a thread to lighten things up here in a biz section. After the few threads that got heated. Lets use this one to lighten things up. Everyone has to be in a good mood. Holiday coming up. BBQs burning food into an unrecognizable pile of ashes. Drunk relatives falling into the garbage cans. People forgetting to keep the potato salad cold. People running to the bathroom. LETS GET HAPPY
Mike
Good Idea! What's everybody making for the 4th of July? I'm thinking cakeballs with patriotic sprinkles 
Hey Mike! OK -- how about I write about comparing ML and FD pans. 
JUST KIDDING.
Yikes.
Anyway -- here's a recipe for Fourth-of-July Pie.
Fourth-of-July Pie
o ½ cup pecans, divided
o 1 ½ cups bran cereal, packed and measured, then coarsely crushed
o ¼ cup light brown sugar
o 1/3 cup butter, melted
o 1 quart vanilla ice cream, softened
Blueberries, strawberries, and banana.
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 9â glass pie plate. Finely chop 1/3 cup of the pecans, reserve the rest whole for topping. In a small bowl, mix chopped pecans, bran cereal, and melted butter. Press mixture on bottom and sides of pie plate. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool completely.
Spread softened ice cream into prepared crust. Freeze 4 hours, or cover tightly with plastic wrap, and freeze up to 1 week. Before serving, top with whole pecans, ½ cup sliced strawberries, ¼ cup blueberries, and 1 small sliced banana (first toss banana slices in 1 teaspoon of lemon juice to prevent browning. This recipe is NEITHER scratch nor mix. And it is not meant to be US-centric. Please name it whatever you'd like. 
My man n kids r caked out. We will prolly have just bbq and boxes snack cakes.
YEAH to this!!!
I am so looking forward to watching the kiddies in the pool. They all have so much fun when they are all together...and I am certainly looking forward to coming up with something to make with all of the wonderful blackberries we picked in the yard yesterday!!! (any ideas?)
a thread to lighten things up here in a biz section. After the few threads that got heated. Lets use this one to lighten things up. Everyone has to be in a good mood. Holiday coming up. BBQs burning food into an unrecognizable pile of ashes. Drunk relatives falling into the garbage cans. People forgetting to keep the potato salad cold. People running to the bathroom. LETS GET HAPPY Mike
been to a few of my family's BBQs have you?
tho, forget the burgers---
make it bratwurst marinated in beer laced w/ onions and garlic. Par-boiled and then grilled to perfection on a big ol' hoagie role w/ german mustard, german potato salad, roasted corn, 6-hour baked beans, beer, the ever present Midwest jello salad mold, and ice cream for dessert.
I have a wedding on the 4th. This will be the first holiday DH is not working and I am 
.
I have decided to avoid my relatives (drunk and otherwise) and come home when I finish my cake. I am thinking some nice baked beans, likely a pecan pie (DH fave) and I want to make cole slaw. Never made it before! Ooo, maybe put some corn on the cobb on the grill. That sounds good too. Why do I have a feeling I am going to cook waaaayy too much food...
the lone canadian just celebrated (lol) we get to kick off summer a littler earlier than you guys-i had to work though but was off in time to bring the kids out to watch the fireworks-they were really nice this year (from a small town) looking forward to days at the beach and pinacoladas(?)
I am sooo looking forward to the 4th. I have the day off from work, will put my flag out bright and early, my small town USA has 4th at the park with food stands and lots of arts and crafts, my pool temp is up to 90°, I have steaks ready for the grill, I have a perfect view from my upstairs screened in porch of the town fireworks. Yeah, life will be good for me that day.
I am thinking I don't want to bake and would like to make a jello like the flag, only not with fruit. I would love to try that Mexican decorating with jello and make a blue area of jello and inject the milk jello for the stars. Not sure yet what to do for the stripes and how I could get crisp lines using red jello and the milk jello. Any ideas?
Doug, oh Doug...
I will definitely have to prepare those brats as you stated. The question is should I take the credit or give it to you?
DH may leave me and propose to you if I tell him you told me to marinate in beer...
LOL!!!!!!
raised on brats from Sheboygan, MI.
