July 4th Picnic Treats

Spring through fall is great for picnicking but the parks seem to really fill up during the holidays. July 4th is the fav for some of my grand kids so I am always looking for fun and different treats for them. 

Take a look at this fun drink container.  It is not only cuts as can be but functional, disposable and delicious.   

Pink lemonade is perfect for the drink but if you want to keep with a theme of the holiday, you could add a little blue food coloring to regular lemonade.  You could also use a blue colored juice (blueberry or a mix), mix about half and half with sparkling flavored water at the time of serving, and you have a refreshing drink.  Think about using strawberries and blueberries for the trim, just for the color.

Now for the adults - perfect serving container for that strawberry daiquiri, margarita or berry drink. Don't forget the salt or sugar for the rim. 

Keeping it simple for the picnic is so important so you have time for friends, family and the volleyball court.   The kabob is the perfect way to do just that.  You can even make these goodies the night before and marinate, if you desire.  Obviously you can put anything together on these skewers - this combination just looks fun to me.  Also - the bamboo skewers are nice because they are disposable, but I prefer the metal ones, if I am entertaining at home.

Since you never want the crowd to suffer the growling belly, a few snacks are great to have.  This is one of my favorites.  Heirloom tomatoes are in season and going strong all summer long so they are perfect; not to mention  the beauty and the flavor.  My fav is the little cherry tomato size.  But be prepared - they are super simple to just pop in the mouth.  They will go fast.  

Fill with anything you desire.  I like to combine goat cheese, finely chopped spinach and green onion, and a dash of garlic salt; then fill, using a frosting tube.  Lightly sprinkle with paprika or top with chives, and you are done.  These are sure to be a hit. 

Last but not least, dessert!  I personally believe in starting with the dessert since I don't want to be too full to enjoy or over eat just because I want to indulge in the sweet stuff.  Here again is a simple item that anyone can grab and go with.  A couple of great points here is that there is no need for plates and flatware and - HEALTHY!  Not to mention that they carry the theme. 

So - there's just a few ideas for your July 4th picnic or back yard celebrations, that would work for any time of the year with just a bit of variation for in season produce.  

June Is Ice Pop Month

Do you know that?  Did you know that June is ice pop month?  Maybe it's because you have never been in my house where this is pretty much a 'house rule'.  For years, when my kids were small, we used Kool-aid and a Tupperware Ice Pop Molds to make summer treats.   Today life styles in the kitchen have changed.  Hopefully for the better.  Here's a couple of summer cool treat suggestions that I think everyone will enjoy.



Remember that the sky is the limit when it comes to what you can mix up for your frozen treat.  Also, I love the Tupperware molds but when you have a house full of kids, and adults who love these treats too, you can use the 3 ounce mini size Dixie cup or a disposable plastic cup if you have problems with them sticking.   

 

Keep it simple.  Puree your fruit, leaving a little bit of chunks is OK for us, add a small amount of water or juice, a bit of sweetener if you have tart fruit, and add to cups.  Layering is pretty and fun but does take longer since you have to freeze one layer at a time.  Think about how fun it would be to do red, white and blue ice pops for the 4th of July weekend.  Fun stuff.

Another thought - mix up your favorite Jello or pudding, omitting half of the liquid so you have a thicker base, add your puree to the Jello or pudding mix, and freeze.  Now you have a new twist on the original fruit pop.  What about chocolate chips?  Just sprinkle a few in when the mix has began to freeze or add between layers.

Just a little food for thought - Keepin' it a little bit on the healthy side is always a good thing and teaching the kids that healthy can still be tasty and fun is absolutely great.  Think about using and organic pudding mix, possibly using soy milk or even an almond milk, if your family is nut allergy free.  

 Ready for a couple more? 

 This is an all fruit and not a freezer treat idea -

Something that I have never seen at the grocery store is dried strawberries.  Maybe they are there but I have not seen them.  With the price of strawberries coming down in the store, now is the time for this delicious snack.   

Simply bake the strawberries on a cookie sheet for 3 hours at about 210 degrees.  Allow to cool before putting in a Ziploc bag.  If we don't finish these dried fruit treats, I put them in the fridge but allow to warm to room temp before eating then again.  

Back to the freezer for one more -

Frozen grapes are amazing.  Kids love to just pop these cold treats in their mouth when they are just

needing a little snack.

                                                                                                                               Another use for frozen grapes, you ask?   They are amazing at keeping a drink cold.  Weather it is a fruit drink or a glass of wine, this is the answer. The drink stays cool and doesn't get watered down.  You can eat them when you are done with the drink and start all over again.