Cut melons, kiwi and cheeses into 1/2-inch thick slices and cut out with smallest star in Star Nesting Metal Cutter Set. Alternate melons, kiwi, and cheeses on a bamboo skewer. Finish with slice of strawberry.
Skyrocket Ice Pops
12 (8 oz) plastic cups
12 craft sticks (looks like popsicle sticks)
Red Layer:
4 cups cran-raspberry juice
red food coloring
White Layer:
2 cups frozen whipped topping
2 cups vanilla yogurt
Blue Layer:
4 cups grape juice
water
blue food coloring
Mix the grape juice and water until a suitable blue color results. Try adding blue food coloring to achieve the desired shade. Pour into the plastic cups filling them 1/3 full. Place into the freezer until the start to freeze. Once they do, stick a craft stick in the center of each cup.
Freeze until solid. Mix the yogurt and whipped topping together. Place a layer on top of the frozen blue layer, and freeze for one hour. Repeat the process given for the blue layer but do it with the cran-raspberry juice and red food coloring. Add a red layer to each cup and freeze until frozen.
Run the outer side of the cups under cold water to release them.
Place cake layers, top sides up, in 2 clean 9-inch round cake pans. Pierce cake with large fork at 1/2-inch intervals.
Stir 1 cup of the boiling water into red and Berry Blue gelatin in separate bowls 2 minutes until completely dissolved. Carefully pour red gelatin over 1 cake layer and Berry Blue gelatin over second cake layer. Refrigerate 3 hours.
Dip 1 cake pan in warm water 10 seconds; unmold onto serving plate. Spread with about 1 cup of the whipped topping. Unmold second cake layer; carefully place on first cake layer. Frost top and sides of cake with remaining whipped topping.
Refrigerate 1 hour or until ready to serve. Garnish with fresh fruit, if desired. Store leftover cake in refrigerator
Patriotic Pie
Serving Size: 8
Crust:
17 1/2 oz fat-free blueberry muffin mix
1/4 c reduced fat margarine - softened
Filling:
4 c fat-free vanilla ice cream - slightly softened
1 c crumb mixture - reserved from crust
Topping:
Can of blueberries from mix - rinsed
2 c trawberries - sliced
2 tbsps granulated sugar
Preheat oven to 400. Prepare a 9" pie pan with cooking spray and flour; set aside. To prepare crust, place muffin mix in mixing bowl. Cut margarine with pastry blender. Spread evenly in ungreased 9" square pan. Do not press. Bake for 10 minutes. Stir. Press remaining crumbs against bottom and sides of prepared pan to form crust. Cool. To prepare filling spread ice cream over crust. Sprinkle with reserved crumbs. Freeze several hours or until firm. To prepare topping, combine strawberries and sugar.
Per serving: 138 Calories; 4g Fat (9% calories from fat); 8g Protein; 96g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 778mg Sodium
NOTES: To serve, let pie stand 5 minutes at room temperature. Top with blueberries and strawberries. Cut into 8 wedges.
Patriotic Tossed Salad
This fruity salad is a mixture of bright reds and blues and an even brighter combination of flavors. If desired, the blue cheese can be omitted for a vegan salad, or one that better suits those that are not fans of the strongly flavored cheese. For a great main dish salad, add 2 1/2 cups cubed cooked turkey or chicken.
1/4 cup blueberry or raspberry vinegar
1/4 cup blueberry chutney
1/4 cup minced red onion
Salt
Pepper
2/3 cup canola oil
8 cups washed and torn salad greens
3 cups blueberries
2 cups hulled and sliced strawberries
4 ounces crumbled blue cheese
1 cup toasted almonds
In a small bowl whisk together the vinegar, chutney, onion, salt, and pepper until smooth. Slowly add the oil, whisking constantly, until it is all incorporated evenly. Set the dressing aside. Toss the greens, blueberries, strawberries, and blue cheese in a large bowl. Add the dressing and toss well to coat evenly. Add the almonds and serve immediately.
Makes 8 servings.
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Pretzel Sparklers
long rod pretzels
white chocolate, melted
sprinkles (red, white and blue) or star cake decorations
Melt the white chocolate. Dip the pretzel rod halfway into the melted chocolate then sprinkle the sprinkles over the wet chocolate. Lay on waxed paper or place in a cup to dry.
