When you think about the Fourth of July and what to carry along to one of the many events you'll be attending, you're looking for a few things:
A) Something Simple
B) Something that requires little or no cooking
C) Something that isn't likely to spoil
So, with that in mind here are my favorite and best Fourth of July recipes:
1 sm bottle of fat free Italian Dressing
1 medium onion (diced)
1 large cucumber (slice and then cut slices in half)
1 pint cherry (or grape) tomatoes
1 Green, Yellow, Orange and Red Sweet Pepper (large dice)
Salt/Pepper to taste
Cook pasta to desired degree of tenderness following the instructions on the box (if you add a few drops of olive oil to the water not only will the pasta not stick in the pan it leaves a nice flavor behind). Drain hot water, rinse in very cold water and drain thoroughly.
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl with a firm sealing cover and place in refrigerator until ready to leave. This will serve approximately ten people.
Not everyone is a big fan of ice cream, cakes and other typical desserts so I use this to carry along with me as well:
1/4 Watermelon
1 Cantelope
1 Honey Dew Melon
1 Pint Blueberries
1 Pint Raspberries
1 Pint Strawberries
1 Box Lemon Pudding Mix (sugar free)
1 Sm container Fat Free Sour Cream
Use a melon baller (use the big end) and combine all the melons in a large bowl. Thoroughly clean the berries and remove all stems/leaves. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. Combine the lemon pudding mix with the sour cream, refrigerate and use as a dip for the fruit. It's very tasty.
Enjoy!
Image credit: Pasta Salad: By jeffreyw (Mmm... pasta salad Uploaded by Fæ) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Fruit Salad: By Pink Sherbet Photography [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
A) Something Simple
B) Something that requires little or no cooking
C) Something that isn't likely to spoil
So, with that in mind here are my favorite and best Fourth of July recipes:
Pasta Salad
1 Lb box of tri-color pasta (any shape)1 sm bottle of fat free Italian Dressing
1 medium onion (diced)
1 large cucumber (slice and then cut slices in half)
1 pint cherry (or grape) tomatoes
1 Green, Yellow, Orange and Red Sweet Pepper (large dice)
Salt/Pepper to taste
Cook pasta to desired degree of tenderness following the instructions on the box (if you add a few drops of olive oil to the water not only will the pasta not stick in the pan it leaves a nice flavor behind). Drain hot water, rinse in very cold water and drain thoroughly.
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl with a firm sealing cover and place in refrigerator until ready to leave. This will serve approximately ten people.
Not everyone is a big fan of ice cream, cakes and other typical desserts so I use this to carry along with me as well:
Fruit Salad
1 Honey Dew Melon
1 Pint Blueberries
1 Pint Raspberries
1 Pint Strawberries
1 Box Lemon Pudding Mix (sugar free)
1 Sm container Fat Free Sour Cream
Use a melon baller (use the big end) and combine all the melons in a large bowl. Thoroughly clean the berries and remove all stems/leaves. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. Combine the lemon pudding mix with the sour cream, refrigerate and use as a dip for the fruit. It's very tasty.
Enjoy!
Image credit: Pasta Salad: By jeffreyw (Mmm... pasta salad Uploaded by Fæ) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Fruit Salad: By Pink Sherbet Photography [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
