UrDreamPlanner's Friday Fun: 4th of July Recipes!

All week our posts have been related to the 4th of July holiday! Today, we are going to finish the week off with some fun 4th of July family oriented recipes, that you can try this weekend!! Let's start with a festive drink!!

When creating fun food items, presentation plays a big part. Your food display, although in this case will already be colorful, should be displayed nicely! Use pretty platters and use levels to make your food display appealing to the eye!

Patriotic Drink

(Found via Family Fun Magazine)

 This kid friendly drink will be sure to capture the essence of your 4th of July Party! Click here to learn how to make this drink for yourself, family & friends!!

Guests love having a fun drink to try! If planning a dinner party this weekend or in the near future, consider serving this. Have your drinks already made and ready to be served. Find a swanky glass, add a festive straw, place a strawberry or watermelon on the side of the glass and cheers to a good time!!

American Flag Marshmallow Pops

 

(Found via LivingLocurto.com)

Click here for "how-to" picture instructions and all the tools needed to create this fun treat. 

Although 4th of July is over...if you are getting married on this holiday next year, consider a "fun food station" for your guests to enjoy. Having the items set up nicely during cocktail hour would be a great way to give your guests something to do...that would be a teaser of the fun to be expected at the Wedding Reception! You can create 1 or 2 fun food stations to compliment the other h' orderves being served!

This is also great for a kids party. Edible markers come in all colors. Make this treat color coordinate and use it as a "Thank You Favor" for kids to take home when they leave the party. Place 3 or 4 marshmallow pops in each package with a thank you note!

Patriotic Hot Dog Station

(Found via PartyCity.com)

Click here to see how you can create this look too!

My favorite thing about this spread are the details. From the stationery to the flags, the bows and colored plates. This hands-on food station captures your eye and more importantly does not overwhelm you. When doing a buffet presentation such as the one above you want to be sure your details flow together! The details are what elevates an event. Have fun assembling together your masterpiece and get creative, but don't go overboard!

 Enjoy these fun 4th of July recipes. Try these, add your own twist and most importantly..have fun!!

Check out this weeks 4th of July post:

UrDreamPlanner's Mondy Inspiration: Independence!

UrDreamPlanner's Wednesday Knowledge: Happy 4th of July!!!

Talk To Me:

Did you incorporate any fun food items into this 4th of July holiday? What fun family traditions did you share? Any fun recipes that you tried and loved? Will you try any of the ones above?! Leave your comments below in the comment zone!!

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Sincerely,

{Thursday's Food Tidbit}::Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps-Yum!

{Thursday's Food Tidbit}::Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps-Yum!

Today I want to share with you a recipe from a chef that makes some amazing dishes!! Aaron Mc.Cargo Jr. won season four of The Next Food Network Star in 2008 and aired Big Daddy's House in August of 2008. Since then Aaron Mc.Cargo Jr. has been producing non-stop amazing dishes.

Below is a must try recipe and since your recieving this awesome recipe early in the AM you still have time to run to the market and try it for dinner tonight. What's great about this dish is that it takes less than 30 minutes and it's on the rather healthy side!!

Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps 

(Time Yourself Here!)

~~Ingredients~~

Spicy Salsa:

• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1/4 cup sweet marinated peppers, chopped (recommended: Peppadew)
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1/4 cup pickled jalapenos, chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Blue Cheese Sauce:

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 cup blue cheese
• 2 lemons, juiced
• 1 lemon, zested
• 1 lime, zested
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Buffalo Chicken:

• 1/4 cup mild hot sauce
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch strips
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon pepper
• Olive oil, for frying
• 16 Bibb lettuce leaves, washed, dried, and separated

~~Directions~~

For the salsa: Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Allow to marinate.

For the blue cheese sauce: In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, blue cheese, lemon juice, lemon zest, lime juice, garlic, and salt and pepper, to taste. Mix in the cilantro, chives, and parsley.
For the chicken: Place the hot sauce into a bowl. Dredge the chicken with the hot sauce. In a casserole dish, mix together the flour, salt, paprika, and pepper. Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture. Shake off any excess flour.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add olive oil to about 1/4-inch up the sides of the skillet. 

When the oil is hot (it will bubble around the handle of a wooden spoon), add the chicken to the skillet. 

After 4 minutes, turn the chicken over and cook until the chicken is browned and cooked through, about 4 more minutes. Place the lettuce leaves on a platter and spoon the chicken into the lettuce. 

Top the chicken with 1 tablespoon of the blue cheese sauce and salsa. Serve immediately.

 

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I too will be experimenting with this great recipe and posting my experience and would love to share your experiences too. If you don't get to this yummy recipe tonight, try it out this weekend and email your experience with pics to info@beautifulbeyonddreams.com. Would love to share your experience on the blog!!

