Eating Healthy in a Tough Economy!

  

What is on your menu for your July 4^th Festivities?

July 4^th is an amazing day to celebrate the adoption of the declaration of independence.  This is a holiday that is steeped in tradition for our family.  When I think about traditions, it always includes food and lots of it!  My Grandma would always pack a picnic basket with fried chicken, potato salad, cucumber salad and of course, watermelon!  The day of the 4^th of July was spent at a local parade, all the community would be there and you would see friends and family that you had not seen since the year before at perhaps the same celebration.  As I grew up and had a family of my own, it was important to continue on some of the traditions with some additions to make it our own.

In our community, the fireworks display is typically on the 3^rd of July.  It is held at our local arena and the whole community seems to come out early and tale gaiting is the name of the game!  We are always invited to join in the fun.  You will see outdoor grilling with hamburgers and hot dogs, fruit salads and who can resist the decadent desserts!  Chocolate brownies and pies galore!  Again, a wonderful time to visit family and friends that you have not seen since the last year’s festivities and catch up on each other’s lives and goings on.

The fourth of July brings a family gathering with all the trimmings.  On the menu is typically barbecued chicken, hamburgers and hot dogs.  Added to the main course is potato salad, pasta salad, chips and lots of sweet desserts for the indulging.  To top off the day, homemade ice cream is a highlight of the day.  The first time I began this “tradition” I was a bit nervous, how could I pull this off for a large group?  I now have it down to a science!  The first rule, invite your guests early and when they offer to bring something, never turn them down!  Have a menu in mind and ask for those things such as side dishes and desserts.  Here is my plan for this year, barbequed chicken, hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill.  Potato salad, Cole Slaw salad and fruit salad, Texas sheet cake brownies and homemade ice cream for dessert, if I plan ahead, I will need to be sure to have the meat and the ice cream and may delegate some of the other items for guests to bring.

Barbecue Chicken

This is an in-expensive item for a large gathering.  The key to success is to prepare.  Be sure to thaw it out in plenty of time.  I usually try to find a sale on cut up chicken, if not, I buy a whole chicken and cut it up on my own.  This is the one time during the year that I am not fussy about taking the skin off.  After all, the skin lends itself to the chicken being nice and juicy and crunchy.  I begin by pre-baking the chicken.  It is important that you cook your chicken to the appropriate temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit and the hamburgers to 160 degrees Fahrenheit.  Be sure to have a meat thermometer and temp the meat before serving to your guests.

 I typically season the chicken; I like to use a rub I have on hand and bake in my oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes.  I work on the timing of this so that the chicken can go from the oven to the grill.  Be sure to preheat your grill and have the hamburger patties ready to go.  I then place the meat on the grill and coat with barbeque sauce.  The following is a recipe for my favorite homemade sauce.

Ranae's Barbecue Sauce

In a sauce pan, stir together 1/2 cup catsup, 1/4 cup chopped onion, 2 tbs. brown sugar, 1 tbls. prepared mustard, 1 tbs. water, 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce, 1/4 tsp. garlic powder and 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper.  Cook 2 minutes or until onion is tender.  Makes 3/4 cup (6 servings).

You can also find great buys on bottled sauce, I go for whichever one is more economical!

Next up is an easy twist on an old favorite!  My Grandma would make really great Cole Slaw.  Some of us in our family do not care for the sweet sauce of a slaw, and I have an easy remedy for this!  It is a Cesar Cole Slaw.

Caesar Cole Slaw

1 pkg. cabbage slaw mix

1 cup Caesar salad dressing

½ cup grape tomatoes halved

Mix all ingredients together, you can add parmesan cheese and croutons if you would like.  Chill for ½ hour and serve.

A traditional food on the menu in the summer months growing up was Texas sheet cake.  Nothing better and it makes a big quantity.  If you have left overs, they freeze nicely and you can take them out at a later time for a nice treat. 

Texas Sheet Cake

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk or sour milk (add 1 tsp. lemon juice to milk to sour)

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Chocolate Frosting:

1/4 cup butter

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

3 tablespoons milk

2 to 2 1/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup chopped pecans, optional

Cake
Grease and flour a 15X10X1-inch or jelly roll pan or a 13X9X2-inch baking pan; set aside. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In a medium saucepan combine 1 cup butter, 1/3 cup cocoa, and 1 cup of water. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. With an electric hand-held mixer on medium speed, beat chocolate mixture into the dry mixture until thoroughly blended

Add eggs, 1/2 cup of buttermilk, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla. Beat for 1 minute (batter will be thin). Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake in a 350° oven about 22 to 25 minutes for the 15X10-inch pan or about 30 to 35 minutes for the 13X9-inch pan, or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean.

Frosting:
In a medium saucepan combine 1/4 cup butter, 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, and 3 tablespoons buttermilk. Bring to a boil, stirring, over medium heat. Remove from heat; add 2 cups confectioners' sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until smooth. Add more confectioners' sugar or a little milk or more buttermilk, if needed, for a spreadable frosting. If desired, stir in 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans. Spread the warm frosting over the cake.

Pour warm chocolate frosting over the warm cake, spreading evenly. Place cake in pan on a wire rack; cool thoroughly before cutting.
Makes 24 servings.

Next up homemade ice cream!  One major item to remember, never use a recipe that calls for raw eggs!  This can be a tough concept if you are like me and the traditional family recipe called for raw eggs.  It is important from a food safety perspective.  Eggs can carry salmonella and this can make you really sick.  Either find a recipe that calls for cooking the eggs or find one that does not call for eggs.  I go with recipes that do not call for eggs.  If you do not have a freezer, you can try a recipe that makes ice cream in a bag or in your freezer.  The following is the recipe I  use and I am adding one for making it in a self-locking bag.

Ranae’s Ice Cream Recipe 

2 quarts half and half                                 4 tsp. vanilla extract

½ pint heavy cream                                    pinch of salt.

1 ½ cup white sugar

1.    Combine half and half, cream, sugar, vanilla and salt in freezer container of ice cream maker.  Freeze according to the manufactures instructions. 

 *My note:  The key is to layer the ice and have plenty of salt on each layer.  This helps the freezing process. 
 If you do not have an ice cream machine, you can make it in a bag!

Ice Cream in a Bag

1gallon size self-sealing freezer bag

1 pint size self-sealing freezer bag

4 cups ice

½ cup rock salt

½ cup 2% milk

½ tsp vanilla extract

1 Tbsp Sugar

Procedure: 

1. Pour milk, vanilla extract, and sugar into the small freezer bag.  Squeeze as much air out as possible and seal the bag carefully.
2. Place the small Ziploc bag down into the large bag.  Cover with the ice and salt.  Seal the large bag tightly.
3. Shake, toss, and flip the bag for 5 to 10 minutes.  If the bag gets too cold to handle, wrap it with a towel or pass from person to person.  Don’t open the large back to check the ice cream because it may not seal properly afterwards.
4.   Open both bags and spoon the ice cream into small cups.  Enjoy!

A final word, keep your celebration simple!  The main idea is to enjoy family and friends.  You can do very simple things to make your  food look festive!  Here is a pinterest idea to make your fruit salad look like the 4^th of July!

Fruit Salad 

You simply need watermelon cut out into star shapes, blueberries and strawberries.  You could also add bananas.  Serve this in a clear serving bowl and it will be the hit of your party!