4th Of July Recipes - WLOX.com - The News for South Mississippi

Let's hear it for the Red, White and Blue! The Fourth of July has always been one of my favorite holidays. It's a time to remember to be thankful that we live in the United States of America and our Blessings! Families and friends will be getting together to share some fun, fireworks and food. Try these recipes for your holiday get-together.

FLAG CAKE

• 1 white or yellow cake.
• 2 pints strawberries
• 1 pint blueberries
• Can of Fluffy White Frosting

1. Bake cake in a 9 x 13 pan according to package directions. (You may leave cake in the pan if you will be traveling.)
2. De-stem the strawberries and cut them in halves after washing. Rinse and drain the blueberries on paper towel. 
3. Frost cake with fluffy frosting. 
4. In the top left hand corner of the frosted cake, Lightly press blueberries into an outline of a rectangle. Fill the outline with the remaining blueberries. (They will look best if placed in rows because the area between them will resemble stars.) 
5. Place the strawberry halves cut side down in rows across the cake to make flag stripes. (Start at the bottom of the cake making the stripes so it starts with a red stripe.) Press the berries into the frosting.

*For a Special Effect: Place a couple of sparklers into the top of the cake. When dark, light the sparklers and serve!

RED, WHITE, AND BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE PIE

• 8 sheets phyllo dough
• ¼ cup butter, melted
• 2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese
• ½ cup white sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups fresh blueberries
• ½ cup strawberry jelly

Directions

1. On a flat surface, place one sheet phyllo dough. Brush it with melted butter or margarine, and cover with another piece of phyllo. Repeat until all 8 sheets are used. Using kitchen scissors, cut layered phyllo into a 12 to 13 inch circle. Carefully press circle into a greased 9-inch pie plate; gently fan edges. Bake at 425 ° F until edges are just golden, 6 to 8 minutes; cool slightly on a wire rack. 
2. In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs until well combined. Fold in 1 cup of blueberries. Pour filling into prepared crust. 
3. Bake at 350 ° F until set, 40 to 50 minutes. To prevent over browning of crust, gently cover pie with foil for the last 25 minutes of baking. Cool completely on a wire rack. 
4. In a small bowl, beat jelly until smooth; spread over cheese filling. Arrange 1 cup blueberries on top in a star pattern. Garnish with whipped topping if desired.

ALL AMERICAN APPLE PIE

• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 2 Tbsp. cold milk
• 1½ tsp. white sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 6 apples, cored & sliced
• ¾ cup white sugar
• 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• ¾ tsp. ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp. ground nutmeg
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup white sugar
• ½ cup butter

Directions 

1. Preheat oven to 350 ° F.
2. To Make Crust: In a large bowl, mix together 1½ cups flour, oil, milk and 1½ tsp. sugar and salt until evenly blended. Pat mixture into a 9-inch pie pan, spreading the dough evenly over the bottom and up sides. Crimp edges of the dough around the perimeter. 
3. To Make Filling: Mix together ¾ cup sugar, 3 Tbsp. flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Sprinkle over apples and toss to coat. Spread evenly in unbaked pie shell.
4. To Make Topping: Using a pastry cutter, mix together ½ cup flour, ½ cup sugar and butter until evenly distributed and crumbly in texture. Sprinkle over apples.
5. Put pie in the oven on a cookie sheet to catch the juices that may spill over. Bake 45 minutes.