Red White and Blue Recipes for 4th of July, All-American Patriotic Foods

For Memorial Day, how about red white and blue recipes and creative American patriotic foods?

Here's RWB appetizer-to-dessert menu. It's perfect for July 4th, BBQs, Father's Day and summer

picnics and parties.

* Red White and Blue Chip Mixer. Make chips swing American. Blend any combination of blue corn

chips, red corn chips (available at specialty and holiday food stores) red BBQ chips, pink taro chips

(available in Terra's root vegetable chip blends), homemade parsnip chips (white) and beet chips. For

white, use white corn chips, popcorn or white cheddar cheese puffs.

* Old Glory Veggie Platter:</b> Use a tri-section platter for crudites (cut vegetables) or arrange them in

stars and stripes. For red use red pepper strips, tomato wedges, radish roses. For blue, cut purple

pepper strips, purple brocciflower, egg plant slices or shredded purple cabbage. For white veggies,

use parsnip slices, cauliflower, water chestnuts. Cut some peppers and parsnips into star shapes (with

star cookie cutter).

* Stars and Stripes Fruit Kebobs: On skewers, alternate any combination of watermelon chunks,

blueberries, raspberries, grapes, strawberries, pale green honeydew, apple stars, banana slices (dash

of pineapple or lemon juice prevents browning).

* Americana Lemonade Spritzer: Color lemonade blue with purple cabbage or blueberry juice. Or

leave plain. Garnish by spearing strawberries or colored, star-shaped marshmallows on straws. Make

star-shaped ice cubes with clear or grape soda or red pop. For clear ice cubes, put a blueberry in

each.

* All-American Cocktails and Coolers: Buy Seagram's blue coolers. Garnish with strawberry-blueberry

bow-tie (stick berries on toothpick). Use these for clear cocktails with gin or vodka. Serve blue

curacao or Blue Hawaiian Schnapps with grenadine, Raspberry or Strawberry Pucker (DeKuyers') or

Jagermeister ice cubes. Partially freeze liqueurs to make colored liquid layers.

* RBW Pinwheels:Flatten four pieces of white bread thin. Spread one with strawberry jam, another

with cream cheese and another with grape jam. Stack in alternate colors. Roll into log. Slice through

all layers to make pinwheels.

* Patriotic Cole Slaw: Mix chopped purple cabbage, red peppers and radishes. Dress with vinegar,

olive oil, salt, cracked pepper, horseradish and sugar. Cut peppers like stars if desired.

* American Flag Grill: Grill red smoked sausage, hotdogs, burgers (with beet juice added), or pink

salmon. Garnish with purple cabbage shreds, purple and red pepper stars and mayonnaise. Poke tiny

flag toothpicks in burgers.

* Festive American Fries: Julienne potatoes or use frozen French fries. Coat some in paprika or

Louisiana red pepper and leave others white. Dye mayonnaise blue (naturalistas, use purple cabbage

juice). Serve with red ketchup, plain and blue mayo. Dieters, use olive oil mayo.

* Lady Liberty Sundaes: Serve vanilla ice cream drizzled with strawberry and blueberry syrup. Mix

colored gelatin for syrup. Decorate with blue and red candies (M&Ms, Nerds, Runts). Make fruit

sundaes with blueberries and strawberries. Serve strawberry or spumoni ice cream topped with blue

colored topping. Serve Blue Moon ice cream with red and blue gummy worms, sprinkles, mini

marshmallows and red fruit snacks. Or made a RWB ice cream buffet and let guest decorate their

own.

* Star Cookies. Make star-shaped cookies easy using refrigerated sugar cookie dough. If you don't

have star-shaped cookie cutter, cut into thin circles. Cut each circle into five pie-shaped wedges.

Arrange in a circle, point side out. Place red or blue M&M or hard candy in the center. Hard candy will

melt to clear "stained-glass" look. Or sprinkle with colored sugar. Or draw stars on cookie with colored

spray frosting. Frost with strawberry cream cheese

Patriotic Foods, Red-White-and-Blue Recipes for Memorial Day Picnics

I love party planning, particularly the cheap, homemade kind. I'm not much for spending big. My fetes are DIY and I specialize in themed food. For Memorial Day, how about creative, patriotic foods and red-white-and-blue recipes? Load your picnic table or buffet with foods from this all-American menu--appetizer to dessert. Patriotic Foods, Red-White-and-Blue Recipes for Memorial Day Parties

