Something For The 4th.
When you are looking for … Something for the 4th.
Our Dueling BBQ Sandwiches
Waldorf For The 4th.
Brunswick Stew with Dried Okra
See Recipe For Our Brunswick Stew and Our Barbeque Here:
We Used This Barbeque Recipe on our Dueling BBQ Sandwiches
Grilled Bread, Micro-Greens, our Barbeque, our Ground Turkey BBQ, our Pickled Red Onions,
Yellow Mustard and Pickles
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Grilling Tomatoes
We Also Used Some of These Tomatoes Here in Our:
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Our 4th. Table
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Grilled Tomatoes With Peppers, Spring Onions, and Micro Greens
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Plates are Heaped, Appetites are a GO!
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Gravy Layered Scalloped Potato Casserole
Garnished with Cheese and Bacon Stuffed Peppers
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Although the Bar-B-Que Cups listed below are not featured here in our 4th. dinner, the meat recipe that went into them is.
They are part of our Dueling BBQ Sandwiches.
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Without a doubt these Bar-B-Que Cups on their own would be a hit with anyone, especially children and teens.
Julie’s Bar-B-Que Cups
This delicious dinner is from my childhood. I don’t know where my mother got the recipe from but she would make these for me and my little brothers and we loved them. I have changed the recipe somewhat to make it a bit more healthy but trust me, you will LOVE them!
Ingredients:
-Pillsbury Refrigerator Biscuits, 12 ounces.
(I used 3 cans)
You want to spread each biscuit into each muffin tin cup before adding the meat mixture.
2-3 pounds ground meat, (we used ground turkey)
You can use ground beef or ground chicken.
Brown the meat in a sauce pan, drain fat.
-1 small onion, chopped
-1 small red bell pepper, chopped
(Saute the onion and bell pepper in olive oil until softened)
Add to the ground meat mixture.
2 cups Bar-b-que sauce, any kind.
(You can eyeball how much that you want according to your own personal taste. Add to meat mixture).
1 cup brown sugar (we used Splenda brown sugar). Add to meat mixture.
Once all the ingredients have been added you want to bring the mixture to a boil so that it can thicken, about 20 minutes or so.
Place the meat mixture into each muffin tin cup that already has a biscuit flattened in the bottom.
Bake in a 350* oven for about 25 minutes or so. Then remove and add the topping, cheese.
Topping: Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated.
This goes on top of the Bar-b-que cups the last 5 minutes of cooking.
Place the cheese on top of each muffin cup then place back into the oven for an additional 5 minutes of cooking.
Then remove from the oven and let cool.
Perfect!
Just Like This!
Let cool. Then serve.
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However……
We had frozen some of the Bar-B-Que Cups ground meat in our freezer and brought it out just for this.
Here you can see some of our Pulled Pork BBQ in one pot, and our Bar-B-Que Cup meat in the other pot.
Here we took our Grilled Bread and added some Micro-Greens, then some of our Pulled Pork BBQ…
then, on the other half, some of our Bar-B-Que Cup meat mixture…
adding some of our homemade Pickles, and Pickled Red Onions.
Yellow Mustard Comes Next
Our Delicious Dueling BBQ Sandwiches
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Our 4th. Recipes Start Here
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Grilled Tomatoes With Peppers, Spring Onions and Micro Greens
Ingredients:
10 Plum Tomatoes – cut in half with seeds removed
~3 Tbsp. Roasted Garlic Infused Olive Oil – regular Olive Oil will also work
1 Tbsp. Freshly Ground Black Pepper
2-3 Tbsp. Pizza Palooza Seasonings – Italian Seasoning will also work
8-10 Sweet Cherry Peppers – Conchita Brand
2-3 Tbsp. Sweet Cherry Pepper juice
3 Spring Onions – sliced thinly
1/2 Cup Broccoli Micro Greens
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Slice the tomatoes in half and remove the seeds.
Do this for all the tomatoes and place them in a large bowl.
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The bread in the above picture was used in two different recipes.
It is some nice crusty artisan bread which I grilled later on in this recipe.
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Add your Olive Oil, Freshly Ground Black Pepper, and Italian Seasoning to the mixing bowl.
Mix the Tomatoes Lightly
Here I heated the grill for about 5 min. on high.
Doing this will give the tomatoes a nice char.
Turn the grill down to medium and place the tomatoes cut side down as shown.
When you place them on the grill DON’T move them.
Here I am grilling the bread to give it a nice toast.
Here you can see the bread is getting a nice toast after just a few minutes grilling time on each side.
This bread is toast!
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By not moving them, you can see they all have nice grill marks. This took about 8 min. grilling time.
Turn them over and grill them for an additional 3 min. When done, place them back in the bowl.
Remove some of the Sweet Peppers from the jar and place them in the bowl with the grilled tomatoes.
Slice your Spring Onions thinly as shown and add them to the bowl.
Add some of your Sweet Pepper Juice to the bowl as well.
This juice gave the tomatoes a great flavor.
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Add your Broccoli Micro Greens to the bowl and mix gently.
Place them in a decorative bowl and proudly serve them to your guests!
These were so good!
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Gravy and Cheese Layered Scalloped Potato Casserole
Garnished with Cheese and Bacon Stuffed Peppers
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Ingredients:
~20 Medium Sized Potatoes – sliced thinly
1 Pkg. Bacon – cooked
4 Tbsp. Butter
~2 Tbsp. Bacon Fat
~ 6 Tbsp. Flour
~2 1/2 Cups Milk
~1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
~ 4 Tbsp. Old Bay Seasoning
(Around 1 Tbsp. and a 1/2 in the Gravy, and the rest distributed throughout the recipe.)
Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste
~2 Tbsp. Roasted Garlic Infused Olive Oil – or regular Olive Oil
~ 2 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
~10 Red Chili Peppers
~ 2 Cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
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Here I used a mandolin to slice the potatoes thinly.
You can also use your knife skills to cut the potatoes.
Here we are cooking the bacon to just about done, so that when the peppers are stuffed, the bacon will finish cooking.
Here are all the sliced potatoes.
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Now to make the Bechamel Sauce or also called a gravy, we start by making a roux.
Using a cast iron skillet or large skillet, melt your butter and bacon fat over medium heat.
Heat the fats slowly as shown.
When the fats are melted add your equal parts of flour.
Stir the flour into the fat as shown and continue to stir. You want the flour and fat to look like wet sand. If the mixture is too wet, add more flour as I am doing. If you accidentally add too much flour, correct it by adding more fat. Cook the flour for at least 3 min. to get rid of the flour taste. I like to cook it a little more to obtain a tan color. This also gives the gravy a slight nutty taste.
HINT: The more you cook your roux, the less thickening power it has to make your gravy.
I would not take it much past the tan color.
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When the flour is at the color you like, add your milk and Heavy Cream.
Here I am using a flat wooden spatula, but you can use a whisk if needed to get out any lumps. After a few minutes, you will slowly start to see the mixture thicken. Now you have made a Gravy. You may need to add more milk if the mixture becomes too thick. When completed, you should be able to move your spatula through the gravy making a line.
Now, you can add your Old Bay to the gravy.
Turn the heat off and stilr the seasoning well into the gravy.
Taste the mixture.
Here I am adding the pepper and a little more Old Bay. Taste the gravy again and adjust the seasoning if needed.
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Use Olive Oil and a brush or paper towel to coat the inside of your baking dish.
I used Roasted Garlic Infused Olive Oil, but any Olive Oil will work.
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Here I am cutting off the stem end of the peppers.
Remove the seeds with a small knife if needed and set them aside.
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Here the gravy has been sitting and cooling.
You may want to add a touch of milk to this to make it a bit more creamy.
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Here we cooked the bacon in our microwave.
You can see the bacon isn’t fully cooked as it will cook further when the casserole is cooked.
I am draining the excess Bacon Fat into a Ball Jar for later use.
Always save that great flavor!
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Just stirring up the gravy… looks amazing!
Start making the casserole by adding a thin layer of gravy to the bottom of the casserole dish.
Then add a layer of potatoes.
Place the potatoes in a single layer as shown.
Now, grate your Cheddar Cheese over the potatoes.
I added a little more Old Bay to the cheese.
We love our Old Bay!
Now, start again with the gravy but this time in dollops as shown.
Then add a layer of potatoes.
Now, more cheese and Old Bay and you are done!
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To make the stuffed peppers, slice the peppers down one edge making it easy to stuff.
Add your Mozzarella to the pepper then top with a section of bacon.
Top the casserole with the stuffed peppers as shown.
Wrap the casserole with foil then place it in a preheated 400’F oven.
Bake the casserole for about 40 min. or until the potato is cooked.
Here you can see the completed casserole!
Serve the casserole making sure all your guests get a stuffed pepper!
Enjoy!
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Waldorf For The 4th.
A Salad is Always Nice
Something Cool and Crisp
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You Can’t Go Wrong With Apples, Grapes, and Crunchy Sweets
Ingredients:
4 Tbsp Lemon Juice
3 Red Delicious Apples – sliced into chunks
3 Granny Smith Apples – sliced into chunks
2 Celery Stalks – sliced thinly
Zest of one Lemon
2 Cups Cotton Candy Grapes
2 Cups Red Grapes
~ 1 1/2 Cups Walnuts
~1 Cup Lite Sweet Vidalia Onion Salad Dressing – Ken’s Steak House Brand
1/2 Cup Glazed Walnuts and Cranberries
2-3 Heads Bibb Lettuce
Garnish with festive Tortilla Strips
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Add your lemon juice to a large bowl.
The lemon juice helps to prevent the apples from turning brown.
Cotton Candy Grapes
They really do taste like cotton candy!
Slice one apple at a time to prevent them from browning.
Coat the apple slices with the lemon juice before slicing.
Remove the core of the apple by slicing it away.
Slice the rest of the apple into chunks as shown.
Slice the Granny Smith Apple the same way.
Place all the apple slices into the bowl and stir to coat with the lemon juice.
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Slice your Celery Stalks into small pieces and add them to the bowl.
Zest your Lemon into the bowl and the also add your Cotton Candy Grapes.
Now add your Red Grapes to the bowl.
Then add your Walnuts
I like to add a good amount of the Salad Dressing to coat all the ingredients well.
Mix the ingredients then add your Glazed Walnuts and Cranberries.
This will give the salad a nice sweetness.
You can serve this right away or let it chill in the refrigerator overnight.
When ready, place your Bibb Lettuce around a large platter.
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Add your Waldorf Salad to the center of the platter being sure to expose some of the Bibb Lettuce.
Garnish the salad with some more Glazed Walnuts and Cranberries and serve, or garnish with some Red, White, and Blue Tortilla Strips.
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Eat, Drink, and be Merry!
Enjoy the Holiday!
Any Holiday with Family and Friends is a Good One!
Happy Independence Day!
Julie and Gordon