BRATS
I only know the "company's comin'" recipe.
about 15lbs of bratts in a big ol pot (at least 20 qt) 3 or 4 large sweet onions sliced (these will be retrieved to be grilled to go on the bratts) and at least 5 or so cloves of garlic finely minced. Put all that in the pot and then drown in beer -- bratts should be able to float a bit (that's a LOT of beer).
soak OVERNIGHT.
about an hour -1/2 before time to grill, put pot on big burner and bring to a simmer. Hold until bratts cooked fully though (the old kill the trichinosis precaution).
now take those hot bratts and put on the grill --LOW INDIRECT heat -- gray covered coals. Turn frequently so they brown evenly USING TONGS -- that shalt NOT spear a bratt w/ a fork!!!! it should take about 15-20 minutes at low heat -- be gentle -- don't rush!
when crispy, golden brown and about to pop open .. serve on hoagie roll w/ mustard, ketchup and the now grilled onion slices.
my version of german potato salad....
5 lbs red potatos -- cut into quarters and boiled until "almost" soft.
1 lb bacon -- grilled until crispy --- remove, cool, crumble
Reserve bacon grease in skillet.
toss in cup or so of finely chopped onion -- cook till translucent.
add 1 cup white or cider vinegar.
stir up real well.
pour over potatoes (which must be in heat proof bowl)
sprinkle on finely minced dill and the bacon crumbles
toss to coat potatoes evenly.
CHILL! till very cold.
terrible for the arteries but OH SO GOOD!
multi-hour baked beans
(warning -- we do this "to taste" in my family, not by measurement -- so all measurements are "close" but not accurate)
CHEAT -- start w/ 6 to 8 can of canned beans -- cheapest you can find.
add about 1/2 lb dark brown sugar.
add about 1/4 jar of molasses
1 lb of bacon, separated into strips and each strip cut into about 1in wide pieces
1 to 2 large onions (depends on how large, large is, and sweetness, etc. I tend toward 2)
big squirt of ketchup (up to half bottle or more -- and yes, I've use a whole 32 oz bottle before!)
big squirt of spicy brown mustard (this one really done by taste)
big squirt of yellow mustard (ditto on by taste)
this will be one big runny mess -- don't worry.
put on large burner and bring to simmer while stirring it up real well being sure to get the sugar dissolved.
transfer to 250degree oven.
leave there stirring about once every 1/2 hour, being sure to scrap the stuff on the sides down into the beans.
cook until reduced by 1/2 -- this can take about 4 to 5 hours or more
will now be thick and rich!
(and when cold will be a near solid mass)
(if while cooking too much bacon grease rises to top to suit you, mop it up w/ a paper towel --- but I never do this, I just stir it back in!)
again deadly to the arteries but oh so good.
My Aunt Ruth's traditional Jello Mold (and that's said AWUNT not ant)
2 pkgs lime jello
1 small can of crushed pineapple NOT drained.
1 8oz container of cottage cheese (creamy or dry doesn't matter -- tho' small curd works best)
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup of walnuts chopped fine.
make jello using only 3 cups of water instead of full four.
chill until partially set.
dump in rest of stuff and mix well.
toss in mold -- preferably a bundt pan shaped mold.
chill until fully set.
to finish, fill hole in mold w/ sour cream
slice and serve w/ a dollop of the sour cream on each slice.
(and yes, I DID eat this as a child -- not so sure any more tho')
I am going home to Kansas. My DD will spend a lot of time with MIL and FIL while I hang out with the hubby. And there is plenty of family to do the cooking, so I am relaxing all weekend. I have made it a four day weekend as well! Yippee can't wait. When I get back I may work on a birthday cake for myself. It is my birthday next week! July is soo busy!
been to a few of my family's BBQs have you?
tho, forget the burgers---
make it bratwurst marinated in beer laced w/ onions and garlic. Par-boiled and then grilled to perfection on a big ol' hoagie role w/ german mustard, german potato salad, roasted corn, 6-hour baked beans, beer, the ever present Midwest jello salad mold, and ice cream for dessert.
YUM-that sounds SO good! Now it's 9:30am and I'm starving for brats!
