Happy (belated) 4th of July!

I meant to get this post out a little earlier, but i have been slightly busy with wedding planning (since the big day is this weekend).  Since the 4th is already over, I'd say use these recipes for any barbeque, or save them for next year! :)

Drink...

Patriotic Sangria
I don't really know how to make proper sangria.  When I looked up recipes online, I found quite a few variations.  So, I just used bits and pieces of everything I found and made up my own recipe.  It was pretty good!  The part that makes it patriotic are the red strawberries, blue blueberries, and pinapple cut into star shapes (sorry, you can't really see my stars in the picture).  You could easily make this a non-alcoholic, kid-friendly drink by just using a white grape juice or a sparkling grape juice with the fruit (my mom had it with sparking grape juice).
Ingredients:

 

• White Wine (or juice for non-alcoholic)
• Apple Jucie
• Club Soda
• Sugar
• Strawberries, sliced
• Blueberries
• Pinapple, cut with a cookie cutter into a star shape

Directions:

1. Place strawberries, bluberries, and star shaped pineapple in the bottom of a glass.
2. Fill glass 3/4 of the way with white wine.
3. Add a couple splashes of apple juice.
4. Add a splash of club soda.
5. Add a couple tablespoons of sugar.
6. Stir to dissolve the sugar and enjoy cold.

Dinner...

Best Barbeque Burgers & Maureen's Foil Pack Potatoes
Can you tell I am taking advantage of being home with my parents and using the grill?  I will definitely miss grilling when I go back to NYC!  Plus, what's a Fourth of July meal without grilling?
P.S - sorry about that picture above.  The food doesn't look so great, but I was in a hurry to eat that burger, so there was no time to make it look pretty! :) And, with my wedding coming up, I decided not to have a bun, so the burger looks a bit strange and naked.
Best Barbeque Burgers
*recipe from Six Sisters Stuff

I found this recipe on Pintrest and the writer claimed they were the best burgers she's made.  Well, I don't make many burgers, but they are one of my favorite foods, and I eat a lot of them :)  I can't say these were the best I've ever had, but they were very good.  The barbeque sauce in the meat adds a different flavor and the sauce on top of them is a great finishing touch.  I would make them again!
Ingredients:
(makes 5 big burgers)

Burger:

• 1 lb ground beef (I used 85/15- you want a fattier meat to make a juicier burger!)
• sesame seed buns (I used regular buns)
• 1/2 cup Monterrey jack cheese, grated
• 1/4 cup BBQ sauce
• seasoned salt to taste
• cracked black pepper
• onion powder

Secret Sauce:

• 3/4 cup of mayo

• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup relish
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• seasoned salt

Directions:

1. Combine the ground beef, grated cheese, bbq sauce, and seasonings. Shape patties that are about 1 inch thick. With the 1 pound of ground beef I made 5 large patties.
2. Turn grill up to high and let it get hot.
3. Reduce heat to medium-high and place the burgers on the grill. Allow this side of the patty to cook for about 4-6 minutes, but make sure it doesn’t burn. Then flip the burger over and cook until done.
4. For the sauce: Combine all ingredients and whisk until well mixed. Taste and adjust ingredients to your liking.
5. Assemble the burgers and serve with the special sauce, avocado, lettuce, tomato, cheese, pickles and your other favorite hamburger toppings!

Maureen's Foil Pack Potatoes

*recipe from Maureen K.

We used to eat these potatoes a lot when I was a kid.  I remembered loving them and decided to make them again.  They were just as great as I remembered.  Also, they are really easy because once they are in the foil, you don't have to do anything but leave them on the grill.  That leaves you plenty of time to enjoy your 4th of July instead of fussing over the food!

Ingredients:

(serves 6)

• 

  

  my potatoes ready to be wrapped up!

  5-6 baking potatoes,peeled and cubed
• 1 lg. (or 2 med.) onion, sliced
• 1 lb. carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 stick margarine, sliced
• garlic powder
• salt
• pepper
• parmesan cheese
• oil

Directions:





Potatoes and burgers gilling away!


1. Make 1 large, or 2 medium, double strength aluminium packets for potatoes. Thinly coat the inside of packet with oil to prevent vegetables from sticking and burning.
2. Add 1/2 of potatoes, 1/2 of onions, 1/2 of carrots to packet. Sprinkle top with garlic powder, salt, pepper and parmesian cheese. Top with 1/2 of the margarine slices.
3. Add remaining potatoes, onions and carrots. Sprinkle  with  garlic powder, salt, pepper and parmesian cheese. Top with remaining margarine. (I sometimes sprinkle thyme or rosemary in with the potatoes - depending on the type of meat I am serving with them).
4. Seal aluminium tightly. Wrap packet in another layer of aluminium foil to prevent the juices from leaking out into the barbecue.
5. Cook on side of barbecue, along with main course, approx. 1-1/2 hours. Turn packets over occasionally.
6. Remove from grill, carefully open packages (steam and inside juices are very hot), place in bowl and serve.

Dessert...

