4th of July!

Cool Blue Lemonade Punch (With a Kick)

two packages ice blue raspberry lemonade kool-aid
two quarts water
two liter bottle of diet lemon-lime soda
small amount blue food coloring (too much will color mouth and lips)
sugar (or Splenda) to taste
lots of ice
a tall, pretty glass
a wee dram or so of your favorite rum, or vodka, or gin, or whatever
wets your whistle. I like mine straight up and very dry so no alcohol
for me.

Mix kool-aid, water and sugar or sweetener in a gallon pitcher. Touch up
coloring with small amount of blue food coloring but do not add too
much as it can stain teeth and lips and clothing if it happens to
spill. Add lemon-lime soda, slowly so the fizz doesn't dissipate all at
once. Place ice and small amount of your favorite libation in a tall
glass. Pour punch over ice. Slip a straw into the glass, sip and enjoy.

Red Hot Independence Salsa
Two large tomatoes, cored, seeded, chopped
One medium green pepper, roasted, seeded, chopped fine
One small onion, peeled, chopped fine
Two large stalks celery, chopped fine, include good leaves
One very small bunch cilantro, washed and chopped
Two, or more, jalapeno peppers, roasted, capped, chopped fine.
One 16 ounce jar inexpensive mild salsa

Mix all ingredients together day before use and place in refrigerator so
flavors can meld. Serve cold with white corn chips. There is the rest of
the RED/WHITE and BLUE theme. One could also make a nice nacho cheese
dip to go with the salsa. It could be mild to take the edge off the
peppers.

This recipe came from an authentic Mexican restaurant in California. If
you really crave searing the hair off your tongue, roast one or two
serrano peppers, chop them up and add them to the mix. I must warn you
though, please wear protective gloves when handling the serrano
peppers. They are very high in volatile oils and should you get the oil
on you face or in your eyes it is a terrible experience. Take it from
one who found out the hard way.

Rolled Olive recipe nut Sandwiches.
Here is the recipe.

     24 thin sandwich bread slices
     1 (oz.) pkg. of cream cheese, softened.
     1 cup diced salad olives
     1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
     1/2 cup mayo
     1/4 tsp pepper

Remove the crusts from the bread and flatten with a rolling pin.
Stir together the cream cheese and the remainder of the ingredients.
Spread 2 tbsp mixture on one side of the bread slices.
Roll tightly.
Cover and chill at least 4 hours.
To serve cut in to 4 slices

Barbequed Ribs.
Cut up Ribs.. place in large bowl
using Soy Sauce (very large bottle), About 4 - 5 cups.
        Vinegar.. small amount maybe 1/2 cup
        Fresh Lemon juice (1-2 Lemons)
        Chili Peppers
        Pepper

Let the Ribs sit in the sauce for a good 4 hours in the Refrigerator.
Barbeque on the Grill. Mike brushes the ribs with remaining sauce while they cook.
When done. dip in the Finney a Denny sauce. (excuse the spelling)
Sauce for dipping

2 cups Soy Sauce
Juice from whole fresh Lemon
Red Pepper flakes

Let sit for about one hours before serving.
Good Luck this is great and the ribs, if there are any left, are great for the next day

homemade ice cream.

The recipe is really easy:

    6 eggs
    2 c. sugar
    2 qts half & half
    1-1/2 Tbsp. vanilla
    1/2 tsp. salt

Beat eggs until thick and creamy. Add sugar gradually (1/2 c. at a time).
Add half & half, vanilla and salt. Mix completely and pour into ice cream
maker. Add milk to fill line. Freeze according to manufacturer's directions

Best Ever Almond Butter Cookies

These crisp, tender almond-flavored cut-out cookies are creatively decorated
with almond glaze.
Cookie Ingredients:
1 cup LAND O LAKESŽ Butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

Glaze Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon LAND O LAKESŽ Butter, softened
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon almond extract, if desired
Food color, if desired
Decorator candies, sugars, etc., if desired
Combine 1 cup butter, sugar and egg in large mixer bowl. Beat at medium
speed, until creamy. Add milk and 1 teaspoon almond extract. Continue
beating, scraping bowl often, until well mixed. Reduce speed to low. Add
flour and baking powder; beat, scraping bowl often, until well mixed.
Divide dough in thirds. Shape each third into a ball on plastic food wrap.
Wrap in plastic food wrap; flatten to 1/2 inch. Refrigerate until firm (2 to
3 hours).
Heat oven to 400°F. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface, one-third at
a time (keeping remaining dough refrigerated), to 1/8 to 1/4-inch thickness.
Cut with cookie cutters. Place 1 inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake for 6 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool
completely.
Combine powdered sugar, water, 1 tablespoon butter, corn syrup and 1/2
teaspoon almond extract in small mixer bowl; mix until powdered sugar is
moistened. Beat at medium speed until smooth, adding additional water if
necessary, to reach desired glazing consistency. Tint with food color, if
desired.
Glaze cooled cookies. Add decorator candies, if desired. Let stand until
glaze is hardened (6 hours or overnight).
Makes 3 dozen cookies.

