This year, everywhere we turn, there is great emphasis on the upcoming Fourth of July holiday, especially because of our country’s 250th birthday. So, the colors of our flag are just about everywhere.
I keep seeing advertisements for very attractive clothing in these colors, but I know from experience that if I order clothing online, chances are pretty good I won’t see the items for two to three months, if at all. This isn’t usually the case, if I order from an American company, but there is a lot of clothing coming from China and other foreign lands. I do not have good luck with those orders.
But red, white and blue isn’t just for decor and clothing; there are a lot of delicious foods that come in those colors.
Here are just a few recipes that showcase those colors. As always, I hope you are having a safe and enjoyable summer so far.
Patriotic dessert
2 packages (3-oz. each) strawberry gelatin
2 cups boiling water
24 ounces fresh strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced, plus more for decorating
2 packages (3-oz. each) blueberry gelatin
16 ounces fresh blueberries (about 3 cups), plus more for decorating
3 cups heavy cream
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 package (8-oz.) cream cheese, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 loaf (16-oz.) pound cake
1. In a medium bowl, stir together the strawberry gelatin and 1 cup of the boiling water, stirring until gelatin is dissolved, about 2 minutes. Mix in 1 cup ice water, then stir in the strawberries.
2. In another medium bowl, stir together the blueberry gelatin and remaining 1 cup boiling water, again stirring until gelatin is dissolved. Mix in 1 cup ice water and stir in the blueberries.
3. Place both bowls of gelatin in the refrigerator to chill until they are just softly set, about 35 to 45 minutes.
4. Using an electric mixer, beat the heavy cream and confectioners’ sugar on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes.
5. In another large bowl, place the softened cream cheese and vanilla extract. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in 1 cup of the whipped cream with a rubber spatula, then gently fold in the remaining whipped cream.
6. Thinly slice the pound cake into 24 slices (about 1/3-inch thick). Arrange 12 slices in a single layer in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
7. Spoon the strawberry gelatin mixture over the cake and spread to cover. Carefully spread half the cream cheese mixture over the top. Arrange the remaining 12 pieces of cake over the cream cheese mixture.
8. Spoon the blueberry gelatin mixture over the cake slices and spread to cover. Finish with the remaining cream cheese mixture.
9. Arrange the sliced strawberries and blueberries over the top. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or, if possible, overnight. Makes 10 to 12 servings.
Strawberry dessert squares
For crust:
12 graham cracker sheets (about 6 1/2 ounces)
1/3 cup light or dark brown sugar
6 to 7 tablespoons butter, melted
Nonstick cooking spray
For filling:
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 packages (8-oz. each) cream cheese, room temperature
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 package (3-oz.) strawberry gelatin
1/2 cup boiling water
1 pound fresh strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced
1. For crust: Process the graham crackers and brown sugar in a food processor until finely ground, about 1 minute. With the processor running, slowly pour in the melted butter. Process the mixture until it is the texture of coarse sand.
2. Spray a 9-by-9-inch square baking pan with cooking spray. Transfer the graham cracker mixture to the dish and press the crumbs firmly into the bottom. Freeze for at least 20 minutes and up to 2 days.
3. For filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.
4. Combine the cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla in the same bowl used to beat the heavy cream. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Remove from the mixer and whisk in a third of the whipped cream, then gently fold in the remainder using a rubber spatula. Spread half of the cream cheese mixture over the graham cracker crust in an even layer.
5. In a medium bowl, stir together the strawberry gelatin and 1/2 cup boiling water until dissolved, about 2 minutes.
6. Beat 1/3 cup of the strawberry gelatin into the remaining cream cheese mixture until fully incorporated. Spread over the top of the plain cream cheese layer.
7. Toss the sliced strawberries in the remaining strawberry gelatin to fully coat them all. Spoon the strawberries over the cream cheese in an even layer. Chill until set, at least 4 hours and up to 12 hours. (If chilling longer than 4 hours, protect surface with some plastic wrap.) Makes 9 to 12 servings.
Cat’s blueberry muffins
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg, well beaten
1 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 cup fresh or slightly-thawed dry-pack frozen blueberries
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1. Preheat oven to 425. Mix flour, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Mix egg, milk and melted butter in a small bowl. Add egg mixture to flour mixture all at once; stir lightly with a fork until liquid is absorbed (will be lumpy). Carefully fold in blueberries.
2. Spoon mixture into greased, medium muffin tin cups, filling 2/3 full.
3. Sprinkle tops with a mixture of the 1 tablespoon sugar and grated lemon rind.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from pan and serve hot, or let cool for storage.
White chicken lasagna
I use cooking spray in the pan before layering this.
For ricotta mixture:
1 7/8 cups (15 ounces) whole-milk ricotta cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 large egg
1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
For lasagna:
1 rotisserie chicken (about 3 cups cooked chicken)
1/2 tablespoon salt, for the pasta water
9 lasagna noodles
4 tablespoons butter
1 yellow onion, diced
3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 cups fresh, baby spinach, chopped
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1. For ricotta mixture: In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, shredded mozzarella, grated Parmesan, egg and black pepper. Mix together until well combined and set aside.
2. If you haven’t already done it, remove the skin from the cooked rotisserie chicken and pull the meat off the bones. Shred the chicken using two forks.
3. While preparing the chicken, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add 1/2 tablespoon salt to the water, then add the lasagna noodles and boil until the pasta is tender (or al dente). Drain the pasta in a colander.
4. Preheat the oven to 375. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the diced onion and minced garlic. Saute for 4 minutes or until the onion is translucent.
5. Stir in the flour and cook until the flour starts to turn light brown. Now slowly pour in the chicken broth and whisk the broth with the flour mixture until combined. Keep whisking or stirring until there are no lumps in the sauce.
6. Add the Italian seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, garlic powder, heavy cream and 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese to the sauce. Stir to combine. Add the chopped spinach to the sauce and stir again.
7. Spread about 1 cup of the sauce over the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish. Lay three noodles on top of the sauce. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta cheese mixture evenly over the noodles. Then top with 1/3 of the shredded chicken. Repeat the layers (sauce, noodles, ricotta, chicken) two more times. Finish with the remaining sauce, then top with 1 1/2 cups of shredded mozzarella.
8. Bake the lasagna in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until the cheese is fully melted on top. Switch the oven to broil for the last 3 to 4 minutes or just until the cheese gets a little brown on top. Don’t let it brown too much. Cut into 9 to 12 servings.