Simple Fourth of July Recipes

Having a tough time coming up with your Fourth of July menu? Tired of the same old burgers and hot dogs, but don't want to lose your BBQ traditions? Can't seem to come up with a yummy yet incredibly simple dessert? Don't worry here are a few simple recipes to follow to ensure a traditional yet tasty Fourth of July.

"Simple, yet satisfying burgers". This extremely simple recipe is good for beef burgers, turkey burgers, chicken burgers and most likely any other kind of burger you come up with.
Ingredients:
Burgers, beef, turkey, or chicken
1/4 cup Teriyaki Sauce
2 tablespoons Onion Powder
2 tablespoons Garlic Powder
Marinate 4 burgers in the Teriyaki sauce, onion powder, and garlic powder for 15 minutes. Don't worry about exact measurements here, you just want to make sure that both sides of the burgers are well coated and nicely saturated. Grill or cook until desired level of preparedness is done. This is a very simple recipe but kicks up the taste of a plain burger to a very satisfying level.

"Pasta Salad - Italian Style". Simple and delicious. You may just need to make two batches!
Ingredients:
Tri-Colored Rotini pasta, one box
"Good Seasons" brand Italian Dressing (in packets)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (needed for dressing)
Red Wine Vinegar (needed for dressing)
Diced, seasoned and cooked chicken, about 2 cups (try "Perdue" brand Italian Style pre-cooked chicken for a shortcut)
Olives, diced or whole
Roasted red peppers, sliced
Chick peas
Boil and cook pasta according to package directions. Prepare the salad dressing according to directions on package. Drain pasta and add dressing, mixing evenly. Add in chicken, olives, peppers, chick peas and any other vegetables to your liking. Refrigerate and serve cold. This can be served as a salad or even a main dish it's just that good. Feel free to add or omit any types of vegetables.

"Strawberry Lemon Bars". Sweet and healthy. They do have fruit in them afterall!
Ingredients:
2 cups of fresh strawberries (about 12 oz.)
1 1/4 cup of graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons of butter, melted
2 packages (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow creme
1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
Mix crumbs and butter together, press firmly into bottom of 9 inch square baking pan. Refrigerate crust while making filling. Beat cream cheese, marshmallow and lemon juice with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Stir in sliced strawberries, spoon into crust. Refrigerate 4 hours. Cut into 20 or so bars and top each with a strawberry!
(Variation of "Nabisco" recipe "No-Bake Raspberry Lemon Bars")

"Ice Box Cake". A long time family favorite and so easy to make. Cool and sweet and perfect for a hot summer BBQ.
Ingredients:
3 boxes of chocolate pudding
1 box of graham crackers
Prepare pudding on stove-top as directed. Layer graham crackers in 9x13 glass pan to form bottom crust. Layer pudding and graham crackers alternately until you've leveled the top of the pan, the top layer being pudding. Sprinkle top of pudding with graham cracker crumbs. Refrigerate, over night is best since this one gets better over time. Enjoy!

These recipes are extremely simple, yet are truly delicious and make a nice presentation. Don't fret and hopefully these easy recipes will help you celebrate the Fourth of July happily, stress free and well fed.