal clear, firm, don’t stick to your fingers, and taste amazing.” This is the recipe he came up with:
Homemade Lego Gummy Candies
Ingredients:
1/2 cup of very cold water
1/4 cup of corn syrup
2 packets of unflavored gelatin
1 pack of Jell-O
Directions:
*It is very important to start the gelatin into COLD water. If you do not use COLD water you will get clumps of undissolved gelatin in your candy syrup.*
1 – Stir the corn syrup into the cold water. Stir until the corn syrup is completely dissolved. Pour the mixture into a sauce pan.
2 – Stir the gelatin and Jell-O into the cold water mixture. Stir until the gelatin and Jell-O are completely dissolved.
3 – Let water and gelatin mixture sit for 5 minutes before you turn on the heat.
4 – Using medium low heat, heat the mixture for 5 to 10 minutes. Be sure to stir every minute or two to keep it from burning.
5 – When the gelatin is completely liquefied, it is ready to pour into the molds. Using a condiment bottle with a spout will help you get the syrup into the molds easier.
6 – Cool the homemade Lego gummy candies for 5 to 6 hours at room temperature.
If your homemade Lego gummy candies are looking cloudy, clumpy or foamy, Grant has ideas for that too. Pour the mixture into a tall glass and let it settle. The top will be foamy. Skim the foam off the top and you’ll have clear syrup underneath.
To make sour gummies, you can add citric acid or a handful of powdered vitamin C tablets. The citric and ascorbic acids in the vitamins sour the homemade Lego gummy candies. It makes them taste sour and enriches them with vitamin C.
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Keep your kitchen cool this summer!
I love almost everything about summer. There are just a few things I don’t like about summer, having a hot house is one of them. I especially hate it when the kitchen gets hot, I really prefer to keep my kitchen cool. Using the oven seems to make my kitchen oh so very hot. Cooking and preparing meals in a hot kitchen can be a deal breaker for me, it makes me want to eat out and get out of that heat. Eating out to avoid a hot kitchen makes no sense; it is expensive and not practical. There are a few things I do that really help keep the kitchen cool and keep me happy.
Use a crockpot
I try to use a crockpot whenever I can. Cooking meat and other things in a crock pot will keep your kitchen much cooler than using the oven. A quick search on the internet will bring up thousands of recipes and tons of great ideas. Yummy food and a great way to keep the kitchen cool.
Use the microwave
Sometimes we forget the microwave is good for more than warming up leftovers and popping popcorn. There are so many things that can be prepared in the microwave. There are lots of tips and recipes online for making many of the usual oven dishes in the microwave. There are even special, and usually inexpensive, dishes made for microwaving more meals that usually require baking.
Cook outside on a grill
This is one of my all-time favorites. It doesn’t take much to convince me to get out the grill. We love to cook meats, vegetables and more on our grill. My husband was just given a pizza stone so we can try cooking pizza on the grill!
Cook outside with a toaster oven
This is a great idea for those things that really do taste better when they are baked. We use a little camp table and put the toaster oven right out on the deck. Works great for so many things and keeps the kitchen cool!
Bake or use the oven at night for the next day
Can you make any part of the meal the night before? Once the house has cooled down it seems so much easier to cook and bake. There are lots of things you can make ahead when you think about it. All of these things will help keep your kitchen cool. It also makes dinner prep go much faster when part of it is already done, another bonus.
Eat more cold meals
I love this one! Summer naturally seems to bring more salads and sandwiches. Fresh garden veggies, pastas, so many good ideas are on the usual summer menu. There are so many different cool meal options that seem to taste even better in the summer months. Another great way to keep your kitchen cool.
Once you start thinking about the many ways you can keep your kitchen and house cooler by changing your cooking habits, it seems easy and totally doable. It will even be fun! You’ll find yourself happily eating at home in a cooler house – such a good thing! We love it and it is another great way to pinch your pennies.
