4th of July Food Recipes

Independence Day is one of our favorite summer holidays! Friends, family, fireworks and food! Here are a few summertime recipes that are perfect for the 4th of July!

Watermelon Summertime Snack:

When the heat of the summertime has you feeling groggy and hot, the perfect summertime snack will lift you up. The first step to making this perfect, energizing, refreshing snack is to lay a watermelon on its side and cut it vertically, making disc-shape slices. Lay out the slices, and in a bowl, you’ll make a spread. In the spread, you’ll add 1 ½ cups of Greek yogurt, a splash of vanilla extract, 2 table spoons of honey, the zest of 1 orange, and the juice of ½ an orange. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, then spread on the watermelon slice. Optionally, you can add other fruits on top, such as sliced berries, or anything thing else you enjoy. Now cut out triangle slices from the watermelon, and eat it like a slice of pizza. The moisture and coolness of the watermelon and spread will refresh you, and the natural sugars from the watermelon and honey will help reenergize you.

How to Grill the Perfect Summer Burger:

There is no better time than summer to grill a cheeseburger. The classic meal will always be a good choice when deciding what to have for either lunch or dinner. The key to grilling a good burger is to turn your grill onto a medium-high heat. While the grill is getting up to temperature, cut up any vegetables that you would like to add to your burger. Once the grill is hot, lay your burger patty gently on the grill, then immediately close the lid. Let the burger cook for about 6 minutes, or until the juices are coming out of the top of the burger, then flip the burger and close the lid again. Cook on this side for another 6 minutes. However, after about 3 minutes, you should add the cheese of your choice onto the burger, and also lay a buttered bun down on the grill to toast. After the 6 minutes is completely up, remove the patty and let it rest on a plate for a few minutes. During this time, prepare your bun with any condiments you would like. Then lay your burger on your bun with any toppings you would like, and enjoy!

Broccoli Pasta Salad:

Ingredients

• Approximately 7 sweet mini peppers (orange,yellow and red)
• 1 head broccoli
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• 4 cups cooked bow-tie pasta (approximately 1/2 of a 12oz box, dried)
• 3/4 cup to 1 cup of Three Cheese Ranch Dressing…
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Slivered almonds (optional)

Instructions

• Cook pasta until Al dente and rinse in warm water
• Dice peppers
• Chop broccoli
• Add peppers, broccoli,cranberries and pasta
• Pour dressing over ingredients
• Cover and refrigerate at least two hours
• More dressing may need to be poured over before serving

Notes: This salad will keep for two days in the refrigerator, tightly sealed. More dressing may need to be used after the first day since the pasta will soak up much of the dressing. I usually buy two bottles so I have plenty, if needed

We hope you all have a great Independence Day!