How was your Fourth of July? We had front row seats of several displays of fireworks this year and the food was great!
I get tired of seeing people try to make desserts with flags made of strawberries, blueberries, etc. for the Fourth of July. BORING!
So, I decided to just use some tried and true recipes for the party I attended and they were a big hit!
First up…Strawberry Pizza!
This is a modified version of the “Strawberry Pizza” recipe I got from a friend when I lived in Kentucky. It looks good if you only use strawberries but I took it to the next level and added some raspberries and green grapes for definition. What do you think? Should I have stuck to just strawberries?
Recipe:
Crust – Mix together in a small bowl 1 cup all purpose flour, 1/4 cup powdered sugar and 1 stick softened butter. Spread crumbly mixture into 12″ pizza pan. Press dough down lightly with fingers. Bake at 325º for 15 minutes. Let cool.
2nd layer::
1 1/2 pkgs (12 oz total) softened cream cheese
1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp lemon juice
Blend until smooth in a mixer. Spread on cooled crust.
Mash 1 1/2 cups strawberries. Mix 6 Tbsp sugar and 2 Tbsp cornstarch together and add to saucepan. Cook until thick over medium high heat. Cool strawberry mixture and spread almost to the edge of the cream cheese layer. You can add a few drops of red food coloring if your strawberries were on the pale side.
Garnish with sliced strawberries that you’ve cut into thin slices and lay in a circular pattern. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.
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I also made a Toll House Chocolate Chip Pie. It came out beautifully but I think it needed another 5 minutes of cook time to make sure the center was set. It’s a pretty easy recipe and you can use Marie Callendar’s frozen pie crust like I did.
Served up with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, it’s a classic that is sure to please anyone who loves a chocolate chip cookie!
Recipe:
1 9″ frozen pie crust or make your own from scratch
2 eggs
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 cup butter, melted and COOLED to room temperature
1 6 oz. pkg semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 325º. In large bowl, beat eggs until foamy. Beat in flour, sugar and brown sugar until well blended. Blend in melted, cooled butter. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts. Pour into pie shell. Bake at 325º for 1 hour (if your pie shell starts to get too dark, cover the crust with foil.) Remove from oven. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream. Recipe may be doubled.
NOTE: I think it could have used another 5 minutes of cooking.
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