<---- {Wednesday's Inspiration}::Texture's Talk

{Friday's Spotlight}:: ---->

Love Bite #10: 3 Course Romantic Dinner!

Hello, today I actually thought pretty hard about what I wanted to write about regarding Valentine's Day. So since I love food and absolutely love to eat food, and even more cook food, I thought why not do it on cooking a romantic 3 Course Dinner for two! I found some amazing recipes and will be doing a dessert that I saw on Rachel Ray! So get your pen's ready and let's create some magic for Valentine's Day in under an hour and all for just under $30.00 for two!!

Love Bite #10: 3 Course Dinner for Two!

1st Course: Ceaser Salad with Cucumbers!

(My loves favorite, you can change this to make your significant other happy.)

$7.50 for two!!

You will need:

1 head of romaine lettuce

1 bag of crutons

2 cucumbers

1 bottle of ceaser dressing

1 container of parmesan cheese

Directions: Take your head of romaine lettuce and rinse it, roll it up and cut it into nice bite size pieces. Take your cucumbers, rinse them, peel them and slice them to liking. Place both the romaine lettuce and cucumbers into bowl and pour bag of croutons over top. Pour in bottle of Ceaser dressing and put a lid on the bowl and shake so the dressing mixes into all the ingredients. Depending on your time this can be made first and stored in the fridge or made second to last for absolute freshness! When served shake parmesan cheese over salad enjoy with a nice drink!

2nd Course: Pepper Crusted Filet Mignon w/ Light Mashed Potatoes & Sauteed Mixed Vegetables

(More recipes like this one can be found at www.delish.com/recipefinder) 

$16.00 for two!!

"Pepper Crusted Filet Mignon"-$7.00

(Prep Time: 15 minutes, Cook Time: 6-10 minutes)

You will need:

2 (5 to 6 ounces each) filet mignons (about 1 1/2 inches think)

Course salt and very coursely ground pepper

2 tablespoons of olive oil

Red Wine Sauce:
1 cup of red wine
2 tablespoons of butter, cut up
Course Salt

Directions: Season filets very generously on both sides with salt and pepper (especially pepper), patting in firmly. Heat oil in a small skillet over medium-high. Cook filets until desired doneness, 3 to 5 minutes per side (depending on thickness) for medium-rare. Remove strings from filets, and serve with Red Wine Sauce, if desired. 

-To make Red Wine Sauce: Place wine in a small saucepan; boil until reduced to 1/4 cup, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat; add cut-up butter, and swirl pan until butter is melted and sauce is thickened, about 1 minute. Season with coarse salt.

 "Light Mashed Potatoes"- $4.00

 (Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes)

You will need:

2 pounds Yukon Gold Potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 tablespoon of butter

3/4 teaspoons of salt

1/2 cup fat-free half-and-half, warmed

Directions: In 4-quart saucepan, combine potatoes and enough water to cover; heat to boiling on high. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 8 to 10 minutes or until potatoes are fork-tender. Reserve 1/4 cup cooking water; drain potatoes. Return potatoes to saucepan. Mash with margarine and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Gradually add warm half-and-half, continuing to mash potatoes until smooth and well blended; add reserved cooking water if necessary. Transfer to serving dish. Makes about 4 1/2 cups.

 "Sauteed Mixed Vegatables"- $5.00

(Prep Time: 1 minute, Cook Time: 10-15 minutes)

You will need: 

1 tablespoon evtra virgin olive oil

1 small shallot, minced

4 cups of mixed froxen vegetables-corn, carrots, green beans

1/2 teaspoon dried dill or tarragon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Directions: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallot and cook, stirring, until softened, about 1 minute. Stir in frozen vegetables. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Stir in dill (or tarragon), salt, and pepper. 

3rd Course: Waffle Brownies Topped w/ Fresh Strawberries & Cool Whip

 (Visit www.rachelrayshow.com/food/recipes for many more desserts like this one. This requires a waffle iron.)

$7.00 for two!!

 

(Prep Time: 5 minutes, Cook Time: 10 minutes)

You will need:

1 box of brownie mix

2/3 cup of vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 container of Fresh Starwberries

1 container of cool whip

2 teaspoons of sugar

Directions: Rinse strawberries and cut off the leaf part, slice in half and add a sprinkle of sugar, let sit until ready for use. Preheat waffle maker to medium-low. Prepare brownies according to mix directions, omitting any water or milk. Pour 1/2 cup of the mixture per square in the waffle maker. Bake for 10 minutes. Once baked, open waffle maker and turn off the heat. Let brownies sit until slightly cool, about 3 minutes. Add fresh strawberries and two scoops of cool whip! (Cool whip can be supplemented for two scoops of ice-cream!)

Be sure to visit tomorrow to read about "Love Bite #11: Creating the Mood!"

With LOVE,