4th of July Recipes that Everyone Will Love

My favorite 4th of July recipes are foods that are easy to prepare on the grill, finger food that's easy for guests to just help themselves to, and of course, a patriotic red, white, and blue dessert. No need for fancy dishes, just put out a stack of paper plates, and have cans of ice cold soda in the cooler.

I like to have plenty of finger foods to nosh on while waiting for dinner to cook. It also gives you time to visit with your guests. Chips, Pretzels, Trail Mix, and Wheat Thins can be arranged on a lazy susan, and everyone can help themselves. Tortilla Pinwheels are one of my favorite snacks, and everyone seems to like them. Black Bean Tortilla Pinwheels can be rolled up and cut in small bites, so everyone still has room for dinner. Here are the ingredients that you'll need to make these tasty roll-ups:

8 oz. softened cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 cup Mexican- Style cheddar cheese
¼ cup chopped black olives
¼ cup diced red onion
½ t. salt
½ t. garlic powder
1 15 ounce can black beans, drained
5-6 tortillas

Beat cream cheese and sour cream until well blended. Add cheese, black olives, red onion, salt, and garlic powder to the cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate for 2 hours to let the flavors blend together. Process black beans in the food processor until they form a smooth paste. Spread black beans on a tortilla, and top with the cream cheese mixture. Repeat this process until all tortillas are finished, then roll up tightly. With a sharp knife, cut small slices on an angle.

It wouldn't be 4th of July without hot dogs, but it's always fun to try a new 4th of July recipe. My brother likes to make barbequed meatloaf on the grill, and you can use your own meatloaf recipe or try something different. Our meatloaf has egg, bread crumbs, onions, seasoned salt, and pepper. My secret ingredient is ½ cup of catsup, reserving half to ice the top of the meatloaf. After you form your meatloaf into a rectangle, spray a piece of foil with cooking spray, put the meat loaf in the middle, and bring up the sides, putting a double fold on the top, to seal in the meatloaf. Put it on the grill for about 15 minutes, uncover and let rest 5 minutes. It smells so good it will be hard to wait the 5 minutes.

Have each guest bring a salad or garlic bread. Try to find out what everyone is planning to bring in advance, so you won't have duplicates. The garlic bread can be toasted on the grill.

Dessert is where you can really use your imagination to create the patriotic red, white, and blue colors. Bake your favorite white cake. Use a fork to poke holes all over the cake. Mix up a separate batch of strawberry, then blueberry jello. Pour each mixture over half of the cakes, making sure you pour it down all of the holes. Make your favorite vanilla icing, and ice the cake. Make two rows of strawberries vertically down the cake. Form a flag with blueberries in the upper left corner. Continue rows of strawberries down the rows that are left, and there you have your Jello Poke Patriotic Cake.

Enjoy good weather and good friends, as you celebrate the 4th of July. I hope you enjoy these recipes, and you may be inspired to create your own unique, 4th of July recipes, that will become a tradition at your house, every year.

Sources:

www.fabulousfoods.com/recipes/dessert/cakes/flagcake.html

www.publix.com/aprons/meals/MainDish/SimpleMeal.do?mealId=360&mealGroupId=1001