Funfetti for a fun July 4th.Photo by Elvira Kalviste | THE NIBBLE.
If you’re planning July 4th festivities, start with breakfast. Hungry Jack has a patriotic pancake mix for Independence Day: Funfetti Stars & Stripes Pancake Mix.
There are neither stars nor stripes in the mix, but teeny red and blue candy bits* that provide specks of color. They’re too small to add significant flavor or texture to the pancakes, but they are, as the product name says, fun. And the pancakes are delicious.
If you want to make more of an impact, you can make special July 4th pancakes with:
If your family loves potato salad, you can turn it into a main course—a “dinner salad.” Toss in some green beans, add a Caesar-type dressing, and you have an all-in-one dish. It packs flavor and nutrition and uses just five ingredients are needed to create this dish!
The recipe is courtesy of BeefItsWhatsFordDnner.com. It yields 4 servings; prep time 30 minutes; cook time 25 minutes.
RECIPE: BEEFY POTATO SALAD WITH GREEN BEANS
Ingredients
1 pound beef top sirloin, cut 3/4 to 1 inch thick
1/2 cup homemade or prepared vinaigrette dressing with Parmesan cheese, divided
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
3 cups cut green beans, fresh or frozen
Protein and sides in one dish. Photo courtesy Beef It’s What’s For Dinner.
The salad close up. Photo courtesy Beef It’s What’s For Dinner.
Preparation
1. CUT beef lengthwise in half, then crosswise into 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick strips.
2. COMBINE 1/4 cup dressing and beef in medium bowl. Cover and marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes to 2 hours.
3. HEAT 1 tablespoon oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add green beans; stir-fry 5 minutes. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil and potatoes; continue stir-frying 4 to 6 minutes or until potatoes and green beans are heated through and starting to brown. Remove from skillet; keep warm.
4. HEAT same skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add 1/2 of beef; stir-fry 1 to 3 minutes or until outside surface of beef is no longer pink. Do not overcook. Remove from skillet; add to vegetable mixture. Repeat with remaining beef.
5. ADD remaining 1/4 cup dressing to beef and vegetables; toss to coat thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper, as desired. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Variations
Steak: One pound beef top round steak, cut 3/4 to 1 inch thick, or flank steak may be substituted for top sirloin steak.
Potatoes: Four cups leftover cooked potato wedges may be substituted for refrigerated/frozen prepared potatoes.
Fresh goat cheese is one of our favorite foods. We’re always looking for new ways to use it. Since it spreads and melts easily, that’s not hard to do.
It’s called chèvre (SHEV) in French, which is the word for both the goat and its cheese.
Bagels and sandwiches. Use goat cheese instead of cream cheese. It’s delicious with smoked salmon. Layer it on sandwiches (we love goat cheese and grilled vegetables); toss it into wraps. Take a look at this tuna salad with goat cheese.
Dips, spreads and toppings. Just blend fresh goat cheese with herbs and spices. A simple recipe: blend with fresh thyme, cracked pepper and a bit of olive oil. Chives, dill, oregano and parsley are delicious additions.
One of our favorite first courses: beet and goat cheese Napoleons. Here‘s the recipe. Photo courtesy Ile de France.
Eggs. Fold into omelets or scrambled eggs. Add crumbled goat cheese on top of any egg mixture as it begins to cook.
Fish, meat and poultry. Goat cheese melts easily and is delicious with mains. Melt it over broiled or grilled fish for a tangy new topping (try this goat cheese stuffed salmon). Add some creaminess to steaks and chops. Take a look at this pork tenderloin with goat cheese.
What’s better than a cheese soufflé? A goat cheese soufflé! Here’s the recipe. Photo courtesy Ile de France.
Fruit. Goat cheese and fruit ise a simple but sophisticated dessert or snack. It’s as easy to serve as putting goat cheese and grapes on a plate. Many other fruits, from apples to pears, are perfect matches.
Pasta, Pizza, Risotto. Fresh goat cheese melts into hot pasta, creating its own sauce. Add diced tomatoes, vegetables and cracked pepper. Toss onto pizza before or after it goes into the oven. Make goat cheese mac and cheese. Or both! Add goat cheese to risotto along with the Parmesan.
Salad. Goat cheese is delicious in a green salad with vinaigrette. You can crumble it or top the salad with sliced disks from a log (here’s hot to fry disks of cheese for the salad). It’s delicious with grapefruit, in endive leaves, with spinach and beets…. Now we’re getting hungry!
It’s tart and sweet and lightly fizzy with a hint of mint.
It’s a refreshing soft drink and a delicious mixer for beer, gin, tequila, vodka or iced tea.
It’s Limonitz.
“Itz lemonade only better,” says the website. Except that itz British-style lemonade. North American lemonade isn’t carbonated; U.K. lemonade is.
But itz a treat however you define it. For perfection, we’d add some fresh mint, as the family originally made the drink. At home it was called “Daddy’s Lemonade.” After years as a special family tradition, they decided to bottle it.
Limonitz is certified kosher by the Orthodox Union (OU) and certified organic by the USDA.
Additional flavors are coming out this summer. We can’t wait.