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20+ Easy, cheap Graduation Open House Appetizers and Snacks recipes

Oh, oh! You've been too busy and put off planning that graduation open house until the last minute? Or maybe you've been thinking about it for months and can't decide what to serve? Even if you need some last minute fillers for your graduation open house buffet, it's a good thing you clicked this article. Here are 25+ easy appetizers hors d’oeuvres, foods, snacks and recipes to make a nice graduation open house buffet. These can be used for wedding bridal shower recipes, first Communion receptions and other open house buffets also.  

cheese cubes with pretzels sticks poked in

nut cups--fill mini muffin papers  in school colors, with a nut assortment

trail mix cups--mix colored candies in school colors and serve in paper cups

rollups--spread tortilla with cream cheese, place large romaine leaf, cheese slices and deli meat flat and roll. Slice through roll to make pinwheels. 

PBJ pinwheels. Spread peanut butter and jelly on a pinwheel and voila! 

rainbow cut veggie tray with hummus--arrange baby cucumbers, radishes, broccoli and cauliflower florets, mini peppers and grape tomatoes on tray. super easy. See my recipe for homemade hummus. 

olives and feta cheese cubes (or any cheese cubes). Mix Spanish, Greek and black olives with chunk cheese

Puttin on the Ritz. Back the the 70s Ritz crackers put suggestions for dozens of Hors d’oeuvres made from Ritz crackers. Easy Ritz appetizers (or any cracker appetizers) feature a cheese spread or slice with pepperoni or lunchmeat circle and a veggie slice, or olive. 

Mini tea sandwiches. Make sandwiches with whatever filling or bread you like, and cut diagonally in triangles. You can use little deli rye bread too. 

Relish tray--serve in separated tray, different olives, pickles, cheese triangles and meat slices (Italian dry salami, prosciutto, pepperoni)

cocktail wienies--heat cocktail wieners and or mini smoky links in BBQ sauce (fruit jam, salsa, lime juice, smoked paprika or liquid smoke) 

Fairy cakes--make your favorite cupcake mix in school colors, in little mini muffin tins. Frost with a rosette of colored frosting using a disposable cake decorating tube with rose tip. 

fruit kebabs--using fancy toothpicks, spear watermelon or cantaloupe cubes, berries, grapes, pineapple chunks, canned  mandarin oranges, apple pieces, etc. 

hotdog penny kebabs--super easy dad recipe. Skewer pickle and hotdog slices plus cheese cubes on toothpick. Make hedgehog if desired (see below recipe)

open house hedgehogs: This comes from the UK Christmas traditions. Cover a large potato, or half melon with foil or colored plastic wrap. Poke your kebabs in to make quills. Make eyes and nose with frosting, raisins, whatever. Use matchstick veggies for whiskers. 

egg muffins or muffin cup frittatas. Mix different omelet addins with eggs and bake in muffin cups. My favorite is onions, mushrooms, colored peppers and bacon pieces topped with cheddar cheese. 

walking tacos--serve individual bags of Fritos or Doritos with cooked taco meat and toppings. Or mix into salad so guests can add to chips. 

graduation cap or mortarboard hat cookies (see recipe). 

deviled eggs--Cook hard boil eggs with salt. Shock eggs in ice water to loosen shells. Carefully peel and neatly cut lengthwise. Gently remove yolk. Mash with mayo and dijon mustard. Refill yolk cavity. Season with paprika and black pepper. Garnish with fresh dill and cilantro. 

Polish roses. Super easy: spread round lunchmeat (ham or turkey) with cream cheese and roll around a trimmed scallion. Fringe ends. 

Ants on a log. Fill cut celery with cream cheese or peanut butter and top with raisins or dried cranberries. 

10 Great Tomato Snack Recipes with cancer fighting lycopene

Are you a tomato addict? Could you eat tomatoes for breakfast, snacks, appetizers, lunch and

supper? That's great because tomatoes are rich in vitamin C and lycopene (which is great for prostate

health and sexual prowess.) And, in the news, you can kick cancer butt with lycopene foods. Along

with cancer fighting lycopene, tomatoes have few calories, no fat and are satisfying. Here are the 10

best tomato recipes, tomato appetizers and healthy vegetarian breakfast recipes with tomatoes.

These cancer fighting tomato recipes help with weight loss, too.