This is my favorite time of the year!! I love to watch my kids' eyes light up at the fireworks. We are hosting the BBQ this year, burgers, hotdogs and a build your own brownie ice cream sundae table! Oh ya and a horseshoe tournament. Happy 4th of July everyone!!
Allright We had brats the other night for din din. Doug the tater salad sound great. I think I'll make some. I'm thinking about cream puffs. I might even get some puff going today, and do something with that. OH I can't tell you how much I live for the PUFF.
Mike
Allright We had brats the other night for din din. Doug the tater salad sound great. I think I'll make some. I'm thinking about cream puffs. I might even get some puff going today, and do something with that. OH I can't tell you how much I live for the PUFF. Mike
and your recipe would be????????? come on - cough it up!
We are refinishing the deck in the house we just bought. Yay :/
I'm going to make my grandmother's potato salad for the first time. Haven't had it since I was a kid, but I know it's waaaay better than the crap around here!
Allright We had brats the other night for din din. Doug the tater salad sound great. I think I'll make some. I'm thinking about cream puffs. I might even get some puff going today, and do something with that. OH I can't tell you how much I live for the PUFF. Mike
and your recipe would be????????? come on - cough it up!
For the puff dough? Or after the puff? After I'm thinking just different flavored pastry creams. Let me look up Puff recipe.
Mike
What a great topic!! We are going to start a little early. A friend is having everyone over tomorrow night for food and fireworks and then on the 4th our town has a parade and a big "party" of sorts out at the park. It is usually fun and the kids love it!! Then the optimist club has a big fireworks show later that night. The only thing that could make it better would be if we lived on the beach or had a pool!! LOL
OH!! And ment to say thanks for the recipes!!! They sound wonderful!!
Mike, anxiously waiting for your puff recipe!!
The Puff Baby.
The Detrampe:
13 oz AP flour-sifted
3 oz Unsalted butter-COLD
7 oz water COLD
Cut the butter into small pieces. Cut the butter into the flour, till pea/cornmeal size. Form a well into the flour pour water into it. Slowly work the flour into the water. It will be a gooey mess. Keep bringing in the flour till you can almost form a ball of gooey dough. Mkae sure all the flour is in corporated, but not a solid mass. Roll out onto floured bench. Knead till it comes together. Wrap in plastic wrap, refidgerate for 24 hrs.
I don't let mine sit that long. I will go back to it in about 4-5 hrs.
Now for the roll in. This recipe calls for 10 oz of roll in butter. With Puff you can go 1 to 1 even ratio with the flour. Make sure your dough, and butter are the same temp. This is very important. If the butter is softer it will just create a mess. If it's harder it will tear the dough, and you won't get good layers.
on a lightly floured bench roll dough to 12x15 rectangle. Lay the butter on 2/3 of the dough evenly. Fold over the part that didn't have the butter. Then fold the butter part over that making a tri-fold. Roll this out to a 12x15 again. Then make another tri-fold. Make sure your edges are all nice, and even. Let rest for a few hrs., or at least till it gets good, and
cold. When you gpo to roll out this layer make sure the folds are away for you. Roll out another 12x15 make a tri-fold. This is turn 2 you need to get to turn 6. Back in the fridge. Always keep the fold away from you. This will give it the layers it needs. Around turn 4 the dough will start to turn satiny looking. It will also start to form some bubbles. This is all good. Keep your edges straight, keep your folds away before you roll out again.
That is the basic dough. From here it can go many places. Bake it in a 400 oven till good, and golden.
All of this before baking
Cut it into shapes. I like T. Bear shapes.
Cut into 3x15 strip for Napoleans
Now for the UMPF LOL. take a pork tenderloin bake until 115. Tkae it out let it rest a few minutes for juices to drain some. Wrap in some PUFF back in 400 oven till Puff is done. Oh that is yummy.
One I think I will try. Roll out some puff, 9x13 poke holes to stop the rising. After baked cover with Lemon curd. Then with some Eclair paste pipe a lattice design to fit over that. Then bake separatly spread some, maybe pastry cream on top of the lemon curd. Then puit the lattice on top of that.
Mike
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