6 Ideas and Recipes for the 4th of July

1. Fireworks safety.   2. Festive food.

  3. Costumes. (Don’t forget to take pictures.)

4.  Shows of Patriotism.

5. Family gatherings.

6. Remembering your freedom wherever you are.

6 Recipes

1. Best Baked Beans

2 hugest (28 oz) cans pork & beans (1 1b 14 oz)

2 green peppers, diced

2 small onions, diced

1 lb. bacon

2 Tblsp Worcestershire sauce

1 cup brown sugar

1 small bottle catsup

Cook bacon.  Break bacon into pieces.  Add bacon and diced vegies to the beans, and stir in the Worcestershire sauce, catsup, and brown sugar.  Bake uncovered for 3-5 hours at 275º, stirring occasionally.  The length of time you bake the beans depends on how thick you like them to be.  The longer you bake them, the thicker they get.

2. Potato Salad

6 large baking potatoes

1 large onion

2 stalks celery

4 eggs

1 1/2 Cups Mayo

1/3 Cup White vinegar

1 Tblsp mustard

2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Pepper

1 1/2 tsp Celery Salt

Peel potatoes and cut into 3/4″ chunks. Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil. Add potato chunks and eggs. Eggs will hard-boil, while the potatoes cook. Boil until potatoes are fork-tender. Drain in a colander in the sink. Douse with cold water. Cool completely. Pour potatoes into a shallow pan. Peel eggs. Cut 3 eggs into chunks & add to potatoes. Mix together: about 1 ½ cups mayo, 1/3 cup vinegar, and 1 Tblsp prepared mustard. Add seasonings and chunked celery and onions and stir. This sauce should taste very strong! Stir in sauce. Chill overnight. Serve the next day, when flavors are blended.

3. Jell-O Fluff (Jell-O is mandatory for Mormons, right?)

1 large tub cottage cheese

1 small box orange Jell-O

1 small box pineapple Jell-O

1 can pineapple chunks, drained

1 can mandarin oranges, drained

1 (10 0z) tub Cool Whip

Mix together, chill, and serve.  You could adapt this salad by switching out the Jell-O flavor and choices of fruit. You could also use sweetened whipped cream in the place of Cool Whip.

4. “Cracker Jack” Caramel Corn (not sticky)

6 cups popped unsalted popcorn

1 cup peanuts (no shells or skins)

1 cup packed brown sugar

½ cup butter (1 cube)

1/4 cup Karo syrup

½ tsp salt

½ tsp baking soda

Put popped corn and nuts into large, greased pan.  Set aside.  In a large saucepan melt together the brown sugar, butter, Karo syrup and salt.  Blend well, bring to a boil, and boil for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Add the soda and stir.  Mixture will puff considerably.  Pour over the popcorn and stir to coat it well.  Be careful not to get the syrup on your hands – it sticks and burns.  Bake at 250º for 15 minutes.  Cool.  Separate with a fork or mixing spoon.  Non-sticky, very popular, make lots and lots.

5. 10-Layer Bean Dip

1 (16 oz) can refried beans

1 (6 oz) can green chili salsa

½ bell pepper, chopped fine

4 green onions, chopped

1 large tomato, chopped

1 (4 oz) can green chilis

1 avocado, mashed

1 pint sour cream

½ lb. cheddar cheese (grated)

Layer each ingredient into a 9 x 11″ baking dish.  Refrigerate 24 hours.  Before serving, place in oven at 275-300º, just to melt the cheese, for about 20 minutes.  Serve with tortilla chips or corn chips.

6. Appetizer Meatballs

Huge bag of frozen, cooked unseasoned meatballs, defrosted and warmed in frying pan (about 3 lbs meatballs)

Boil together:

1/4 cup wine vinegar

½ cup bottled chili sauce

1 Tblsp Worcestershire sauce

1 Tblsp sugar

1 tsp prepared mustard

1 tsp chili powder

1 clove garlic, mashed

Pour over meat balls and simmer for 20 minutes.  Double the sauce recipe for up to 6 lbs of beef.  (Uses 1 bottle chili sauce.)  Six lbs of meat makes about 100 meatballs.  Serve with toothpicks.  Can be frozen for future use.