Very Berry Oatmeal Cookies - Red, White and Blue Foods

1 cup butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 ½ cups oatmeal (rolled or quick cooking; not instant)

⅔ cup each of raisins, dried cranberries and blueberries

Instead of raisins, this version uses white chocolate chips with the cranberries and blueberries

Preheat oven to 350F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and the sugars until the mixture is light. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Gradually blend the flour mixture. Stir in the oats and dried fruits.

Drop 1 inch balls of dough onto the  cookie sheet, placing the balls about 1 ½ inches apart so that they can spread. Bake at 350F for 10-13 minutes, until cookies are just golden brown at the edges. Cool on baking sheet for at least 1-2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 3 ½ - 4 dozen

Summertime Parfait - Red, White and Blue Foods

Vanilla yogurt

Strawberries

Oats

Blueberries

Kiwi

Almond slices

Layer the ingredients as follows in a bowl: vanilla yogurt, oats (can use an oats cereal), kiwi (cut into slices), strawberries (sliced), blueberries, sprinkle almond slices on top.

Strawberry Scones with Lemon Glaze - Red, White and Blue Foods

For the scones...

2 cups flour

2 Tablespoons sugar

1 Tablespoon baking powder

½ Tablespoon salt

5 Tablespoons cold butter

1 ¼ cup + 2 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream

1 cup frozen strawberries, chopped

For the glaze...

1 cup confectioners sugar

1 ½ Tablespoon lemon juice

1 ½ teaspoon melted butter

1 ½ teaspoon milk

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in 1 ¼ cup cream. Fold in strawberries. Knead 10 times. Roll into a 9x7 inch rectangle. Cut in half horizontally. Cut half dough into 4 rectangles. Put on greased pan and brush with remaining cream. Sprinkle on large sugar and bake at 400F for 20-25 minutes. Combine glaze ingredients and drizzle on top.

Pretzel Salad - Red, White and Blue Foods

1 package package pretzel sticks

1 Tablespoon olive oil

2 Tablespoons butter

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

1 8-ounce block cream cheese, softened

½-⅔ cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup whipped cream

Ingredients (optional)

Instant pudding

Jello

Fresh fruit

Whipped cream

Break pretzel sticks in small bits and toast in skillet with olive oil, butter. Remove from heat and sprinkle on brown sugar. Mix and set to cool. When cooled, put in bottom of serving container. Mix cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla until fluffy. Add whipped cream and layer on top of pretzels. Next, prepare pudding or jello and layer on top of whipped cream mixture. Top with fresh fruit of your choice and finish with additional whipped cream.

Poke & Pour Cake - Red, White and Blue Foods

1 package Pillsbury white cake mix

2 egg whites

1 ½ cups water

1 3 ounce package of gelatin (I used blue berry but you can use any flavor)

1 cup boiling water

1 cup cold water

Prepare cake mix following package instructions with egg whites and 1 ½ cup water. Pour into greased and floured 13x9 pan. Bake according to package directions and cool 15 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare gelatin following package directions. With tines of fork, poke holes to bottom of cake at ½ inch intervals. Gently pour gelatin over cake. Refrigerate 3 to 4 hours before serving. Top with whip cream.

I took 1 tub of Cool Whip and stirred in dry strawberry gelatin. Use as icing on cake and then refrigerate.

Panatella with Mozzarella - Red, White and Blue Foods

For the salad...

1 cucumber, cubed

3-4 tomatoes, sliced

1 pound fresh mozzarella, cubed

½ sweet onion, cut into slivers

Bread for serving, cubed and toasted

For the dressing...

Equal parts vinegar (such as red wine) and oil

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon onion

1 teaspoon basil

1 teaspoon oregano

Parmesan (to taste)

Salt and pepper (to taste)

Mix cucumber, tomatoes, mozzarella and sweet onion. In separate bowl, mix vinegar, oil, garlic, onion, basil, oregano, parmesan, salt and pepper. Stir dressing until well combined. Mix dressing with salad and serve over toasted bread cubes. If desired, garnish with fresh basil and balsamic glaze.

Mixed Berry Cobbler - Red, White and Blue Foods

3 cups assorted berries

½ Tablespoon lemon juice

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup unsalted butter, softened

¾ cup packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375F. Grease 9x6 inch rectangular or 8 inch round baking dish. Place berries in prepared pan. Drizzle with the lemon juice. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a medium bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar, and vanilla until well-blended. Mix the dry ingredients until mixture resembles crumbs. Drop the dough evenly on top of berries. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned and fruit is bubbly.

Mini Fruit Pizzas - Red, White and Blue Foods

Prep time: 40 minutes Start to finish: 40 minutes Makes 20 fruit pizzas

1 package (18 ounce) Pillsbury Ready to Bake! Refrigerated sugar cookies

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

2 Tablespoons frozen limeade concentrate, thawed

½ cup powdered sugar

10 fresh strawberries, quartered

1 kiwi fruit, peeled, halved lengthwise and cut into 10 slices

½ cup fresh blueberries

½ cup fresh raspberries

Heat oven to 350F. Bake cookies as directed on package. Cool completely; about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in medium bowl, beat cream cheese, limeade concentrate and powdered sugar until smooth. Spread each cookie with 1 tablespoon cream cheese mixture. Arrange fruit on top of each. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 hours.

