4th of July Recipes for Your Family

Celebrate the 4th of July with your family and friends and WOW them with these fabulous recipes! All of these are recipes that I've been given by someone else, but my family didn't like them the way they were....so I tweaked and added and played with them until now we have our own family favorites!

So this year, I think I'm going to do all of my families favorites for the holiday weekend. I'm going to start off with some appetizers. Usually I do the really simple. A veggie tray with a Ranch-based dip or a cheese ball with crackers. Of course, my kids think we can't have a party if I don't break out the chocolate fountain and provide them with graham crackers, strawberries, grapes, Ritz Crackers and Peanut Butter, Vanilla wafers with some confectioner's sugar icing in between them, pretzels...well you get the idea. My chocolate fountain was the best $50 I ever spent! Instant party, just by getting it out of the box.

But this year, I decided to break away from my usual appetizer fare. Instead, I'll do a meat tray..filled with ham, chicken, roast and turkey slices with cheese cubes and crackers along with some homemade

Peach and Strawberry Salsa

2 large fresh peaches, peeled and chopped
1 quart fresh strawberries, chopped
1 jalepeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2-3 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro.

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. Serve chilled with meats and cheeses.

So...how about salad? I love Caesar Salad. I don't eat iceburg lettuce, so Caesar is a perfect choice for me. But for the holiday...how about a new twist on that old favorite? Now, let me explain one part to this salad before I begin. You can use the creamy Caesar dressing for this recipe...but, the Vinegrette just gives this a bit more of a kick. I think you'll love the difference in taste.

Caesar Pasta Salad

1/2 pound Macaroni, cooked, drained and salted
1 large can All-white meat Chicken Breast, drained and flaked
2 (16 oz) bottles of Kraft Caesar Vianegrette with Parmesan Dressing.
8 slices of bacon, cooked crispy and then crumbled
1 large can of Shredded (not grated) parmesan cheese

Mix all of these ingredients together, Chill for at least an hour before serving.

Now, you're ready for the main courses. This is so easy to assemble, that you won't believe it! But it's true, and your guests and your family will love it.

Italian Salmon with Pasta

Cook a serving of Spaghetti or Angel Hair Pasta noodles for each person you're feeding... until the noodles are pliant...about 5 minutes...drain

Take a large Salmon steak and cut it into individual sized servings. You will need a piece of heavy duty (18 inches wide) aluminum foil for each piece of steak that is 18 inches long. You want to coat each piece with Italian Dressing. This keeps your meat and veggies from sticking to the foil. Add your steak pieces, then top them with a serving of noodles. To this add add 1 cup of your veggie mixture...(See below)... , two bite sized new potatoes with the skins still on and an ear of fresh corn on the cob. To the very top, add 1/2 cup of Italian Dressing. Wrap everything up into the foil and place on the grill for 12-15 minutes. You want your fish nice and flaky, but not overdone, as it will dry out. Your veggies will be nicely grilled, but still firm.

Veggies: You can add or take away from these to cater to your own likes and dislikes. Here are my favorites!

3 zucchini, washed with the ends cut off, cubed
1 red pepper, stripped
1 pound bag of baby carrots
1 pound of fresh green beans, cut off the ends and the strings but leave whole.

A tip...to get the best green beans for this recipe, you want to choose those that are still very slender. These make the most tender green beans from the grill. The fatter green beans are closer to going to seed, and are sometimes stringy and touch.

Now you're ready for your dessert. It's crunchy, it's creamy, it's....

Cherry-Chocolate Delight

2 large cans of Cherry Pie Filling
2 small boxes of Vanilla Chocolate Pudding
1 box of Vanilla Wafers
1 box of chocolate cake mix, baked according to package directions, then cut into bite sized pieces
2 large tubs of Cool Whip

In the bottom of a large serving bowl, layer vanilla wafers, half a can of cherries, a layer of chocolate cake pieces, 1/4 of the pudding and then a layer of cool whip. Continue to layer in this order until all of the cherries, pudding and Cool Whip are gone. You may have cake left over...don't scrimp on the cool whip~!
Chill this....it's better if you chill it overnight before serving!

Celebrate Freedom and Food this 4th of July.