4th of July Recipes

We had a really fun extended holiday weekend. Chris' family had a reunion with his mom's siblings and cousin. It was such a great time of catching up, watching fireworks, laughing, and eating and eating and eating. I love family get togethers! We had a big cookout on the 4th, a brunch at our house on the 5th, then a dinner at my sister-in-law's tonight. I tried some new recipes and some old favorites, and I wanted to compile them all here.

Broccoli Ramen Slaw

1 bag prepared broccoli slaw (by the bagged salads)

2 packs Ramen noodles, any flavor

4 green onions, chopped

1/4 cup salted sunflower seeds

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup oil

1/3 cup cider vinegar

In a large bowl, combine slaw, crushed noodles (uncooked), green onions, and sunflower seeds. In a separate bowl, combine sugar, oil, vinegar, and the Ramen flavor packets. Pour the dressing over the slaw about 30 minutes before serving and refrigerate to allow the flavors to meld.

Candy Bar Trifle

1 box of your favorite brownie mix baked in a jelly roll pan or a 9x13

2 packs of instant cheesecake or french vanilla pudding made according to package directions

1 tub of Cool Whip, thawed

a handful of your favorite candy bars

In a large bowl, fold the prepared pudding into the Cool Whip. Cut the brownie into squares, and line the bottom of a trifle bowl. Pour a third of the pudding/Cool Whip mixture on top, then sprinkle with chopped candy bar. Repeat twice more, and refrigerate until it's time to serve.

Grandma Trudy's Strawberry Cake

1 angel food cake (I always use store-bought)

1 pack strawberry Jello

1 tub of Cool Whip

1 pint of strawberries

1 pint of blueberies

Cut the angel food cake into squares, and fill the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Wash and slice the strawberries. Sprinkle about a 1/2 cup of the sliced strawberries among the angel food cake. Make the Jello according to the package directions, and pour it over the angel food cake and strawberries. Refrigerate overnight (or until set). Spread the entire tub of Cool Whip over the cake, then top with the rest of the strawberries and blueberries. Serve cold.

Chopped Antipasti Salad

1 head of Romaine lettuce, chopped

1/2 red onion, chopped

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

3 Roma tomatoes, diced

1 cucumber, diced

1 cup diced fresh Mozarella

1 cup kalamata olives

1/2 cup chopped salami (I just used the thin deli-sliced, but you can use thick-cut)

1/2 cup chopped smoked turkey breast (again, I used thin deli-sliced)

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

fresh ground black pepper

Dressing

1 part balsamic vinaigrette to 1 part Caesar dressing

Toss all ingredients immediately before serving.

For brunch, I served dishes that can be found here.

In the midst of the weekend I also made homemade ice cream that turned out to be out of this world. That recipe can be found here and here. Do yourselves a favor, and go make this now! Delicious.

I hope you and yours had a wonderful holiday weekend! Thank you to all of our servicemen and women who made/make such a celebration possible.