[2] Make matching cones. Here’s the recipe from Sweet Estelle.

You can create special ice cream for any special occasion, using store-bought vanilla ice cream and mix-ins in holiday colors.

The easiest way is to buy sprinkles, confetti and confetti shapes (hearts, pumpkins, stars, etc.—photo #2).

For example:

 
Preparation

1. SET the container on the counter until the ice cream is soft enough to mix in the decorations.

2. RETURN to the freezer until ready to serve.

TIPS: It’s easier to mix two separate pints than a quart or larger container. And it’s even easier than that to dip the edges of ice cream sandwiches into the sprinkles.
 
 
JULY 4TH TRIVIA

[1] The basic—hot dog, mustard, sauerkraut—at Murray’s Cheese.

[2] Bacon hot dogs from Vermont Cure. Bacon is mixed with the beef.

[3] Chili-cheese on turkey dogs from Jennie O.

[4] Chicago-style hot dog from Kindred Restaurant. Here are the signature hot dog recipes from 12 more cities.

July is National Hot Dog Month, a comfort food served in 95% of homes in the U.S. (June 23rd is National Hot Dog Day.)

According to the National Hot Dog & Sausage Council, Americans purchase 350 million pounds of hot dogs at retail stores—9 billion hot dogs!

The actual number of hot dogs consumed by Americans is much larger, incorporating those purchased from street vendors, at sporting events, state fairs, carnivals, etc. The Council estimates Americans consume 20 billion hot dogs a year, more than twice the retail sales figures.

That computes to about 70 hot dogs per person each year; which sounds like a lot but is just 6 hot dogs a month.

 
HOT DOG BACKGROUND

 
HOT DOG BASICS

 
FUN HOT DOG RECIPES

 
HOT DOG VS. FRANKFURTER VS. WEINER

The hot dog traces its lineage to the 15th-century Viennese sausage, or wienerwurst in German; hence, wiener.

In the 17th century, Johann Georghehner, a butcher from the German city of Coburg in Bavaria, is credited with inventing the “dachshund” or “little dog” sausage—a slimmer version of wienerwurst. He brought it to Frankfurt, hence, frankfurter. Yet, it was still a sausage eaten German-style, with a knife and fork—no roll.

The hot dog, a slender sausage in a roll, was undeniably an American invention. The attribution is accorded to a German immigrant named Charles Feltman, who began selling sausages in rolls at a stand in Coney Island in 1871.

The 1893 World Exposition in Chicago marked the debut of the hot dog vendor. According to National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, around this time that the hot dog first made its first appearance at a ballpark, at a St. Louis Browns game. The first published mention of the term “hot dog” as a food appeared in print in a September 1893 issue of The Knoxville Journal. However, it was well established prior to then.

As the legend goes, frankfurters were dubbed the “hot dog” by a cartoonist who observed a vendor selling the “hot dascshund sausages” during a baseball game at New York City’s Polo Grounds. Concessionaires walked through the stands shouting, “Get your red-hot dachshund sausages.”

In 1906, Tad Dorgan, a cartoonist for a Hearst newspaper, was inspired by the scene and sketched a cartoon with a real dachshund dog, smeared with mustard, in a roll. Supposedly, Dorgan could not spell the name of the dog and instead wrote, “Get your hot dogs” for a caption.

However, Dorgan’s cartoon has never been located. and some hot dog historians suggest the “dachshund” sausages were being called hot dogs on college campuses in the 1890s.

“Little dog” sausages became standard fare at ballparks in 1893 when St. Louis bar owner and German immigrant Chris Von de Ahe, who owned the St. Louis Browns baseball team, began to serve them there…and started a tradition.

We present three recipes with photos, plus another 18 links below. Recipes #2 and #3 can be pulled together in just 10 minutes.
 
 
RECIPE #1: JELL-O FIRECRACKERS OR SHOTS

To celebrate July 4th, Kraft Recipes has developed this fun snack and dessert.

You can make it for any special occasion (Chanukah, Christmas, St. Patrick’s Day, Thanksgiving…) by varying the colors.

And…you can turn the recipe into Jell-O shots by adding vodka or tequila.

Ingredients For 20 Pieces

 
Preparation

To make the alcoholic shots, see Variation, below.

[1] and [2] Make fun Jell-O “firecrackers” for kids, or add vodka for Jell-O shots. Photos courtesy Kraft.

2. SPRINKLE the unflavored gelatin over 1/4 cup milk in a medium bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Bring the remaining milk to a boil in a saucepan. Remove from the heat, stir in the sugar and vanilla, and add to plain gelatin mixture. Stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Cool for 10 minutes.

3. SPOON the berry gelatin into 20 (1-ounce) plastic shot glasses sprayed lightly with cooking spray, adding 2 teaspoons to each. Refrigerate for 15 minutes or until set but not firm.

4. TOP with the unflavored gelatin mixture, adding 2 teaspoons to each cup. Refrigerate for 10 minutes. Insert a cherry, stem end up, into the white gelatin layer. Refrigerate for 2 minutes.

5. COVER with the cherry gelatin, adding 2 teaspoons to each cup. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm. Remove from the cups before serving on a platter or individual plates.

Variation With Alcohol: Prepare as directed, reducing the boiling water to 1 cup and dissolving the berry and cherry gelatin mixes in 1/2 cup boiling water each. Stir 1/4 cup vodka into each flavor of gelatin, then continue as directed.

Infuse the maraschino cherries in a glass jar. Add 1/2 cup vodka and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Then drain, pat dry and use as directed. (Yes, you can drink the alcohol you’ve drained.)

Variation Without Maraschino Cherries: Substitute small strawberries or blackberries for the cherries.
 
 
GELATIN VS. GELATINE: THE DIFFERENCE

It’s the same product. Gelatine is the British spelling and pronunciation (jell-a-TEEN in the U.K. versus jell-a-TIN in the U.S.).
 
 
EASY FRUIT DESSERTS
If you’d like to celebrate with fruit, bring home some a watermelon, some blueberries and your choice of creamy topping: Cool Whip, vanilla yogurt, yogurt or sour cream (the latter two sweetened as desired).

Both recipes are super-quick and easy and low in calories.

Two super-easy, red-white-and-blue fruit desserts: [3] fruit cup and [4] star “cake” (photos courtesy National Watermelon Promotion Board).

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. SCOOP watermelon balls into a glass serving bowl. Add the berries and sliced starfruit and toss with your hands to disperse. Cover with plastic and refrigerate until ready to use. To serve…

2. ADD the topping(s) or serve them on the side.
 
 
RECIPE #3: WATERMELON STAR “CAKE”

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. CUT a circle from the center of the melon, five inches thick or as desired.

2. REMOVE the rind and cut the fruit into a star shape. Cover in plastic and refrigerate until ready to serve.

3. ASSEMBLE: Frost the top and garnish with berries. As desired, pipe additional cream around the base, as shown in the photo.