Fourth of July, With Meat

Today is the 4th of July. Here are a few more recipes to get you in the mood. Hope everyone has a fun - and safe - weekend. Enjoy!

CAMPFIRE CINNAMON ROLLS

This comes from The Baker Chick. If you haven't signed up for her email newsletter yet, I highly recommend doing so. Really good stuff! This yields 12 cinnamon rolls. Also, if you're not planning on camping any time soon, and you still want to make these, check out the note at the end of the recipe.

To view this online, along with part of the Baker Chick's blog and photos, click here.

Ingredients

Dough:

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup butter

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 (.25 ounce) package instant yeast

1/4 cup white sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup water

1 egg

Filling:

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup butter- softened

Frosting:

2 tablespoons softened butter

4 oz cream cheese

1 tsp vanilla extract or paste

2-3 cups of powdered sugar (depending on how sweet you like it.)

Instructions

Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Mix in butter; stir until melted. Let cool until lukewarm.

In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 1/4 cup flour, yeast, sugar and salt; whisk together. Add water, egg and the milk mixture; beat well with an electric mixer. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, using a wooden spoon to stir well after each addition. (dough will be too thick and sticky to use the mixers at this point.)

When the dough has just pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes. (dough will spring back when lightly pressed.)

Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let rest for 10 minutes.

Stir together the brown sugar and cinnamon.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough into a 12x9 inch rectangle. (use your 9x13 baking dish as a guide.) Spread the softened butter all over the dough. Sprinkle dough with cinnamon sugar mixture and press in lightly so it doesn't fall out when you roll it. Roll up dough and pinch seam to seal.

Cut the dough into two equal logs and wrap tightly with plastic wrap, then place in a zip lock bag. Keep frozen until you're ready to bake.

The morning you want to have the cinnamon rolls, take them out and let them thaw to room temp. (or the night before if you're not baking outdoors...they tend to not stay totally frozen for too long in a cooler.

Slice dough into 12 equal rolls and place in the bottom of a buttered dutch oven. Cover and set near the fire to proof for about an hour, or until rolls are puffy.

Bake on the campfire, on some hot coals with hot wood from the fire on top. (You can improvise - this is what worked for us.)

Cook for 8-10 minutes or until golden and fully baked. Slather with frosting (recipe below,) and service immediately. (They will be hot but at least take them out of the dutch oven so they stop baking.

For the Frosting: (make ahead of time and bring in the cooler)

Whip together the softened butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Add the vanilla and the powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time. Beat until creamy and spreadable.

Note: If you want to make this recipe at home, bake at 325F for 20 minutes.

SLOPPY JOE SLIDERS

This comes from FamilyTime.com. It starts off, “Sink your teeth into these mouthwater sliders, that are easy to make and really fun to eat.” Prep. Time: 10 minutes; Cooking Time: 20 minutes; Serves: 8 servings (3 sliders each)

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 large onions, chopped (about 2 cups)

3 pounds ground beef

ketchup or 2 cups barbecue sauce

1 cup French's® Classic Yellow® mustard

1 /2 cup French's® worcestershire sauce

2 packages (15 ounces each) Pepperidge Farm® Mini Sandwich Buns (white or wheat)

Directions

Heat the oil in a 6-quart saucepot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook unitl tender, stirring occasionally.

Increase the heat to medium-high. Add the beef to the saucepot and cook until it's well browned, stirring often to separate meat. Pour off any fat.

Stir the barbecue sauce, mustard and Worcestershire sauce in the saucepot. Reduce the heat to low. Cook until the mixture is hot and bubbling, stirring occasionally. Divide the beef mixture among the buns.

RED, WHITE, AND BLUE POTATO SALAD

This comes from Diana Rattray, About.com's Southern Food expert. She writes, “This is the perfect salad for your Fourth of July celebration or any summer gathering. Small firm potatoes make the perfect potato salad, and the colors make it attractive and festive.” Prep Time: 25 minutes; Cook Time: 15 minutes; Total Time: 40 minutes; Yield: 6 Servings

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

3 pounds mixed color small potatoes, with Peruvian (purple), small red, and small white

1 cup diced celery

6 hard-cooked eggs, chopped

1/2 cup chopped red onion

3/4 to 1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill

1 1/2 tablespoons dill relish

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

Scrub potatoes and trim bruises and other imperfections. Cut into 1/2- to 1-inch pieces. Put into a saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for about 15 minutes, or until fork-tender. Drain and let cool in the pan with the cover ajar.

Combine the cooled potatoes with the diced celery, chopped egg, and onion.

Combine 3/4 cup of the mayonnaise with the sour cream, dill, dill relish, pepper, and salt.

Mix the mayonnaise mixture with the potato mixture until blended. Add more mayonnaise, if desired.

BERRY CHERRY CUSTARD PIE

This comes from The Baker Chick. If you haven't signed up for her email newsletter yet, I highly recommend doing so. Really good stuff! This recipe yields 1 9-inch pie.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 9-inch unbaked pie crust (recipe follows)

4 cups of mixed berries/cherries. (I did 1 1/2 cups cherries, 1 1/2 cups sliced strawberries and 1 cup blueberries.)

3 large eggs

2/3 cup sugar

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/4 cup heavy cream

zest of 1 lemon

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F. Roll out the pie crust, and trim/crimp to fit a 9 inch pie dish.

Fill the un-baked crust with the fresh berries/cherries.

Whisk together the eggs, sugar, flour, cream and lemon zest. Pour the custard over the berries.

Bake until custard is set, about 50-60 minutes. Let cool completely and then chill thoroughly or overnight. Serve cold.

PERFECT PIE CRUST

yield: 2-9 inch single pie crusts or 1 double or lattice-topped crust

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 sticks unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. sugar

1/4-1/2 cups ice water

Instructions

Place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor, and process for a few seconds to combine.

Add the butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds.

With the machine running, add the ice water in a slow, steady stream, through the feed tube, just until the dough holds together. Do not process for more than 30 seconds.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface. Divide in two. Place each half on a sheet of plastic wrap.

Flatten, and form two discs. Wrap, and refrigerate at least 1 hour before using.

SPICED BLUEBERRY ICE DREAM

This comes from the June 2015 issue of Better Nutrition, page 56. It’s a magazine that I picked up at a local health food store, a really cool place in the Tampa Bay area, called Rollin’ Oats. This recipes starts off, “This antioxidant-packed alternative to ice cream can be made dairy-free with soy or coconut yogurt, the latter of which is Paleo-friendly.” Serves 4.

1 pint fresh blueberries

1 Tbs. finely minced fresh ginger

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 cup rice syrup or coconut nectar, or to taste

1/4 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. liquid vanilla stevia, optional

1 1/2 (12 oz.) plain Greek yogurt

Combine all ingredients in food processor in the order listed, and process until blueberries are broken down but mixture isn’t completely smooth, about 10 – 20 seconds, scraping down sides once or twice. Follow directions on any ice cream maker to freeze. Enjoy immediately.

Note: The recipe adds, “If you don’t have an ice cream maker, transfer contents to a 9 x 19-inch, freeze-safe container, and freeze. Remove the container every 30 minutes, whisk contents well, and return to the freezer. Do this for 90 minutes – three mixing sessions. Then freeze to firm consistency, about 2 hours. If ice cream overfreezes, thaw for 10 minutes on the counter and process until smooth in the food processor. You can also enjoy this treat as is, with no freezing.”

Per serving: 120 cal; 8 g protein; 1 g total fat (0 g sat. fat); 18 g carb; 5 mg cholesterol; 35 mg sod; 2 g fiber; 13 g sugars