4th of July Surprise Cake

*recipe from Glorious Treats

I first saw this cake a couple years ago when my cousin Erin made it for the 4th of July.  I love it because on the outside it looks like a plain, boring cake.  But, when you cut into it, everyone is surprised by what's inside!  The blog linked to above has great step-by-step instructions with pictures.

Ingredients:

• 2 boxes of vanilla cake mix
• ingedients listed on the box to make the cake
• 2 tubs of store bought vanilla icing
• strawberries
• blueberries

Directions:

1. Prepare a total of two Vanilla cake mixes (from a box- but feel free to use any Vanilla cake recipe you love).  Prepare two 8″ cake pans by coating with a small amount of butter and flour, and placing parchment paper in the bottom.
2. Prepare one batch of batter and color it red (I used Americolor super red gel).  Divide the batter equally and pour into the two prepared pans.  Bake as instucted by your recipe.
3. While the red cakes are baking, prepare another batch of batter.  Divide the batter into two bowls and color one of the bowls of batter blue.  Leave the remaining bowl of batter uncolored.
4. 
   When your red cakes have baked and cooled, remove from pans.  Wash and then prepare pans for the white and blue batter.  Bake.
5. However you get there, what you want to end up with is..
1. 1- 8″ round blue cake
2. 1- 8″ round white cake
3. 2- 8″ round red cakes
6. Slice the two red cake in half (horizontally), so you’ll have a total of 4 red layers.  Set aside one layer, this will not be used for the cake.  Cut a 4″ circle out of one of the layers.  So you want to have two 8″ round layers and one 4″ round layer. 
7. Cut the white cake in half as well.  Then use a 4″ cookie cutter to cut a circle out of one of the halves.
8. Use a 4″ cookie cutter again (or make cut out a 4″ circle of cardboard and use that as your template) to cut out the center of your blue cake.
9. You’re ready to assemble your cake when you have…
1. 1 thick layer of blue, with the center cut out
2. 2- 8″ layers of red
3. 1- 4″ layer of red
4. 1- 8″ layer of white
5. 1- 4″ layer of white
10. Prepare a batch of Vanilla frosting. I was being lazy and used store bought frosting.
11. Assemble cake with a thin layer of frosting between each layer of cake, starting on the bottom with red cake, then white, then red, then blue.  Add some frosting along the inside “ring” of the blue cake to hold in the next two layer which will fit inside the opening.  Fill the hole in the blue cake with a 4″ round layer of with cake, some frosting, then the 4″ round of red.

    

    My un-iced, assembled cake

    


12. Once assembled, frost the cake as desired.  Chill the frosted cake in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve it.  Then cut it open and smile at the pretty surprise inside. 



SURPRISE!

Superbowl Supper!

One of my favorite things about the Superbowl is the good food you get to eat while you watch it!  Most of these recipes can also be made ahead of time.  Then, when it's game time all you have to do it heat them up!

Drink...

Michelada 
I wanted to serve a beer cocktail for this meal because let's face it...the best thing to drink during the Superbowl is beer!  However, I did not want to just say open, pour, and drink, so I began my search for a beer cocktail.  I found some that sounded pretty good, but they seemed a little too fancy for the Superbowl.  One drink that repeatedly popped up during my search was a Michelada.  I took a look at the ingredients and though it sounded disgusting.  However, it kept showing up and getting good reviews.  Then, Doug read an article praising this drink in one of his beer books, so I thought, "Hey, everyone seems to like it, so let's give it a try!"  Well, that was a mistake because while some people may like them, Doug and I apparently are NOT Michelada people!  I would love to hear from you if you do enjoy Micheladas...maybe you could tell us something we were doing wrong?  Anyway, here's the recipe...many people seem to like them...it's just not for me.
Ingredients:

• 12 oz beer (we used Pacifico, but I think Corona would be better) 
• juice of 1 lime
• 2 dashes Worcestershire sauce 
• 1 dash soy sauce (We didn't use this.  It just sounded too strange) 
• 1 dash hot sauce 
• 1 pinch black pepper 
• salt

Directions:

1. Rim a glass with salt.
2. Mix ingredients in a tall high glass with lots of ice. 
3. Add beer, mix, and serve.

Dinner...

This is not a traditional dinner.  It's more like delicious Superbowl snacks!  While the Micheladas may not have been a hit in our house, these certainly were (at least with me)!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

*recipe from allrecipes.com

I originally tasted this recipe when my friend Ashley L. made it for our work Thanksgiving party.  Everyone loved it and I thought it would be a perfect Superbowl snack.  I changed a couple of things in the recipe to meet my personal tastes. 
Ingredients:
(serves 10-15)

• 1 chicken breast, shredded (the original recipe called for canned chicken, but that weirded me out a bit, so I used a chicken breast.  I also learned a new, easy way to shred chicken.  I cooked the chicken by par-boiling it in a pan with 1 1/2 cups of water.  After it was cooked and cooled I shredded it with my hands.  I found this to be a lot easier than cooking the chicken other ways and then shredding it.) 
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup blue cheese dressing (the original recipe said to use ranch, but I like to eat my buffalo chicken with blue cheese...so you could use either.  Doug doesn't like blue cheese so I tried to sneak this in without him knowing, but you really can taste it and he noticed it while he was eating.  I like the flavor, but if you don't, do not use it because you can taste it.)
• 3/4 cup hot sauce (This made mine really spicy, so you might want to use less.  I don't know if mine was spicy because of the amount, or because I used a little of Doug's extra hot sauce mixed in with the regular hot sauce.)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• tortilla chips (the recipes said to serve with celery [eew] and crackers, but I liked the tortilla chips)