Guess I'll make baked beans, too.   Seems you do pretty much the same thing no matter where you are--deja vu!!
     The beans are easy:
      1 Large can of Dennison's Pork & Beans (drain slightly)
       8-10 slices bacon, chopped in 1" pieces
      1 red onion, chopped in small pieces
      1/2 cup mustard
      1/2 cup catsup
      1 cup brown sugar

Sautee the bacon & onions until bacon is fairly well done, drain.
Mix the beans, onion, mustard, catsup, brown sugar & bacon and pour into a bean pot or large casserole dish. A crock pot can be used. Bake 35 minutes at 350 degrees. (Longer in crock pot).

My favorite 4th 'dish' is to scoop out a watermelon (usually try to
find a pretty good sized nicely shaped oval). Make melon balls from the
water melon and add honeydew, fresh pineapple, strawberries, grapes, (anything
you want that sounds good). After the watermelon 'shell' is full of fruit,
pour a bottle of rum or vodka (depending on what you like) over it and let it
set for a few hours (make it in the AM for a PM party! Just put small
paper cups and plastic forks and/or spoons out to eat it in/with! Delicious and
pretty too.

Buffalo Wings......
Really don't have a recipe...but here is how I do it:

About a cup of flour
1 Tsp Cayenne pepper
1 Tsp paprika
1/2 Tso salt..

I pat the wings dry. Coat them in the flour mixture and fry them....drain.

I make a hot sauce by just mixing some butter with Tabsco sauce.....heat
Will also take plain Ranch Dressing mixed with a little sour cream for those
that don't like them too hot.

I found this one & will be trying it this year. The word "easy" caught my eye!
********************************************************
1-1/2 cups boiling water, divided
1 pkg (4-oz serving size) Jell-o Brand Berry Blue Flavor Gelatin
1 cup ice cubes, divided in 2
1 HoneyMaid Graham Pie Crust (6 oz.)
1 pkg (4-oz serving size) Jell-o Brand Strawberry Flavor Gelatin (or any red color)
1 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

STIR 3/4 cup of the boiling water into dry blue gelatin at least 2 minutes or until completely dissolved. Add 1/2 cup of the ice cubes; stir until ice is completely melted. Pour into pie crust; refrigerate 5 to 10 minutes or until gelatin is set but not firm.

MEANWHILE stir remaining 3/4 cup boiling water into dry red gelatin in separate bowl at least 2 minutes or until completely dissolved. Add remaining 1/2 cup ice cubes; stir until ice is completely melted. Let stand at room temperature 5 minutes or until slightly thickened.

SPREAD whipped topping evenly over blue gelatin layer in crust; cover with layer of red gelatin. Refrigerate 2 hours or until set. Store leftover pie in refrigerator.

Katherine's Sassy Salsa on red, white and blue chips and have a
cold beer with it. The recipe is as follows:

2 jalapeno pepper (seeded and chopped)
1 Anaheim pepper (seeded and chopped)
1 yellow pepper (seeded and chopped)
1 can chopped green chilies (drained)
4 plum tomatoes (chopped)
2 cans petite chopped tomatoes
1 red onion (chopped)
2 tblspn olive oil
2 tblspn red wine vinegar
Salt to taste

Chop and mix above ingredients together. This will keep in refrigerator
about 5 days and gets better as it sits. You can control the heat by type of
chili used and how many chilis used. If I am in a hurry, I cheat and use 2
large tubs of chopped jalapenos, onions & cilantro - we find it in the cooler
case in the fruit/vegetable department. Ours comes in small tubs & large tubs.
2 large tubs takes place of only the chopped peppers above. I keep
everything else the same including the red onion. Do seed the peppers before
chopping and I suggest you wear gloves. I make a big batch about once a month and
my husband won't touch it so I get to eat it all. I can eat this right out
of bowl with a spoon.

Good July 4th recipe -

1 sml pkg each of any jello that is red, white or blue. (white you can use
white grape jello)
take one pkg add 1 cup boiling water and one cup ice cream. Cool until set.
(I put it in the frig for about 1/2 hour. spread sour cream over top.
take second pkg and do the same. pour carefully over the first.
do the same with the 3rd.
There you have a red, white and blue jello salad.

My recipe is an old family one -- chocolate applesauce spice cake. This came
off an applesauce can when I was a baby and has been a family favorite ever
since. With a family of eight kids, Mom always doubled the recipe and it still
disappeared without a trace very quickly. This is an eat out of hand cake
and works best in a 9"x13" pan. Most of the time, we just put powered sugar on
it and it is good to go.

4 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
4 teaspoons soda
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons chocolate of coca (I like Hereshey's Coca)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon mace
3 cups applesauce
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup raisins (optional)
1 cup walnuts (optional)

Shift dry ingredients into a large bowl; make a well and add the applesauce,
oil, raisins, and walnuts. Blend by hand until well mixed. Pour in a well
greased 9"x13" pan. Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour. Use orange or lemon
frosting, or as is, for picnics.

This is the only cake that I know you can assembly in 5 minutes from scratch

Fried Ravioli

Take a bag of frozen ravioli and deep fry in batches for about 3 minutes until crisp.

Sprinkle with parmesan cheese

Serve with Marinara, Blue cheese or Ranch Dressing

Put out toothpicks and watch these disappear !!!

4th of July!