4th of July Family Favorite Recipes

The 4^th of July is a great time to enjoy family favorite recipes. Some of those recipes have been around for so many years no one remembers where they came from. Others are new recipes that are such a hit they become a family tradition. In this article I'm going to share both old and new 4^th of July recipes my family enjoys.

Barnes Family Potato Salad has been in my family for as long as I can remember. I recall one of my cousins stating at a 4^th of July family picnic, "Our family makes the best potato salad," and I'd have to agree. The other, Vanilla Ice-Cream with Rhubarb Sauce and Blueberries, is a new tradition that was inspired by the gift of rhubarb from an organic coop I belong to. I decided to come up with a recipe for rhubarb sauce as a topping for ice cream. That turned out to be a great 4^th of July dessert when paired with blueberries. It's colorful and tasty enough it is sure to become a 4^th of July tradition in our family.

Barnes Family Potato Salad

Ingredients:

8 medium potatoes, scrubbed but unpeeled

8 hardboiled eggs, diced

1 red onion, chopped

''¾ cup dill pickle relish

1 tsp. salt

''½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

2 cups mayonnaise

Paprika

Cut the potatoes into 1" chunks and boil until tender, but not mushy.

Drain the potatoes and allow them to cool. In a large bowl mix together the potatoes, hardboiled eggs and red onion.

In a separate bowl, stir together the pickle relish, salt, pepper and mayonnaise. Fold the mayonnaise mixture into the potato mixture.

Smooth out the top of the potato salad and sprinkle with paprika. Cover and chill for at least an hour, but it's better to chill for a few hours if possible.

Be sure to keep the potato salad in a cooler until time to serve and return the salad to the cooler after everyone has finished eating.

Vanilla Ice Cream with Rhubarb Sauce and Blueberries

Ingredients:

Vanilla ice cream

Rhubarb sauce

Fresh blueberries

First, make the rhubarb sauce:

2 cups sliced rhubarb

1 cup sugar

2 cups water

1 tbsp. cornstarch, mixed with ''¼ cup water

10 drops red food coloring (optional)*

Put the rhubarb, sugar and water into a medium saucepan and stir. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the rhubarb is soft. Puree the rhubarb mixture in a blender.

Return the rhubarb puree to the saucepan and add in food coloring and cornstarch mixture. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce thickens.

Allow the rhubarb sauce to cool and then refrigerate in a covered container until ready to serve.

Makes 2 cups rhubarb sauce

Now it's time to assemble the dessert. Simply scoop vanilla ice cream into bowls and top with the rhubarb sauce and blueberries.

This simple dessert is simple and festive, and since it's red, white and blue, it's a great dessert to serve on the 4^th of July or any other patriotic holiday.

*If you'd prefer to leave out the food coloring, you may do so, but the rhubarb sauce will be pink rather than red in color.