Directions:

1. Heat chicken and hot sauce in a skillet over medium heat, until heated through. 
2. Stir in cream cheese and blue cheese dressing. Cook, stirring until well blended and warm. 
3. Mix in half of the shredded cheese, and transfer the mixture to a casserole dish. 
4. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.  You can refrigerate the casserole until game time, or make it right away.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-35 minutes (depending on if you are cooking it right away or after it has been cooled in the refrigerator) until hot and bubbly. 



After my dip came out of the oven

6. Serve with tortilla chips. 

 Blue Cheese Stuffed Bacon Sliders

*recipe from Burger Bar

This recipe is from Chef Hubert Keller.  He owns the restaurant Burger Bar in Las Vegas and has written a book by the same name.  I have seen him on TV where he hosts a show on PBS and his burgers always look so good.  Now that I have tried one, I can honestly say they are so good!  
I was unsure of how these ingredients would taste together, but they were great!  It's a little different too because the cheese is stuffed inside the burger, so it's a pleasant surprise when you bit into it!
Ingredients: 
(serves 4)

• 8 slices apple-smoked bacon
• 1 ripe but firm pear
• About 1/2 tablespoon sugar
• 1.5 pounds coarsely ground sirloin, chilled
• 1/2 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 ounces (about 1/4 cup) crumbled blue cheese, at room temperature (Doug doesn't like blue cheese so I stuffed his with a shredded 3-cheese blend)
• salt
• 12 soft, mini burger buns
• 1 1/4 cups baby arugula leaves
• 1/2 small red onion (about the same diameter as the buns), very thinly sliced
• 1 pint basket cherry tomatoes (optional) 

Directions:

Stuffed burgers before adding the top layer

After the top layer is on and the cheese is nestled inside

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until crispy, and then drain on paper towels. Cut 4 of the slices crosswise into 3 pieces each; crumble the remaining bacon and set both aside separately.
2. Peel the pears, halve them lengthwise, and core them. Cut them crosswise into thin slices and put in a bowl. Toss with the sugar and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine the meat, thyme, crumbled bacon, and 11/2 teaspoons pepper. Using your hands, knead together lightly. Form the mixture into 24 evenly sized balls (about 1 ounce each). 
4. Make a small depression in half the patties. Fill them with a little mound of cheese, dividing it evenly among them. Top with the remaining patties, and then pinch them together around the cheese. Make sure the stuffing is completely enclosed. Pat and mold the burgers to fit the buns. The burgers can be shaped and refrigerated, covered, for several hours or overnight.  (Make sure you really pinch them together tightly around the cheese.  I thought I did mine pretty thoroughly, but I still had some cheese leakage when I cooked them.)
5. When ready to cook, generously season the meat on both sides with salt and pepper.
6. Cook the burgers in a skillet, in batches, turning once or twice, about 3 minutes for medium-rare. Do not press down on the patties. Be gentle when you turn the burgers so they do not break open. With a large spoon, baste the sliders several times with the fat in the pan.
7. When the burgers are done, remove them to a warm platter, keep warm, and let rest for several minutes. 
8. Meanwhile, heat a half teaspoon of olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat and add the pear slices. Turn and repeat, then remove to a plate. They should still be crunchy.
9. To build the burgers, arrange a few leaves of arugula on the bun bottoms. Top each with a pear slice or two, a piece of bacon, and a burger. Add an onion slice and a bun top, and skewer securely together. Add a cherry tomato as a topknot, if you wish, on the skewer. Serve immediately. 

Dessert...

Football Cake Pops
These were a touchdown! :)
Ingredients:

• 1 chocolate cake mix and the ingredients called for on the box to make the cake
• 1 can of vanilla frosting
• 1 1/2 bags of milk chocolate chips
• lolipop sticks

Directions:

My cake, the crumbs, and the frosting.

The cake crumbs mixed with frosting.

The cake shaped into little footballs.

1. Bake the cake according to the directions on the box.
2. After the cake cools, crumble 3/4 of it into crumbs.
3. Mix in 1/2 to 3/4 of the vanilla frosting.  You want the cake crumbs just moist enough so they can be formed into balls.
4. Form the cake crumb/frosting mixture into football shapes.
5. Place the football shapes in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.
6. Melt the chocolate chips.
7. Dip the end of a lollipop stick into the melted chocolate and insert it halfway into the football.
8. Dip the entire football into the melted chocolate and tap slightly to allow the excess chocolate to drip off.
9. Allow the football to dry.  (I got a cool cake pop stand for xmas that helps with this process - thanks mom and dad :)
10. When the chocolate has hardened (you can put them in the fridge to speed up this process) use a piping bag to pipe vanilla frosting on the footballs for the laces.