July 4th S'mores Dip - Red, White and Blue Foods

Prep time: 10 minutes Total time: 20 minutes Serves 10

4 sheets Hershey’s chocolate

19 marshmallows

1 cup water

1 cup red, white and blue sanding sugar

Graham crackers for serving

Preheat oven to 450F. In a square glass pan, place a layer of Hershey’s to cover the bottom of the pan. Dip 5 marshmallows in water and roll them in blue sanding sugar. Place on parchment paper to dry. Repeat this process to make 6 red marshmallows and 8 white marshmallows. Using kitchen shears, cut each marshmallow in half. Place marshmallows cut side down on the chocolate to form a flag. Bake 8 to 10 minutes and serve with graham crackers.

Jelly Role - Red, White and Blue Foods

1 cup sifted cake flour

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

2 eggs

¾ cup white sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

2 Tablespoons 2% milk

½ cup confectioners sugar for dusting

1 cup strawberry jam

Cool Whip

Preheat the oven to 375F. Line a 10 x 15 inch jellyroll pan with parchment paper and spray pan. Line with waxed paper, and grease and flour waxed paper. Set aside.

Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar with an electric mixer until thick and pale, about 5 minutes. Stir in the vanilla and milk. Stir in the dry ingredients gradually. The batter will be thin. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until the center springs back when pressed lightly. Don’t over bake or it may crack.

Generously dust a clean dish towel with confectioners sugar. Turn the cake out onto the towel and peel off the paper. Gently roll the cake using a towel and let it cool for about 10 minutes.

Unroll the cake and spread an even coat of jam on the top. Roll the cake back up into a tight spiral, removing the towel. Dust with confectioners sugar before serving.

Easy Berry Bars - Red, White and Blue Foods

1 box Betty Crocker™ SuperMoist™ yellow cake mix

1 cup butter or margarine, softened

2 eggs

1 container Betty Crocker™ Whipped fluffy white frosting- or make your own cream cheese frosting

4 cups fresh berries (sliced strawberries, raspberries and blueberries)

Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Spray 15x10x1-inch pan with baking spray with flour. In large bowl, beat cake mix, softened butter and eggs with electric mixer on medium speed about 1 minute or until well blended. Spread evenly in pan.

Bake 19 to 24 minutes or until top is evenly golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely, about 1 hour. Spread frosting evenly over cooled bars. Top with berries up to 2 hours before serving. For 48 bars, cut into 8 rows by 6 rows. Store covered in refrigerator.

For the cream cheese frosting...   

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups powdered sugar, plus more as needed

In large bowl, beat softened butter and cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed 2 to 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally, until smooth and creamy.

Stir in vanilla, then stir in powdered sugar. Add more powdered sugar as needed until frosting is a thick spreadable consistency.

Chilled Bowtie Pasta - Red, White & Blue Foods

For the pasta...

1 package bowtie pasta, cooked and cooled

1 package Cherry tomatoes

1 package blueberries

Small, white mozzarella balls

Sweet onion bits

Celery

Salami bits

Mix above ingredients and toss to combine.

For the dressing...

1 Tablespoon cranberry mustard

½ teaspoon horseradish

½ cup sugar or splenda

1 Tablespoon rice vinegar

¼ cup water

Mix above ingredients to combine. Toss dressing and salad together. Enjoy.

Angel Food Cake & Berry Trifle - Red,White & Blue Foods

5 cups fresh strawberries

1 6-ounce container blueberries

1 6-ounce container raspberries

¼ cup granulated sugar

Juice of ½ an orange

4 cups low fat 2% Greek yogurt

¼ cup honey

1 17-ounce angel food cake

Add the berries to a bowl with sugar and orange juice; let stand at room temperature for 15-20 minutes or until juicy. Add the yogurt and honey to a bowl and stir with a spoon until mixture is spreadable. Cut cake into chunks. Use ⅓ of the cake to line bottom of a medium trifle dish. Add a layer of syrupy berries and then a layer of yogurt. Continue to layer and finish with a few spoonfuls of the yogurt in the center with fresh whole strawberries. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled (at least one hour, up to overnight)

American Flag Caprese Salad - Red, White or Blue foods

Prep time: 40 minutes Total time: 1 hour 50 minutes Serves 12

18 small purple potatoes (about 1 pound)

Kosher salt

1 pound herbed cheese spread, at room temperature

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

½ cup fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped

26 cherry tomatoes, halved (about 2 pounds)

24 1-inch mozzarella balls in brine, drained well and halved

Cook the potatoes in generously salted boiling water until tender but not falling apart; about 20 minutes. Drain well and allow to cool completely. Cut in half crosswise.

Fill a pastry bag, fitted with a small star tip, with the herbed cheese spread. Cut a piece of parchment large enough to fit a 12x17 inch wooden cutting board. Put a dab of cheese spread on the underside of each corner of the parchment to help it adhere to the cutting board.

Pipe and spread a thin layer of cheese spread into a 6 ½ x 9 ½ inch rectangle in the upper left corner of the parchment. Arrange the potatoes in rows, cut side up, on top of the cheese. Pipe the remaining cheese in between the potatoes to make stars for the flag.

Drizzle the remaining empty portion of parchment with half of the oil then sprinkle all over with the basil. Starting from the top, make a line of tomato halves, cut-side-up, followed by a line of mozzarella halves, cut-side-down. Repeat with the remaining tomatoes and mozzarella. Drizzle everything with remaining olive oil and sprinkle with salt.