Cancer fighting breakfast recipes of tomatoes and hummus: Mediterranean hummus, or tahini with

chickpeas, has become is a go-to protein supplement. For a snack, cut a tomato in bite-sized pieces

and dip in hummus (Greek hummus or hummus with pine nuts are the kinds). Make your own hummus

by blending chickpeas, lemon juice, garlic and tahini. For low calorie weight loss hummus swap olive

oil for liquid from chickpeas.

Vegetarian breakfast recipes with grilled tomatoes: These healthy tomato recipes are filling, quick

and light. Dip tomatoes in panko crumbs seasoned with rosemary, basil, sage, garlic, onion and

thyme. Or use seasoned textured vegetable protein. Sauté or grill in olive oil, truffle oil or non-stick

cooking spray. Top with fresh basil and crumbled feta cheese.

Bread and tomato salad breakfast recipes: Chop tomatoes, onions, green peppers (or any color

peppers) and cucumbers. Add fresh basil, rosemary, sage and stale bread cubes. Dress with olive oil,

pomegranate vinegar, cracked pepper and a dash of salt. Add crumbled feta cheese or Parmesan

cheese if desired. These easy tomato recipes use up leftover bread and vegetables. It makes

delicious, healthy delicious lunch. Bread salad is low in fat and full of healthy goodness. Or make

cancer fighting tomato recipes without bread, using couscous. Add chopped mint, lemon juice and

parsley instead of basil and you'll have tabouleh.

Tomato sandwich breakfast recipes: Toast two slices of light oat grain bread. Spread with low-fat

cream cheese. Layer with sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado and spinach. Season with black

pepper. Or swap bread for whole grain bagels and plain cream cheese for salmon cream cheese and

you'll have light bagels and lox. Or serve on English muffins, for eggless vegetarian Mc-Tomato

Muffins

Lycopene loaded tomatoes: Remove stem and core of tomato. Mix feta, Parmesan, shredded

mozzarella or Monterey Jack cheese with pepper, chopped onion and garlic. Chop mushrooms and

mix by hand. Add shrimp for super fun breakfast recipes. Fill center of tomato. Grill or broil until

cheese is melted.

Tomato cucumber salad: For these vegetarian breakfast recipes, slice fresh cucumber and tomato

and fresh basil, sage, rosemary and red or sweet onion. Blend blend EVOO olive oil, mayonnaise, sour cream, acai vinegar, salt and pepper. Pour over vegetables. Add chopped green pepper if desired.

Pizza pasta salad breakfast recipes: Cook and drain Barilla Protein Plus pasta. Barilla Protein Plus has

fewer calories with extra protein and omega. Chop Roma or salad tomatoes or slice a quart of grape

tomatoes in half. Add chopped onion, green pepper, green and black olives and cubed Colby cheese

or feta cheese. Dress with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, rice vinegar or white vinegar. Add sliced

mushrooms if desired. Season with black pepper. Chill.

Fiesta vegetarian beans and rice: Blend equal portions canned (drained) beans with cooked Jasmine,

brown or wild rice. Add sliced scallions, fresh cilantro, chopped tomatoes, avocados, garlic, green

peppers, canned chilies and pineapple, mango or papaya (if desired). Season with cumin, red pepper

and chili powder. Serve topped with melted cheese. Use any canned beans but the best are adzuki,

black (or turtle) beans and black eyed peas.

Lycopene filled breakfast recipes of tomatoes in cottage cheese: Cottage cheese has been a dieter's

delight for decades. Low in fat and high in protein, cottage cheese is a healthier dairy product. You

can use Greek yogurt, too. Dice fresh tomatoes and blend with cottage cheese and pepper.

Cancer fighting breakfast smoothies. Blend chopped tomato, grapefruit, black raspberries,

strawberries, blueberries, carrots, spinach and Greek yogurt for off-the-charts lycopene tomato

recipes.

Easy, Inexpensive Graduation Open House Party Planner

Hosting a graduation open house and need easy, budget-friendly tips? Use this party planning guide

to throw a cheap, nice backyard bash for your graduate! Here are recipes, tips shopping lists for

groceries, supplies, decorations and equipment. DIY alternatives save you money and hassle!

Graduation open house menu: Buy enough food for one serving per guest. Shop dollar stores, Aldi's,

Walmart, Sam's Club, Costco, Gordon Food Service and Target. Don't fuss with outdoor electrical

outlets. Prep ahead, chill or warm, and serve. Here's a cheap graduation open house buffet menu

under $100.

