[1] A better-for-you July 4th dessert: berries with a bit of cake (photo © Driscoll’s).

[2] Buy enough berries for breakfast yogurt or red, white and blue ice cream (photo © Green Giant Fresh).

[3] Angel food cake. Here are a recipe and video to bake one from scratch, from Martha Stewart (photo © Martha Stewart).

We’ve made American flag cakes for July 4th before, including:

 
This year, we’re cutting back the calories with this flag cake (photo #1) made of fruit skewers and squares of angel food cake: little bits of cake and lots of berries.

There’s an optional white chocolate dip.

If you skip the dip and buy the angel food cake and berries, this is a super-easy recipe.

Angel food cake, or angel cake (photo #3), is a type of sponge cake made from egg whites, flour, sugar, and a whipping agent, such as cream of tartar. There is no butter or other fat.

The airy texture comes from whipped egg whites.

Angel food cake originated in the U.S. and became popular in the late 19th century. The first known recipe for a “white sponge cake” is in Lettice Bryan’s The Kentucky Housewife, published in 1839.

Thanks to Driscoll’s Berries for the recipe.
 
 
RECIPE: AMERICAN FLAG FRUIT SKEWERS

If you prefer, you can substitute mozzarella cheese for the angel food cake. If so, serve a balsamic glaze instead of the chocolate dip.
 
Ingredients For 9 Skewers

 
For The White Chocolate Dipping Sauce

 
Preparation

1. CUT 10 slices of the angel food cake in ½-inch thickness. Toast in a large skillet or grill pan until grill marks appear. Let the slices cool.

2. CUT 26 squares in ½ x ½ inch pieces and 8 stars in approximately ¾-inch pieces. You can hand cut these or use a mini star cookie cutter. Then, place a blueberry in the middle of the star.

3. ASSEMBLE the skewers, in three different combinations.

5. MAKE the White Chocolate Dipping Sauce. In a small saucepan, combine the butter and cream. Place the saucepan over low heat, stirring until the butter and cream come to a low simmer. Watch this carefully as mixture will burn easily.

6. PLACE the chopped chocolate in a bowl and pour the hot cream over the chocolate, stirring until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth and creamy. Stir in the vanilla and serve at room temperature.

Our favorite drink holder for beer and soda is the new Zak Hydration 12 Ounce Double Wall Stainless Steel Can and Bottle Cooler with Vacuum.

That’s a long way to say that this handy cooler holds a standard can of beer of soft drink, a slim can, or a bottle of beer.

The vacuum insulated device has a stainless steel outer wall and a stainless inner wall, topped by a silicone collar.

And if you’re pouring iced tea or iced water, just remove the collar and use it as a thermos tumbler to keep your beverage cold.

The materials are break-resistant, durable, BPA-free and condensation free.

And they work! Our can of soda, taken from the fridge, would normally be warm in 90 minutes.

Four hours later, when we finally finished the can, the soda was as cold as when it left the fridge.

Get them for patio and pool, computer table or TV table. Your beverage will stay at the temperature you placed in there.

Available in four colors (raspberry color not shown), this insulated holder keeps cans and bottles as cold as when they came from the fridge (photo © Zak Designs).

[1] The easiest July 4th waffles (photo © Amoretti).

[2] The easiest July 4th charcuterie plate (photo © Di Bruno Bros).

If you didn’t get enough July 4th recipes from our post last week, here are two more.

Both couldn’t be easier.
 
 
Breakfast Waffles

Just drop blueberries and raspberries into the honeycomb wells on waffles.

Add a bit of crème fraîche, ricotta or whipped cream.

You can do the same with a waffle dessert, first adding a zigzag or pool of chocolate sauce to the plate.
 
 
Charcuterie Board

It doesn’t get simpler than this: sliced sausage stars and prosciutto stripes.

You could slice some mozzarella or provolone to add a white strip between the prosciutto.

Serve with:

For July 4th, would you like more than ketchup or mustard on your hot dogs?

Zatarain’s asked six home chefs to take hot dogs to the next level, with these 6 regional recipes.

They used Zatarain’s Cajun Style and Andouile Smoked Sausages, 100% pork sausages with no artificial colors or flavors, no byproducts or MSG; and gluten free.

Zatarain’s Smoked Sausages (photo #3) are available at Sam’s Club, select grocery stores across the country and coming soon to Kroger.

But the recipes will work with any frankfurters.

