More Independence Day Recipes

Patriotic Parfait from Recipe4Living

Ingredients
1/2 pt./125ml heavy cream

1/2 tsp. sugar

1 qt. strawberries

1 qt. blueberries

1/2 pt. red raspberries

Directions
Whip cream with sugar (or omit sugar altogether and it will taste even better); set aside. Wash fruits and spread out on a terry towel to dry. Puree raspberries in the blender and chill. Slice strawberries. Place some blueberries in the bottom of parfait glasses then add some strawberry slices. Drizzle with a small amount of raspberry puree. Top with some whipped cream. Repeat layers until the glasses are full, ending with whipped cream. Make sure to keep some of the raspberry puree. Just before serving, drizzle the remaining raspberry puree over the whipped cream.

Here is the recipe I am going to try this year, with my kids:

Uncle Sam Ice Cream Cones by Family Fun

This 4th of July, invite your kids to turn ice cream cones into edible, festive Uncle Sam top hats.

1 Wafer ice cream cone
White frosting
Blue fruit leather
Red and blue decorating gels
Red and blue M&M's
Canister of ready-made whipped cream

Step 1 Place a scoop of vanilla ice cream on a plate and return it to the freezer to harden. Meanwhile, construct an Uncle Sam hat out of a wafer ice cream cone. (I am going to use my Simple Additions, small square plate. That way I can decorate the edge of the white plate with some blue and red sugar!)

Step 2 Use frosting to attach a blue band of fruit leather around the bottom of the cone. Squirt vertical stripes of red decorating gel down the sides and blue gel on the top.

Step 3 Using a star tip, squirt on white frosting stars around the blue fruit leather, if desired. TIP: To avoid smudging the Uncle Sam hat design, have your child hold the cone from the inside while decorating it with fruit leather and icing. (My kids will use the Decorator Bottle Set. The accordion style "bags" are so much easier for kids.)

Step 4 Remove the ice cream-scoop "head" from the freezer and top with the Uncle Sam hat. Working quickly so the ice cream doesn't melt, add blue M&M's eyes and a red M&M's nose. Finally, add a whipped cream beard. To do this, have your child hold the canister upside down while squirting on a long white beard. (I am going to use whipped topping from the freezer section, thawed, and put it in my Easy Accent Decorator. Easier for my kids to use and Cheaper!)

Step 5 Serve up your Uncle Sam ice cream cone immediately. Makes 1

Kids' Strawberry Daiquiris by Family Fun

While you enjoy a true daiquiri, offer your kids this innocent version of the grown-up drink.

6 ice cubes
16 strawberries
1/2 cup frozen concentrated limeade
1/2 cup water

Step 1 Place the ice cubes in a blender or food processor and pulse until they are crushed. Add the strawberries, concentrated limeade and water. Puree the mixture until smooth and thick. Pour into tall glasses with flexistraws. Makes 2 servings.

Berries ‘N Stars by The Pampered Chef

This beautiful, fruit-filled pastry makes a spectacular star-spangled finale.

1 pkg (17.25 oz) frozen puff pastry sheets (2 sheets), thawed
2 lemons
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)

1 container (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 qt. strawberries
½ pint blueberries (about 1 cup)
Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 400°F. Unfold one pastry sheet onto lightly floured Rectangle Stone. Roll into 13 x 10-in. rectangle using lightly floured Baker’s Roller®. Move pastry into one corner of the stone, leaving open space along two sides. Unfold second sheet of pastry onto smooth side of Large Grooved Cutting Board; roll to a 13 x 10-in. rectangle. Cut four 1-inch-thick strips lengthwise from second sheet using Pizza Cutter; reserve remaining dough for decoration.

Brush outer edges of pastry on baking stone with water using Chef’s Silicone Basting Brush. Arrange and press strips around edge of pastry, forming an even border. Trim off any excess
dough. Prick entire bottom of pastry with pastry tool.

Cut 16 stars from remaining dough sheet using Creative Cutters (discard remaining dough). Arrange stars in open space along edges of baking stone. Bake 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. (Center of crust may puff up slightly, but will flatten out as it cools.) Cool completely. Remove pastry stars from baking stone; set aside.

Meanwhile, zest lemons with Microplane® Adjustable Grater to measure 1 tbsp zest. Juice lemons to measure ¼ cup juice. In Classic Batter Bowl, whisk together condensed milk, lemon zest and juice. Gently fold in whipped topping. Attach desired tip to Easy Accent® Decorator; completely fill with filling mixture (1¹ cups) and set aside for garnish.

Fill cooled pastry shell within border with remaining filling. Hull strawberries using Core & More; slice using Egg Slicer Plus®. Arrange strawberries and blueberries over filling. Garnish with rosettes of reserved filling and pastry stars. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Lightly sprinkle pastry with powdered sugar using Flour/Sugar Shaker.

Yield: 16 servings
Nutrients per serving: Calories 260, Total Fat 13 g, Saturated Fat 6 g, Cholesterol 10 mg, Carbohydrate 31 g, Protein 4 g, Sodium 180 mg, Fiber 1 g

Cook’s Tip: Thaw puff pastry sheets at room temperature about 1 hour before using or microwave on 20% power for 3-4 minutes until thawed but still cold. Puff pastry that is too warm is difficult to work with.

Trifles, Trifles, Trifles

I have come to enjoy making, looking at, and eating Trifles. They are some pretty fancy looking desserts. And they are an easy way to layer some red, white, and blue. I LOVE my Trifle Bowl. This is one of my funnest investments. Here are a couple recipes you could try:

Summer Berry Trifle from Family Fun

Serving this traditional English dessert in a glass pedestal bowl shows off its impressive layers of ladyfingers, pudding, and colorful fruits. If you don't have one, a regular glass bowl will also do the trick.

