Let's face it: 4th of July foods are generally picnic foods, and picnic foods are generally cold salads and hot grilled meats. No one's complaining, of course, but sometimes you just get that urge to add a new dish to special events that have become family favorites. Summer picnics are the perfect place to introduce a new food dish, especially if it's already an easy picnic food, such as potato salad or star-spangled cheesecake.
Potato salad is a mainstay when it comes to 4th of July foods. Picnics without potato salad just don't seem complete. Certainly you have a favorite potato salad, but can your potato salad double as the centerpiece? To ensure your 4th of July foods hit the mark, make this scrumptious potato salad, and decorate it for the occasion.
Molded Fourth Of July Potato Salad
Ingredients You Will Need:
4 cups boiled potatoes, cut into one-inch cubes
8 hardboiled eggs, chopped
½ cup pickles, finely chopped
½ cup frozen peas
½ cup celery, chopped
1 to 1 ½ cups Miracle Whip
1 to 2 tablespoons prepared mustard
1 tablespoon vinegar
½ teaspoon sugar
Salt and pepper
Dump the potatoes and eggs into a large bowl. Add the pickles, peas and celery, and mix. In a large measuring cup, mix together the Miracle Whip, mustard, vinegar, sugar and salt and pepper. When you have reached the consistency and taste you desire, pour the mixture over the potatoes, and gently fold until all ingredients are coated.
Press the mixture into a flexible bowl, and then chill it for 4 hours. Make sure you have pressed the salad down all the way around. When you take the bowl out of the refrigerator, quickly invert it over a plate. If you have pressed the salad into the bowl carefully to prevent air bubbles from being caught in the food, the salad should plop out in one piece, much like Baked Alaska. Place the salad on a pedestal dish, and carefully press stripes of red, yellow and orange peppers into the sides to resemble exploding fireworks.
Star-Spangled Cheesecake
Ingredients You Will Need:
1 box graham crackers
1 stick butter, melted
½ cup white granulated sugar
1 8-ounce package cream cheese
1 3-ounce package vanilla pudding
1 16-ounce tub Cool Whip
1 14-ounce can cherry pie filling
1 cup star shaped confetti or cookies
Crush about 2 cups of graham crackers. Add the butter and sugar to the graham crackers, and press this mixture into the bottom of a pan. Once you have made the crust, place the pan in the refrigerator to set. Use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese, vanilla pudding and Cool Whip together until smooth. Pour this mixture over the crust carefully, and press it into all corners. Spread the pie filling over the top. Sprinkle star-shaped confetti over the top of the entire cheesecake.
If you can't find star-shaped confetti, you can always cut star shapes out of tortilla sheets with cookie cutters. Spread the tortilla with butter, and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon, and then cut out the star shapes. Bake the star shapes lightly-just until firm. Dot the cheesecake with additional Cool Whip, and insert one or two different-sized stars into the whip.
 | When planning a Fourth of July menu, don't forget to consider all age groups. While adults might enjoy alcoholic beverages, spicy foods and elaborate desserts, that simply won't do for the younger people in the crowd. |
 | The best Fourth of July cake should look like an American flag, but that doesn't mean you have to re-create the flag exactly. As long as the colors are there, guests will be impressed. |
 | When it comes to 4th of July cupcakes, you'll want to stick with the traditionally red, white and blue. One way to add America's Independence Day to a cupcake is to check out the fruit aisle in the grocery store. |
Easy kid-friendly Fourth of July recipes take the cake-literally. Cakes or gelatin desserts are always a hit with children. But, when it comes to the main dish, hotdogs are hands-down the favorite Fourth of July food. |
Fourth of July desserts should be as spectacular as the fireworks you plan to view. Go with apple pie, of course, plus gelatin desserts that feature refreshing watermelon flavors. |