* Diploma roll-ups appetizers--flour tortilla shells --cream cheese --sliced ham --spray cheese

Spread cream cheese on tortillas, Place ham on top. Roll thin. Slice in half lengthwise. Draw "tie" with

spray cheese (or use licorice ropes). Arrange on serving tray. Chill.

* Watermelon basket: Cut watermelon in basket shape. Make two cuts two inches apart in center. Cut

one-third of the way down on each side. Cut a horizontal line around each side (connecting with the

vertical. Remove cutaway portions, leaving handle. Clean out fruit with melon baller (save melon

balls). Cut a scalloped or zigzag edge if desired. Carve "Congratulations Class of ____" on side. Mix

melon balls with partially thawed 4# bag Walmart frozen tropical fruit (reserve two cups). Fill basket.

* Hawaiian meatballs. Blend and heat in large disposable foil pan:--16 ounces ketchup --5# frozen meatballs --16 ounces grape jelly 

--reserved tropical fruit

* Veggie tray:--baby carrots --celery stalk --cucumbers --green peppers --dip

* Mac and cheese: Mix in large disposable aluminum pan and bake:--3# cooked mini seashell pasta --2 large cans mushroom soup --2# Velveeta cheese (cubed) --French friend onions (top with)

* Mortarboard graduation hat cookies (in lieu of cake).These went over crazy-well at our youngest

son's open house. Here's my tutorial and recipe for graduation cap cookies. You'll need:--peanut butter cups (Reese's, Palmer, generic) --chocolate covered graham cookies --M&Ms (school colors) Set extras out for party favors. --spray frosting (in one school color)

Additional groceries and supplies: For dual purpose decorations/ utensils, buy serving supplies and

paper products in school colors.--assorted chips/pretzels --assorted 2-litre bottles of soda (clear, cola, fruit-flavored, diet, caffeine-free) --water --instant coffee --tea assortment --creamer --sweetener --2 disposable rectangle aluminum pan (turkey size) for meatballs and mac and cheese --2 large plastic serving trays (for veggies and Diploma roll-ups) --large plastic bowls (for chips or pretzels) --2 plastic tablecloths (for buffet and gift table-guests don't need to sit at tables) --plastic spoons and forks --napkins --paper plates --congratulations banner 

--streamers (hang in trees) --balloon bouquet (cheap at Dollar Tree)

On-hand or borrowed supplies--2 picnic or outdoor buffet tables --folding chairs (campfire chairs work great) --portable awning or large umbrella (for food) --30-cup coffee pot or large carafe (for hot water) --2-gallon insulated beverage cooler --2 coolers (for ice, pop)

Decorations:

Make a memory table of your graduate. Arrange memorabilia, artwork, photos, projects, mementos,

awards, instruments, sports equipment, ribbons, trophies, scrapbooks, baby pictures. Place box

discreetly for cards.

And now, you wonderful parents you, relax, visit and enjoy. You've earned it! 

4th of July Picnic Appetizers

Festive 4th of July Appetizer Recipes
The 4th of July is probably the single largest picnic day in the year. July is National Picnic Month. If your 4th of July celebration will include a picnic of buffet, here are appetizer and finger food recipes for your table.
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4th of July Picnic and Buffet Food Tips

4th of July Picnic or Party Buffet Tips
4th of July means independence for party hosts, too! Here's a diy party guide for your holiday buffet or picnic.
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Graduation Open Appetizers and Foods

20+ Graduation Open House Food Recipes
Hors D'oeuvres and filling snacks make perfect graduation open house buffet foods. Good party hosts know that simple, nutritious, inexpensive and self-serve is the best food for a summer open house or picnic. 20+ recipes.
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Patriotic Party Foods for Memorial Day

How to Make Patriotic Salads and Finger Food Veggies for the Fourth of July! Bet you didn't know you could have your patriotic theme, your healthy vegetables and eat them too!Recipes for Memorial Day BBQ, cook-out, open house or party! Red, white and blue!
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Vegetarian Leftover Easter Egg Recipes

10+ recipes to use leftover Easter eggs. Recipes with raw eggs and hard-boiled eggs! Delicious, kosher, vegetarian, recipes that the whole family will love! Festive holiday brunch recipes, casseroles and healthy snacks for the children! Lowfat recipe versions included! Read more...