1 package (3.4-ounce) instant vanilla pudding
4 cups fresh berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries), washed and hulled, plus extra for garnish
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
24 to 36 ladyfingers

Step 1 To make the fillings, prepare the pudding according to the package directions and chill it.

Step 2 Slice the strawberries, then toss all of the berries with the lemon juice and the 1/4 cup of sugar. Set aside for 30 minutes to allow the berries to release their juices.

Step 3 In a medium mixing bowl, whip the cream, vanilla extract, and remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar until soft peaks form. Set aside.

Step 4 To make the layers, set a layer of ladyfingers (around 7 or 8) on the bottom of a trifle bowl (ours was 4 quarts). Top with the berries with half of the pudding.

Step 5 Add another layer of ladyfingers, another third of the berries and juice, and the rest of the pudding. Add a final layer of ladyfingers and berries. Top with the whipped cream and a berry garnish.

Step 6 Refrigerate until you're ready to serve. Serves 8 to 10.

Red, White & Blueberry Trifle by Pampered Chef

Juicy berries and delicate angel food cake mingle in this impressive and patriotic summer dessert.

1 prepared angel food cake (13 oz)
1 qt. fresh strawberries
3 cups blueberries
1 container (16 oz) frozen sliced strawberries in syrup, thawed

1 lemon
3 containers (8 oz each) blended strawberry yogurt
1 pkg (3.4 oz) white chocolate instant pudding and pie filling
2 cups thawed frozen whipped topping, divided

Cut cake into 1-in. cubes using Color Coated Bread Knife; set aside. Hull fresh strawberries and cut into quarters. Set aside ½ cup of the strawberries and ½ cup of the blueberries for garnish.

In Classic Batter Bowl, combine remaining fresh and frozen strawberries; mix well. Juice lemon using Juicer to measure 2 tbsp juice. In Stainless (4-qt.) Mixing Bowl, whisk yogurt,
pudding mix and lemon juice until smooth using Stainless Whisk; immediately fold in 1 cup of the whipped topping.

To assemble trifle, place one-third of the cake cubes into Trifle Bowl. Top with one-third of the strawberry mixture and one-third of the blueberries, pressing down lightly. Top with one-third of the yogurt mixture, spreading evenly. Repeat layers two times, spreading last layer evenly using the Small Spreader to create a flat surface.

To garnish, fill Easy Accent® Decorator fitted with open-star tip with remaining whipped topping. Pipe whipped topping over top of trifle; garnish with reserved strawberries and blueberries. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Yield: 16 servings
Nutrients per serving: Calories 210, Total Fat 2.5 g, Saturated Fat 2 g, Cholesterol 5 mg, Carbohydrate 44 g, Protein 3 g, Sodium 280 mg, Fiber 2 g

Cook’s Tip: Cheesecake pudding and pie filling or vanilla pudding and pie filling can be substituted for the white chocolate pudding, if desired. If using vanilla pudding, add 6-8 drops of red food coloring for a pinker color, if desired.

Some more tips for a trifle: Be careful of the sides. Don't let any layers run down the sides as you put it in the bowl. The sides of the bowl need to be clear, to see all the layers. Placing the berries against the bowl, or standing them up (see first picture), help to define the red layer. Trifles will taste GREAT no matter what the layers look like. But if you can be careful with the layers, the presentation is really what the trifle is about. You want to see each defined layer.

Good Luck! Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions!

Valentine's Recipe

Chocolate recipes are GREAT! You can make the Warm Nutty Caramel Brownies and Chocolate Raspberry Cookie Trifle.

Chocolate-raspberry ganache, white chocolate mousse filling and vanilla wafers taste delicious and create a festive look that makes this trifle great for any occasion.

1 cup milk
1 package (3.3 ounces) white chocolate instant pudding and pie filling
1 container (16 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided
1 box (12 ounces) vanilla wafers, divided
1 cup milk chocolate morsels
1 jar (12 ounces) seedless raspberry jam, divided
1 bag (12 ounces) frozen sweetened raspberries (not in syrup), thawed

For filling, in Stainless (4-qt.) Mixing Bowl, combine milk and pudding mix; whisk until pudding mixture begins to thicken. Reserve ½ cup of the whipped topping in Measure-All® Cup. Gently fold remaining whipped topping into pudding mixture. Cover and refrigerate.

For ganache, combine chocolate morsels, reserved whipped topping and half of the jam in Small Batter Bowl. Microwave on HIGH 40-60 seconds or until melted, stirring after each 20-second interval. Stir until smooth. Reserve ¼ cup in Prep Bowl for garnish.

Place remaining jam into another Prep Bowl. Microwave on HIGH 30-60 seconds or until melted. Place berries into Classic Batter Bowl. Pour jam over berries; stir gently. Set aside 16 cookies for garnish; break remaining cookies in half.

To assemble trifle, place one-third of the broken cookies into bottom of Trifle Bowl. Layer one-third of the raspberry mixture evenly over cookies. Top with one-third of the pudding mixture and one-third of the ganache. (See Cook’s Tip.) Repeat layers two more times, finishing with a smooth layer of ganache. Dip reserved whole cookies halfway into reserved ganache; place into top of trifle.

Yield: 16 servings

Nutrients per serving: Calories 330, Total Fat 13 g, Saturated Fat 7 g, Cholesterol 5 mg, Carbohydrate 52 g, Protein 2 g, Sodium 180 mg, Fiber less than 1 g

Cook’s Tip: To easily top cream layers with ganache, place large resealable plastic bag into (2-cup) Easy Read Measuring Cup. Pour ganache into corner of bag. Twist top of bag; secure with Twixit! Clip. Cut tip off corner of bag to allow ganache to flow through.