Fourth Of July Recipes

Fourth Of July Recipes: Courtesy of:

Chef Kimberly Mclendon   Email: kimberlyannmclendon@yahoo.com
Chef Randy Tomasocci   Email:  chef.randyt@gmail.com

Red White and Blue Waffles with a Three Berry Sauce and Whipped Cream

Waffle recipe

• 2 cups flour
• 1 3/4 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 2 eggs, beat them separately before adding to mixture
• 1/4 cup butter, melted (1/8 of a pound)
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt

1 Mix the dry items first.

2 Combine the eggs and melted butter to the milk and slowly stir in the flour.

3 Let sit at least 10 minutes while heating the pan.

4 These will be high, but light and fluffy.

The Official Mrs. Pennsylvania Pizza

One pizza crust, pre-baked and browned 

• grilled chicken, marinated overnight in 3 cloves of garlic,
• 2 tbsp soy sauce,
• 2 tbsp teriyaki sauce,
• 2 tbsp olive oil,
• 3 green onions chopped.  
• 1 cup of mixed salad greens, sliced chicken, fresh sliced strawberries, cashews and feta cheese.  

Drizzle your favorite dressing over the top and enjoy! This a great healthy salad for the summer! 

Festive Fruit Kebabs – For Kids and Adults  (festive centerpiece)

• skewers 
• watermelon 
• strawberries 
• blueberries 
• marshmallows 

Quick Lemon Pasta Salad

• salt
• 1 pound corkscrew pasta
• 1 pound asparagus
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 cup freshly chopped dill leaves
• 1 cup frozen peas, defrosted
• 7 ounces crumbled feta cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and rinse. Set aside.

In another large pot of boiling salted water, add the asparagus and blanch until bright green and slightly tender, about 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon or a spider and shock in icy cold water. Remove from the water and dry well.

Trim the ends of the asparagus and cut into bite-size pieces on the bias.

Whisk together the mustard, garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Combine the reserved asparagus and pasta in a large serving bowl. Add the tomatoes, dill, peas, feta, and the mustard dressing. Toss with tongs to coat the salad well. Taste and add additional salt and pepper, if needed.

Lemon Garlic Teriyaki Salmon

Ingredients:

• 2 individual portion fresh salmon filets
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2-3 cloves of garlic chopped
• zest of one lemon
• juice of the same lemon
• ½ cup of your favorite teriyaki sauce
• sea salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Marinate salmon in a gallon zip lock bag with lemon zest and olive oil for 1 hour.  Whisk together teriyaki sauce, garlic and lemon juice and set aside. Place salmon filets on a preheated 350* grill skin side down. Brush with sauce, sprinkle with sea salt & pepper and cook for 4 to 6 minutes depending on the thickness of the filets. Turn over and cook for additional 3-5 minutes. Skin can be easily removed at this point if you wish to do so. Brush with another thin coating of sauce, sprinkling additional sea salt & pepper. Be careful to NOT OVERCOOK FISH. Serve with remaining sauce for dipping and garnish with Lemon zest.

Grilled Tuscan Style Pork Chops

Ingredients:

• 2 medium pork chops
• 4 cloves of garlic finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 ½ teaspoons of balsamic vinegar
• 2 sprigs of rosemary rolled and finely chopped without the stems
• salt & pepper to taste

Method:

Marinate pork chops for 2 hours in zip lock bag with all ingredients.  Cook on a 300* grill about 4 to 5 minutes per side depending on thickness of chops, basting with extra marinade. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving and don’t over your pork because it will dry out. Pork is perfectly safe to eat when cooked to medium.

Kicked Up Baked Beans

Ingredients:

• 2 16 oz cans of your favorite baked beans. The cheap ones work the best.
• 1 medium yellow onion sliced 1/2 inch thick
• 1 8 oz package whole white mushrooms
• 1 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce
• 1 teaspoon of ground cayenne or red pepper6 slices of bacon
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Method:

Drain sauce from cans of beans and discard.  Grill sliced onion, mushroom and bacon, basting with barbecue sauce. Place beans in a medium saucepan along with grilled mushrooms, onion, bacon that have been sliced into bite size pieces. Add ground pepper & remaining barbecue sauce, cooking over medium heat for ½ hour or until desired thickness.

Grilled Peaches with a Balsamic reduction

Ingredients:

• 4 peaches pitted and halved
• 1 cup balsamic vinegar aged at least 5 years

Method:

Marinate peaches in balsamic vinegar for ½ hour. Place grill over medium heat 300* and cook peaches flat side up about 3-4 minutes. Baste with remaining marinade throughout.  Flip over, remove skin and cook additional 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat, slice and serve with vanilla bean ice cream drizzled with a balsamic reduction sauce.

Balsamic Reduction Sauce

2 cups of 5 year aged or older Balsamic Vinegar cooked in a saucepan over medium low heat until thickened, not runny. Let cool and serve over fruit, ice cream or cheeses.

“Peanut Butter Chicken With Grape Sauce” 

• 12 wooden skewers (10-inch)
• 1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons chili powder or 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch strips
• 12 green onions

Directions:

1 Soak skewers in water for at least 1 hour.

2 Meanwhile, combine the next nine ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth.

3 Pour mixture into a large plastic re-sealable bag.

4 Cut chicken into 1-inch strips; add to bag.

5 Close bag and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

6 Trim tops off onions and cut

 in half.

7 Thread one piece of onion on each skewer.

8 Drain chicken, discard marinade.

9 Thread 2-3 pieces of chicken on each skewer and end with onion.

10 Grill, uncovered, turn every 3-5 minutes for 15-20 minutes.