Posted on July 3, 2008
Filed Under For special occassions, Grilling, Holiday cooking
How are you spending the holiday? …Going out on the lake? …Firing up the grill? …Getting together with family and friends? …Going out to watch fireworks? I don’t specifically remember not watching fireworks any year, but I’m sure there was a year or two missed in there somewhere. When we lived in town, we could see them from our house. Fireworks is what I think of first when I think ‘4th of July’, then I think of my oldest brother (Happy Birthday, Tom!), then I think of grilling and burgers and brats. I know, with having a cooking blog, you’d think grilling and all would be first on my list.
Speaking of grilling, I’m sure we’ll be doing some. Here are some of our favorites:
Hot dogs, our favorites are Ball Park beef franks…
Brats, it’s gotta be Johnsonville…
Cheeseburger, this has got to go on the menu this weekend! I’ll have to talk to the guy in charge of grilling around here…
New York Strip Steak, and please don’t forget the sauteed mushrooms! Mmmmm…
Rib-Eye Steak done medium, this was melt-in-your-mouth tender, didn’t even need A1 sauce…
Shrimp and mushrooms grilled on skewers, a great appetizer…
Pork chop sandwich, last but definitely not least! This is the thing out of this whole list that we grill the most. Yup, even more than throwing hot dogs and brats on the grill. Maybe next time we make them, I can remember to get a better picture! They’re easy, at least for me, because all I do is set the table…
And then I couldn’t let the holiday go by without playing around with my beloved for-any-occassion layered finger jello! It’s a nice side benefit that it tastes good, too.
Instead of using a 9×13 pan for a batch, I used a large cookie sheet with sides so it wouldn’t get so thick. The red and blue layers each have 2 batches of jello in them and the white layer is all of the white mixture (as opposed to dividing it in thirds). When I cut it into little shapes, it looks better if it’s not so thick.
And then you can play around with it a little more and makes squares and cut a star out of the middle, flip it over, and put it back into the hole.
And then you can play around with it a little more and make the United States of America…
And, being in the spirit of things, this is what I was snacking on just now as I wrote this post…
Red strawberries, white sugar, and blue blueberries.
Have a safe and happy holiday!
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10 Responses to “It’s Independence Day!”
I got 65 hearts out of it, but I’m sure I could’ve got more.
It took me about 30 – 45 seconds to do one heart… the sloppier you are, the faster it goes, the funner it is, and the more glaze you waste.
These were really good, and tasted pretty ‘American’.
We spread butter on it, like you do on bread, rolled it up and ate it. I could’ve eaten more of this!
These were as good as they looked, comparable to glazed cinnamon rolls.
This was a pastry-type thing with powdered sugar on. Tiffany ate several of these! They were really good!
This was my favorite! I’m not sure if it is a Scandinavian food, but Kris said her MIL makes it along with the meal. I don’t know what all was in it, but it was SO good!
This was really good too, but a little more bland. It’s rice and a bunch of milk, simmered for a few hours. The rice gets so soft that the grains aren’t recognizable anymore. The dish is coated with thick cooked cream, then the mush is poured in and butter drizzled over.
The first clue that you might not want to take alot of this is the smell! 
I took a very small portion and wasn’t tempted at all with seconds! It’s a very strong fish flavor. It seemed pretty common that people don’t like it until they acquire a taste for it.
This was a dish of melted butter on the table to drizzle over the lutefisk (it needed all the help it could get! 
) and over the cream of mush. Lots of butter was used with this meal… mmmmm!!!
I think Kris actually invented the silk pie recipe.
The table is set.
Cooking the meal… Seth and Melinda. I didn’t get a good picture of Kris, who actually made most of the meal.
It was my top pick of everything! I think Linda made it. There were several different kinds of cookies, some buttermints, choc covered Ritz sandwiches, caramel/chocolate candy, mice 
Carefully twist cookies apart; set aside the halves with cream filling. Save plain halves for another use. In a microwave, melt choc chips and shortening; stir until smooth. Holding each cherry by the stem, dip in melted chocolate, then press onto the bottom of a kiss. Place on the cream filling of cookie, with cherry stem extending beyond cookie edge. For ears, place slivered almonds between the cherry and kiss. Refrigerate until set. With green gel, pipe holly leaves on the cream. With red gel, pipe berries between leaves and pipe eyes on each chocolate kiss.
Store in an airtight container at room temp. Yield: 2 dozen.
Remove from heat; gradually stir in remaining ice cream. Return to heat; cook without stirring to 244 (firm-ball stage). Immediately pour, without stirring, into a buttered 9×13 pan. Let cool until firm. Invert candy onto a baking sheet. Melt candy coating; spread over candy. Sprinkle with nuts. Cut into 1″ squares. Yield: About 3 1/2 pounds.
We ate by candlelight. Partway thro’ the meal, Sheila put more candles on. 
2005
2006
Same assortment. Different angle.
Linda stirring away at something. She had to cook that stuff for 5 min and when Izzy cried, the deal was that one of us either had to take care of the baby or keep stirring her stuff while she took the baby… going by the picture, guess which was picked. 
There’s Linda again, front and center… sorry, didn’t try that! Looks like Sandra is dying laughing about something at the sink… can tell it even more on my bigger original picture.
Getting things done and we’ve got something to show for it!
Ruthie Sue making frosting… her own special wouldn’t-want-to-eat-it-anymore recipe. She is 7 (right, Rufusannie? it’s her dau) and looked for work in the kitchen several times throughout the day… a budding cook! 
Oh the food looks good. But then it always does here.
I love that jello, looks too cool in the stars and the states.
Did you SERIOUSLY do that map of the U.S. in jello????? I am in complete awe. May I have your autograph?
I was going to do layered jello like that to send w/ my husband to OH for their big doin’s tonight…but changed my mind & did a layered jello cake instead. Red on the bottom, blue on the top, iced w/ the old stand-by Cool Whip. So simple…just hope it tastes good! (since I won’t be there to check) Happy 4th!
love the finger jello, esp the stars, those are so cool! my kids would love them. Happy 4th of July to you too!
I decided to google “red, white,and blue finger jello” to find a recipe and guess what? The very first site that came up was this one. LOL It took me back to the recipe you had on here. I had forgotten you had the recipe before. So cool.
Mary Faith, sorry I didn’t get here to answer your question! Glad you found the answer in the meantime!
Hope it turns out good for you!
To get to the recipe from this post, the words “layered finger jello” in bold red up there between the pork chop and the finger jello pictures is a link to the recipe. Also, the names of some of those grilling pictures are in red… those are also links to their respective recipes.
Whoa lady! The United States? How in the world did you do that?
Love the stars and the whole Ble, Red and White theme who were the lucky recipients of the gourmet atmosphere?
Map of the US???I’m in awe. I’m not artistic so I’m always wowed by those who are. The stars are cute, too.
I also love the photos of the little cooks in the cherry pie post. For some reason, Tiffany just cracks me up! And Lexi looks so grown up in the apron.
Like the rest. I stand (sorry,I sit) amazed! Did you really do that map? How in the world?? Happy belated 4th
Happy July 4th to you. That Map is incrediable. I have a mold for that as well, but never did it like that. How did you do that? I love the star shape idea and the sq. how cool is that! I am making your meat loaf recipe for lunch today, it has become one of our favorites as well.
I did the star shaped finger jello for the weekend. Took it to Cheyenne on Sat. and then again to the carry in yesterday. (I made how many batches on Fri. to make it enough!) It was definitely a big hit both places. I took some of the “scraps” along to Cheyenne and the children ate those quite freely.
All that’s left here is a few more “scraps”.