It’s easy to make a special July 4th drink. Just “heat up” a pitcher of cold lemonade with bright red jalapeño slices. Toss in a few blueberries and you’ve got a red, white and blue theme.

For less heat, remove the seeds and the white connective tissue.

Don’t want any heat? Replace the jalapeño with bright red cherries.

Start with a can of frozen lemonade, or make your own with fresh lemons (there’s a link to the recipe below).

Try this homemade lemonade recipe. It’s so much better than store-bought.

Or, take advantage of peach season to make this yummy peach lemonade recipe.
 
  

The fledgling company didn’t make it; and since then, the hummus category has exploded even more. You can find hummus in dozens of flavors, mixed with other Middle Eastern specialties like babaganoush, tabouleh and yogurt.

The only thing missing: shelf-stable hummus. Hummus that you can keep in your locker or desk drawer, in your glove compartment, in your gym bag, for a protein-packed, better-for-you snack or light lunch.

Pacific Foods has risen to meet the need, with three flavorful varieties of shelf stable—Classic, Roasted Garlic and Roasted Red Pepper. They are made from the highest quality organic ingredients, including chickpeas, lemon juice, tahini, a touch of garlic and a pinch of sea salt.

How does shelf stable hummus compare to refrigerated or freshly made hummus?

Two of the three flavors of shelf-stable hummus (no refrigeration required). Photo courtesy Pacific Foods.

In our own office test, our favorite refrigerated varieties (including Tribe) won out, but Pacific was deemed more than worthy, with bonus points for convenience.

And according to the manufacturer, Pacific’s Classic Hummus has “one-third fewer calories and 40% less fat than the refrigerated hummus category leader.”

Look for them where you’d find the shelf stable salsas, in the chip aisle. They’re rolling out at Whole Foods Markets, and at other stores that carry the Pacific brand of organic products.

Priced at $3.39 to $4.29 (based on the individual retailer)per 12.75-ounce container, these convenient little boxes are begging to accompany you wherever you go.

Don’t forget a plastic spoon plus optional chips and veggies.

The recipe appeared in 1954, two years after the Lipton soup mix hit the market. The recipe “spread through Los Angeles faster than a canyon fire.” (Source: American Century Cook Book, Jean Anderson [Clarkson Potter:New York] 1997,p. 24.)

Newspapers printed the recipe and onion soup mix sales soared. Beginning in 1958, Lipton printed the recipe on every box of the soup mix.

As with the creator of German Chocolate Cake, a recipe that spread like wildfire throughout Texas, the identity of the original recipe developer has never been established. So if your grandmother or great-grandmother lived in L.A. in 1954 and claimed to have invented Lipton California Dip, it could be so.

Over the years, from-scratch onion dip recipes have taken turns with chives, leeks and scallions. Caramelized onions also have their fans.

Chips and caramelized onion dip. Photo by Elvira Kalviste | THE NIBBLE.

Heluva Good is a specialty producer of sour cream and sour cream-based dips. Find out more, and see the other dip flavors, at HeluvaGood.com.

You also can make your own caramelized onion dip. The recipe below takes just 10 minutes, plus chilling time.

Caramelized onions are delicious with any
savory foods. Photo courtesy Pompeian | FB.

Ingredients For 2 Cups

Preparation

1. HEAT oil in medium saucepan or frying pan over medium-low heat. Add the onions and sage. Cover and cook until onions are deep golden brown, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let cool.

2. WHISK together mayonnaise and sour cream in a medium bowl to blend. Stir in the cooled caramelized onions, salt, and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until flavors blend, about 2 hours.

MORE WAYS TO USE CARAMELIZED ONIONS

We consume them as quickly as we make them!

Often, we eat them right from the pan or as they’re cooling. But check out these uses for caramelized onions.

We launch this year’s series of red, white and blue July 4th foods with a crudité flag.

 
The flag was made by Heluva Good, which served the flag with its own sour cream-based dips.

But we think a blue cheese dip does the best job of Here’s a recipe.

Check out this bacon pizza American flag.

[1] Pork belly lettuce wraps: a real treat (photo © Sushi Samba).

[2] A slab of uncooked pork belly (phoco © The Country Victualler).

[3] Hearts of palm, a.k.a. palmito (photo © Trikaya).

[4] Butterhead lettuce, a category that includes Bibb and Boston. Here are the different types of Butterhead lettuce (photo © Good Eggs).

[5] You can purchase kuromitsu at Asian markets or online (photo © Locca | Amazon).

In honor of the World Cup Games in Brazil, Brazilian-Japanese fusion restaurant Sushisamba will be serving a signature dish from Chef Pedro Duarte: Kuromitsu Pork Belly Lettuce Wraps.

Kuromitsu is a Japanese sugar syrup, similar to but milder than molasses. We could eat an entire tray of these sweetly glazed pork belly treats. Consider them as a first course for Father’s Day dinner…or make all four and keep them for yourself.

> November 10th is National Pork Belly Day.

> The year’s 24 pork holidays.

> The year’s 27+ sandwich holidays.

> The different cuts of pork.

> The history of lettuce wraps is below.
 
 
The recipe follows. But first, we introduce you to kuromitsu, the Japanese glaze used in the recipe. It’s easy to make, and the recipe is below.
 
 
WHAT IS KUROMITSU?

