Wow your guests with these yummy recipes on July fourth

1883

This week, we will continue to “wow” you with recipes that might be welcomed by Independence Day celebrants. Maybe you want to grill in the back yard for July 4th. Hot dogs and hamburgers are always an easy fix and wonderful! Who doesn’t love a hot dog crisply blackened on the outside, but moist and flavorful on the inside, enclosed in a wonderfully fresh bun and smothered with catsup, mustard, relish, onions, or even chili? Yumm. We can be “bad” once in a while with favorite foods like these.

Who wouldn’t be “up” for lean ground hamburger meat mixed with onion, garlic, salt, pepper and Worcestershire or other favorite sauce for making patties to slap on a hot grill and cook to perfection, juicy and full of flavor?

You can choose lean cuts of beef or pork for the grill or for those of us without a grill, we can do wonderful things with our oven!

This is a wonderful time of year for our celebratory sharing of food because there are so many fresh fruits and vegetables available. Fresh vegetables are a bargain right now. Just about everyone loves fresh corn on the cob. It can be slathered in butter and wrapped in foil and put on the grill for 45 minutes or so, or it can be put in a pot of boiling water for three or four minutes. Either way, it is delicious.

Strawberries and other lovely fresh fruits can be served sliced and marinated in sugar for shortcake and served with whipped cream or simply served by itself.

Herbs and spices dress up otherwise bland foods to make them special. Knock yourself out. Try something new.

SUSAN NETHERCOTE’S
COPPER PENNIES SALAD

Recipe from Reader of The Apopka Chief and The Planter newspapers

2 pounds cooked carrots (freshly sliced)

1 medium onion, sliced

1 green pepper sliced thin

1 can tomato soup

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup vinegar

1/2 cup salad oil

1 tablespoon wet mustard

Mix all ingredients well and marinate in refrigerator a few hours or overnight. This is an excellent vegetable salad for summer barbeque or cold buffet.

NANCY THOMAS’ 

POTATO SALAD

Recipe from Reader of The Apopka Chief and The Planter newspapers

Five pounds potatoes boiled in skins till tender

Five or six eggs boiled hard

Celery, about two ribs

Multicolored sweet peppers, six small

Sweet onion, 1/4 large (not too much)

Dill pickle, large

Salt and pepper

Mayonnaise, 1/2 cup

Dill weed

Dry mustard

Celery seed

Paprika

Cook, drain and cool potatoes. Cook, drain and cool eggs by putting ice on drained eggs. Peel the skins from warm potatoes and set aside. When potatoes are cool enough to handle, chop into pieces no larger than 1/2 inch or so. Salt and pepper the potatoes in big bowl and mix with spatula. Setting aside at least two whole eggs to slice for garnish, peel the cooled eggs, chop, salt and pepper to taste. Dice celery. Setting aside a couple of the peppers to slice for garnish, slice and dice five or six small peppers. Slice and dice 1/4 large onion. Fold together in big bowl the potatoes, eggs, celery, peppers, onion, and pickle.

Mix dressing in separate bowl: 1/2 cup, maybe a little more, of the mayonnaise and two tablespoons or so of dill pickle juice. Add to this soupy mixture, 1/4 teaspoon each of following: dill weed, dry mustard, celery seed. Add salt and pepper to taste if more is needed.

Pour the dressing into the potato salad. Fold together. Don’t make mashed potatoes out of the mixture!

Place the garnishes on top of the salad: Pepper rings and chopped eggs. Sprinkle beautiful red paprika on top. Cover with plastic wrap and store in refrigerator for enough time to allow the flavors to meld together. Serve.

NANA MORRIS’ 

LETTUCE SALAD

Recipe from Reader of The Apopka Chief and The Planter newspapers

1 head of lettuce, rinsed and dried well, then broken up

2 stalks celery, chopped

1/3 whole green pepper (optional)

4 hard cooked eggs, sliced

2 medium onions sliced thin

6-7 cooked slices bacon (optional)

1 package frozen peas (don’t cook)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Mayonnaise or salad dressing, amounts to your liking

In a 9 x 13-inch pan or large serving dish make layers as follows:

Line dish, bottom and sides, with half of the lettuce. Add celery, green pepper, onion, egg, and half the bacon (crumbled). Then add remaining lettuce and all of the frozen (separated) peas. “Frost” with mayonnaise or salad dressing over all. Sprinkle cheese over the top and add the rest of the bacon pieces. Cover tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate 24 to 48 hours before serving.

SANDRA JOHANSEN’S 

CRABMEAT (or CLAM) DIP

Recipe from Reader of The Apopka Chief and The Planter newspapers

8 ounce package cream cheese

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 small onion chopped fine

1 can crabmeat (or minced clams)

1/4 teaspoon lemon juice

Combine all ingredients except onion and crabmeat until smooth. Then stir in onion and crabmeat until evenly mixed. This dip is delicious when served with Bugles.

chocolate-cakeTERRY SHAFAR’S DEEP DARK CHOCOLATE CAKE

Recipe from 

New Vision Community Church’s,

Feeding the Flock cookbook

Cake:

2 cups sugar

1-3/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup Hershey’s cocoa

1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1-1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans. In large bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Beat on medium speed two minutes. Remove mixer and stir in boiling water. Batter will be thin. Pour into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool completely.

Chocolate Butter Cream Frosting:

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup shortening

1/2 cup cocoa

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

3 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup milk

1 8-ounce container Cool Whip

Cream together the butter, shortening and cocoa. Blend in vanilla and egg, beating well. Alternately add sugar and milk, beating until smooth after each addition. Take a cake layer and put it on Saran Wrap. Frost the top of layer and dump it with frosted side down in a trifle bowl. The layer the plastic was touching will now be on top, and the frosted layer on the bottom. Remove plastic wrap and frost. Now put half the Cool Whip on top. Next, frost the second layer; put frosted side on top of Cool Whip. Frost top side and finish with remaining Cool Whip on top.

LOUISE USTLER’S CHILI DIP

Recipe from 

Northside Baptist Church

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese

2 cans no-bean chili

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Layer cream cheese, chili and cheddar cheese. Microwave until it bubbles.

BETTY ANN VAKAUZA’S 

APPLE CRISP

Recipe from Reader of The Apopka Chief and The Planter newspapers

4 cups apples

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2/3 cups flour

2 cups oats

1 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup melted butter

Sprinkle sliced apples with lemon juice. Mix together the next five ingredients and spread over apples.

Bake in 375-degree oven for thirty minutes. This delicious concoction can also be served as a favorite treat for breakfast.

BONNIE WERLEY’S 

TERIYAKI CHICKEN WINGS

Recipe from 

1990 Presbyterian Women First 

Presbyterian Church of Apopka,

Treasures and Pleasures cookbook

1/3 cup lemon juice concentrate

1/4 cup catsup

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon pepper

3 pounds chicken wing drumettes or chicken wings cut at joints with wing tips removed

Combine all ingredients except chicken. Mix well. Place chicken in shallow baking dish or ZipLok bag. Pour marinade over. Seal and refrigerate overnight, turning occasionally. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Arrange chicken on rack in shallow baking pan. Bake 40 to 45 minutes, basting occasionally until golden brown. Can be served as hors d’oeuvres.