Mix crumbs, margarine and 3 tablespoons Nutrasweet® Spoonful in medium bowl; pat evenly on bottom of jelly roll pan, 15 X 10 inches.
Sprinkle gelatin over milk in small saucepan; let stand 2 to 3 minutes. Heat over medium low heat, stirring constantly, until gelatin is dissolved. Cool to room temperature.
Beat cream cheese until fluffy in large bowl; gradually beat in milk mixture. Beat in lemon juice and rind, vanilla and 1/3 to 1/2 cup NutraSweet® Spoonful. Pour mixture over crust; refrigerate until set, 3 to 4 hours.
Before serving, decorate to look like a flag, using the blueberries for the stars, the raspberries for the stripes.
POUR milk into medium bowl. Add pudding mix. Beat with wire whisk 1 minute. Gently stir in 3 cups of the whipped topping.
PLACE 1/2 of the cake cubes in large serving bowl; top with 1/2 of the fruit. Spread pudding mixture over fruit; cover with remaining cake cubes and fruit. Garnish with remaining whipped topping.
REFRIGERATE at least 1 hour or until ready to serve. Store leftover dessert in refrigerator.
Special Extra: Garnish with whole strawberries, additional blueberries and fresh mint sprigs.
Red, White 'N" Blue Torte (from Quick Cooking)
1 loaf (10 3/4 oz) frozen pound cake, thawed
1/2 cup blueberry pie filling
1/2 cup strawberry or raspberry pie filling
1 3/4 cups whipped topping
Split cake horizontally into three layers. Place botttom layer on a serving platter and spread with blueberry filling. Top with middle cake layer; spread with strawberry/raspberry filling. Replace top of cake. Frost top and sides with whipped topping. Refrigerate for serveral hours before slicing. Yield: 8 servings.
Star-Studded Centerpiece
From BHG.com
Celebrate America with a watermelon basket embellished with an easy cut-star rim.
What You Need:
* One large watermelon
* Cantaloupe, honeydew, blueberries, kiwi,
strawberries, and star fruit
* White self-stick shelf liner
* Star-shaped cookie cutters in various sizes
(we used 2-inch and 2-3/4-inch star cutters)
* Sharp knife
* Flat-edged ice-cream scoop or large spoon
* Pumpkin carving saw
* Melon baller (optional)
* Artistic wire: 18-gauge copper wire in Dark Blue and Red
* 3 to 6 thin wooden skewers
Instructions:
1. Download the free pattern for this project. (Downloading requires Adobe Acrobat software.)
2. From the self-stick shelf liner, cut a 1-inch-wide strip that is long enough to reach around the center or "equator" of the watermelon, piecing several strips together if necessary to fit.
3. Trace the star shapes from the pattern section (or trace around the star-shaped cookie cutters) onto self-stick shelf liner and cut the shapes out. Continue tracing and cutting out stars until you have enough to fit around the center of the melon. Place the star cutouts on the centerline of the melon as shown in the pattern. Alternate large and small stars and adjust the spacing between the stars as necessary.
4. Using a sharp knife, cut an oval opening in the top of the melon. Using a flat-edge ice cream scoop or large spoon, remove the pulp from the melon; place the pulp in a large container and set it aside.
5. Using a pumpkin carving saw and starting at the top opening of the watermelon, cut down to the star cutouts; carefully cut around each star and along the top of the centerline.
Tip: Hold each star shape securely as you cut around it to prevent the star from breaking off. If one accidentally breaks, simply put the piece back on, securing it with toothpicks. Remove the star and centerline cutouts from the melon.
6. Use a melon baller or slice the reserved watermelon pulp to make small pieces. Repeat to make small pieces of honeydew melon and cantaloupe, as desired, until the watermelon bowl is almost full. Slice strawberries, kiwi, and star fruit, adding the pieces to the bowl.
7. Cut several lengths of blue and red wire long enough to create the basket "handle." Thread blueberries onto the wires and insert the cut ends into the sides of the basket.
8. Using a star-shaped cookie cutter, cut stars out of thick slices of watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew. Place the melon stars on wooden skewers, adding blueberries between the pieces of fruit inside the watermelon.