After all, a frankfurter is a just thinner pork sausage with somewhat different seasonings, parboiled and ready to eat.

(Franks need only be heated in hot water for about eight minutes, which prevents the skin from bursting. Those of us who like them more crisp with the skin burst use direct heat: broiler, fry pan or grill.)
 
 
> The History Of Hot Dogs
 
 
SIX REGIONAL HOT DOG RECIPES

Colorado: Nick Evans, otherwise known as Macheesmo, is paying homage to Denver’s favorite hot dog stand, Biker Jim’s, with his take on their classic hot dog: grilled and served with caramelized onions and cream cheese (photo #2). (Editor’s note: try chive or olive cream cheese.)

Kansas City: Kasim Hardaway is adding the taste of his hometown to his rendition of a grilled sausage dog with classic Kansas City BBQ sauce. It’s topped with crispy onion straws and served with classics like baked beans and coleslaw.

New Orleans: Yvette Jemison of Y Delicacies combines Cajun classics with a Grilled Andouille Dog topped with jambalaya with a pickled trinity topping* (photo #1).

Southern California: Derek Campanile of Dad with a Pan was inspired by the flavorful Mexican street corn that’s become an ubiquitous snack throughout the Golden State. He created an Andouille Elote Dog topped with seasoned grilled corn, a cilantro aïoli and cotija cheese.

South Florida: Robyn Lindars of Grill Girl highlights the Caribbean and Cuban influences in her state with a recipe perfect for the hot summer: a grilled Andouille sausage dog topped with mango and black bean salsa.

Texas: Jess Pryles, a self-proclaimed hardcore carnivore and Texan by choice, is putting her Texas spin on Zatarain’s Andouille Smoked Sausage: perfectly grilled, stuffed into a BBQ-sauce-lathered Mexican bolillo roll and topped with a spicy jalapeño slaw.
 
 
MORE HOT DOG RECIPES

[1] New Orleans-Style: a grilled Andouille dog topped with jambalaya and a pickled trinity topping (photo © Yvette Jemison).

[2] Colorado-Style: caramelized onions and cream cheese (photo © Nick Evans).

[3] Zatarain’s Smoked Sausages (photo © McCormick).

*The holy trinity of Cajun and Creole cooking comprises bell pepper, celery and onion. While this combination is cooked as the base of most savory dishes Cajun and Creole main dish, in this recipe you can pickle them in as little as one hour for a delicious garnish.
  

[1] Beef and mushroom broth with sliced portabella mushrooms, garnished with nasturtium leaves (tangy and peppery), sliced radishes and nori (seaweed) (photo © South Fork Kitchen & Bar).

[2] Vietnamese-style broth with scallions, tofu, noodles, onions and a cilantro garnish (photo © Nguyen Phuong Nguyen | Pexels).

[3] Familiar veggies: celery, leeks, onion, zucchini, parsley (photo © Foodism 360 | Unsplash).

Pesce en brodo (PESH-ay en BRO-doe) is a classic Italian seafood soup, serving the fillet in a light broth with vegetables.

See our article on how to make pesce en brodo, a light and luscious—and
easy to make—summer main.

Tortellini en brodo is a pasta version.

But how about verdure en brodo (vehr-DOO-ray), vegetables in broth?

It’s a light soup dish for summer, perfect as a first course in beef, chicken, fish or vegetable broth, or as a main course with added protein like tofu—or a tweak with a few shrimp or scallops.

You can also add noodles: spaghetti or linguine, glass noodles (a.k.a. cellophane noodles) or rice noodles*.
 
 
WHERE TO BEGIN

If you’re not the type of cook who relishes making broth from start, it’s easy to make with purchased broth.

Then, simply stroll the produce aisle for the vegetables.

Go beyond the obvious contenders—button mushrooms, carrots, celery, green beans, peas. They’re fine but there’s much more. How about:

 
The variations are endless, and your produce aisle will inspire you.

Don’t skimp on the veggies: Make your soup chock-full of them.
 
 
RECIPE: VEGETABLES EN BRODO

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. COOK the ingredients in the broth. Garnish as desired and serve.
 
 
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*Both glass noodles and rice noodles are Chinese-style noodles, but they differ in their main ingredient. Rice noodles are made from rice flour and water, while glass noodles are made from mung bean flour and water. Glass noodles are also known as bean thread noodles, cellophane noodles or transparent noodles.