Kuromitsu is a Japanese sugar syrup, typically made from unrefined Okinawan kurozato (black sugar). The term means “black honey”; it is similar to molasses but thinner and milder.

It is also called brown sugar syrup.

It is used to add sweetness to sweet Japanese dishes. It is one of the ingredients used in making wagashi, and it serves well with kuzumochi, fruits, ice cream, and cakes. Drizzle it on your choice of Japanese sweets, such as anmitsu, shiratama dango, kudzu mochi, warabi mochi, or kinako on toast. Or on western-style pancakes.

The syrup is also used in bubble tea recipes.

You can find premade kuromitsu in Asian products stores, but here’s a recipe below.
 
 
RECIPE #1: KUROMITSU GLAZED PORK BELLY LETTUCE WRAPS

Prepare the pork belly a day in advance in advance (6 hours marinating plus 4 hours cooking).

Ingredients For The Pork Belly Confit

Yield: four five-ounce servings.

 
The recipes for the lettuce wraps and kuromitsu follow.
 
Preparation

1. RUB the pork belly with the sugar/salt mixture and allow to marinate for 6 hours.

2. RINSE, pat dry, and submerge in a hotel pan (also called a steam table pan—a deep roasting pan will do) with the canola oil and bouquet garnish. Cover with tin foil and cook in the oven for 4 hours at 325°F.

3. REMOVE from the oil when the pork belly is soft and allow it to cool in the refrigerator with some weight on top. You can reuse the oil for another cooking process. When ready to serve…

4. MIX the lemon zest, palmito, and frisée to create the garnish. To plate, place 1 piece of pork belly on 1 piece of bibb lettuce. Brush the pork belly with kuromitsu glaze. Top with the fresh palmito-frisée salad. It’s delicious!
 
 
 
RECIPE #2: LETTUCE WRAPS

Ingredients Per Serving

 
Preparation

1. PREPARE the pork belly a day in advance in advance (6 hours marinating plus 4 hours cooking). To assemble:

2. MIX lemon zest, palmito, and frisée to create garnish. To plate, place 1 piece of pork belly on 1 piece of bibb lettuce. Brush pork belly with kuromitsu glaze. Top with the fresh palmito-frisée salad. It’s delicious!

Ingredients For 1 Cup

Thanks to Taste Of Zen for the recipe.

 
Preparation

1. PLACE the sugars and water in a nonstick pot and heat over medium heat. Once the sugars start to melt, shake the pot extensively while gently stirring with a wooden spoon. Do not over-stir or lumps can form. While stirring, add hot water a little at a time. The syrup may bubble and spurt; wear protective clothing to avoid burns. When the sugar is completely melted…

2. REDUCE the heat and simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. The syrup will thicken and a caramel-like aroma will emanate. If the syrup starts to lump or stick to the bottom of the pot, lower the heat.

3. REMOVE from heat and let cool. Store any extra syrup in an airtight glass jar at room temperature or in the fridge. It should keep for 2 to 3 months. Bring refrigerated syrup to room temperature before using (you can heat it for 10 seconds in the microwave).
 
 
THE BEST LETTUCE & VEGETABLE LEAVES FOR WRAP SANDWICHES

While the recipe above uses Bibb lettuce, we’re taking a moment to show you all the options for wrap sandwiches.

 
Beyond lettuce:

 

[6] Collard wraps (photo © David Venable | QVC).
 
 
THE HISTORY OF LETTUCE WRAPS

While Americans may think that lettuce wraps appeared out of nowhere in the 1990s, using leaves as edible wrappers is an ancient practice. Long before flatbreads* were common, people in many regions used large leaves (grape, cabbage, lettuce) to bundle fillings.

The best-known ancestor of today’s wraps is the Cantonese san choy bao (also spelled sang choy bow)—stir‑fried minced meat, mushrooms, water chestnuts, and aromatics spooned into crisp lettuce cups.

It likely emerged from southern Chinese banquet cuisine where. Variations appear in regional Chinese cooking with different lettuces and fillings (chicken, pork, seafood, tofu).

The concept of lettuce- and herb-wrapping expanded across Southeast Asia and became integral to dining.

 
Western Adoption

Lettuce wraps appeared in Chinese restaurants in North America in the late 20th century, then went mainstream in the 1990s. Chains such as P.F. Chang’s popularized chicken lettuce wraps in 1993, introducing the format to a broad audience.

From the 2000s onward, lettuce wraps have been embraced for their fresh, lighter alternative to bread and fitting in to low‑carb/gluten‑free eating trends (paleo, keto).

Chefs now use diverse fillings—tuna tartare, pulled pork, tofu, or grains—and a range of leaves (butter, romaine hearts, little gems, even cabbage) for texture and durability.

It’s so easy to make wraps at home.

Source: Abacus A.I.

[7] Lettuce wrap with canned salmon (photo © Chicken Of The Sea).
 
_______________

*Evidence dating to 12,400–14,500 years ago shows that hunter‑gatherers in northeastern Jordan made an unleavened flatbread from wild cereals—millennia before the start of farming. By the early agricultural era in the Fertile Crescent, 9,000–10,000 years ago, domesticated grains (emmer, einkorn, barley) were routinely ground and baked into flatbreads on hot stones, hearths, or tandir/tabun ovens.