Easy Quick Fourth of July Recipes

Celebrate the Fourth of July; don't spend all day in the kitchen. These quick, easy Fourth of July recipes will add a festive touch to your Fourth of July Barbecue or Party in no time at all.

Quick, Easy Fourth of July Recipes: Appetizers

Star Spangled Crackers are one of the quickest Fourth of July appetizers to put together. These festive appetizers are so easy to make even the kids can help. You don't need a recipe, just three ingredients:

? Keebler Townhouse Crackers - or your favorite crackers

? Cream cheese or Light Cream Cheese

? Sharp or medium cheddar cheese

Top the crackers with a light smear of cream cheese. Cut cheese into star shapes from thin slices of sharp or medium cheddar cheese. Use a clean dye cutter or trace and cut through cheese with the sharp, thin end of a paring knife.

Add interest and eye appeal by placing one to three stars on crackers. The number of stars on each cracker does not need to be uniform.

Fourth of July Sandwiches can be cut from the sandwich of your choice. Make a few peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the kids. Peanut butter and dried cranberry sandwiches are a quick Fourth of July recipe substitute for jelly. Ham and cheese or turkey and cheese sandwiches also work well.

Simply make your sandwiches as usual. Keep condiments to a minimum. Have them available for your guests to add to their sandwiches.

Use a large star cookie cutter to quickly and easily cut the Fourth of July Sandwiches into star shapes.

Like the other Fourth of July Appetizer this requires no special ingredients, just a little creativity.

Quick Easy Fourth of July Recipes: Finger Foods

Toss ingredients for a Patriotic Trail Mix into a gallon Ziploc bag. This easy trail mix requires only a few ingredients. Feel free to add more to satisfy your tastes.

Recipe for Patriotic Trail Mix:

? Granola Cereal or plain Kofi cereal

? Dried cranberries

? Yellow and purple raisins

? White yogurt balls - These come in a variety of flavors with chocolate inside, crispy insides, and pure yogurt. Pick the flavor you like the best. Most any flavor will work in the trail mix recipe.

? Nuts - Almond slivers are best. Walnuts pieces may also be used.

Place all of the ingredients in a large Ziploc bag, or large mixing bowl, and gently mix thoroughly.

Serve in a clear bowl so the colorful mixture will be visible to your guests.

Mini Fruit Kabobs are deliciously easy to make. One easy way to make Miniature Fruit Kabobs is to use the following ingredients:

? Berry Mix, including blackberries, raspberries, or blueberries. Sam's Wholesale Club has a frozen bag full of colorful red and blue berries. The berries in this mix are perfect. Remember to thaw the berries in the fridge for a couple of days.

? Fresh Strawberries

Alternate strawberry slices and two berries on small Fourth of July Skewers, available from Oriental Trading Company or Party City. You may also skewer your Mini Fruit Kabobs on toothpicks.

To serve this healthy, tasteful Fourth of July Treat, place the Mini Kabobs artfully on a white serving platter. Place the Fruit Kabobs in concentric circles like a bursting firework display.

Quick, Easy Fourth of July Recipes: Sweets and Treats

It's easy to turn any favorite dessert into a Fourth of July centerpiece.

Use red, white, and blue icing tubes to decorate sugar cookies.

Find party skewers that splay like fireworks on one end to give white frosted cupcakes a quick festive look. Edge white frosted cup cakes in white or blue icing. Insert two to three party skewers into the center of the cupcakes, at slight angles, to create the look of fireworks.

Follow the easy recipe for Rice Krispie Treats on the side of the cereal box. It only requires Rice Krispies, marshmallows, and butter.

Add the following ingredients which will top off and decorate your recipe.

? Small tube of red icing.

? Small tube of white icing.

? Bottle of star confetti.

Create the outline of a flag on your Rice Krispie Treats using red and white icing. Using blue, or red, white, and blue confetti stars decorate the upper left hand corner of the flag.

Kids love to help with this easy Fourth of July Recipe for Rice Krispie Treats. It's easy and takes only minutes to make.

Patriot Parfaits are another quick, easy, and tasty dessert for your Fourth of July Party or barbeque. Another perk to this recipe is that it can be prepared as a low-fat treat.

Ingredients:

? Angel food cake pulled into small bite-sized pieces.

? Strawberries, fresh or frozen.

? Fresh blueberries, one carton.

? Cool Whip, or Low-fat Cool Whip

Plastic parfait serving dishes can be purchased by the dozen at Party City and most grocery stores. You may serve this Fourth of July dessert in any sized parfait dish.

Gently fold angel food cake pieces, strawberries, and Cool Whip in a large mixing bowl. Fill your parfait dishes with the colorful dessert. Top with a small dollop of Cool Whip and a sprinkle of blueberries. Depending on the size of your serving dish you may want to form a star using blueberries.

Fourth of July Shortcake requires only three ingredients and five to ten minutes.

Ingredients:

? Miniature angel food cakes. Sold in packages of six at your local grocer.

? Whipped topping.

? Fresh or frozen berry mixture including red and blue berries.

Quickly create a Fourth of July Shortcake just as you would a quick Strawberry Shortcake.

Top the miniature angel food cake with berries and whipped topping. Drop a berry or two on top and around the sides to create an irresistible treat.


By Lenora Murdock