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Originally Posted On: https://spiceworldinc.com/tips-and-tricks/fireworks-of-flavor-elevate-your-4th-of-july-menu/
Fireworks of Flavor – Elevate Your 4th of July Menu
July 4th is upon us, with patriotic colors and celebrations from the streets to the skies. We firmly believe in having the freedom of free time during this holiday, so spend less time in the kitchen and more time having fun with family and friends! Create your own festive 4th of July menu this Independence Day with a little help from Spice World Ready-to-Use products.
Make your star-spangled celebration sparkle even brighter with these tips and tricks:
Red, white, and blue it:
- Add dried cranberries and dried blueberries to popcorn for a sweet and salty snack.
- Arrange blueberries, strawberries, cherries, and yogurt-covered pretzels like the American flag.
- Thread sliced strawberries, bananas, and blueberries on wooden skewers for red, white, and blue fruit kebobs.
Use food coloring to make desserts that match the theme:
- Think red and blue frosting for cupcakes, or red velvet cake.
Add patriotic table settings and placemats to elevate your serving area:
- Style your table with fresh flowers (blue hydrangeas, white daisies, and red roses or carnations) and small American flags.
Reach for the stars:
- Use a star-shaped cookie cutter to cut slices of seedless watermelon, thick slices of cheese, sandwich bread, cookies, and brownies into stars.
Trust the experts:
- Try these grilling hacks to use all summer long.
Punch up your patriotic party spread with these additional recipes:
Garlicky Potato Salad
Get the patriotic party started with a quick and flavorful potato salad. Serve this delicious side dish with grilled meats, burgers, and hot dogs.
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into ¾-inch cubes
- 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 Tbsp yellow mustard
- 1 Tbsp Spice World Ready-to-Use Minced Garlic
- 2 Tbsp Spice World Ready-to-Use Chopped Easy Onion
- 3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- ⅓ cup dill pickle relish
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Paprika, for garnish
Instructions
- Add peeled and cut potatoes to a large pot with 1 Tbsp of salt. Add enough water to cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until tender. Drain well and allow to cool.
- In a separate bowl, combine white wine vinegar, yellow mustard, Spice World Ready-to-Use Minced Garlic, Spice World Easy Onion, and mayonnaise.
- In the pot used to cook potatoes, combine the potatoes, chopped hard-boiled eggs, dill pickle relish, and mayonnaise mixture, mixing thoroughly.
- Season generously with salt and pepper, garnishing with paprika. Enjoy!
Grilled Garlic Pepper Shrimp
These grilled shrimp are a quick and easy way to add a lemony kick to your 4th of July spread. Perfect for sharing, make sure you grab a skewer before they’re gone!
Ingredients
- 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 fresh red chile, seeds removed, finely grated
- Spice World Garlic
- 1 ½ tsp Spice World Ready-to-Use Minced Garlic or
- 1 ½ tsp Spice World Squeezable Garlic
- 3 cloves Spice World Peeled Garlic, grated or
- 3 cloves Spice World Fresh Garlic, grated
- 1 Tbsp coarsely ground pepper
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil, plus more for grill
- 1 lemon, sliced in round slices
- 1 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Mix the first five ingredients in a large bowl. Add shrimp and salt, then toss to coat.
- Thread shrimp onto skewers.
- Prepare a grill for medium-high heat; clean grates well, then oil. Grill shrimp, turning once, until cooked through and lightly charred, about 5 minutes total.
- Ensure that the open flame does not over-char the shrimp by fanning it away to avoid an oily or smokey taste.
- Grill lemon until grill marks are visible, about 2 minutes.
- Serve shrimp with grilled lemon.
Garlic Aioli
This tangy, garlicky aioli comes together in minutes. The smooth texture of Spice World Squeezable Garlic blends right in, so there’s no chopping required in this recipe. Prepare the aioli at least an hour before serving so flavors have time to develop. Use this versatile, flavorful aioli on hot dogs, burgers, sandwiches, or crabcakes, as a dip for fresh raw veggies, or mixed into chicken salad or tuna salad in place of regular mayonnaise.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- 3 tsp Spice World Squeezable Garlic or Spice World Squeezable Organic Garlic
- 2 ½ Tbsp. lemon juice
- ¾ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- Gather your ingredients.
- Mix mayonnaise, Spice World Squeezable Garlic, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Summer Strawberry Ginger Lemonade
Summer heat calls for cool lemonade. This version gets a colorful seasonal upgrade thanks to fresh strawberries and a pop of spice from Spice World Squeezable Ginger. Try this Strawberry Ginger Lemonade at your July 4th event.
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp. Spice World Squeezable Ginger
- 16 oz. organic strawberries, washed, tops removed, and quartered
- 1 ½ cups raw cane sugar
- 5 ½ cups water
- 1 ½ cups lemon juice 6-8 lemons
- 3 cups ice
Instructions
- Turn the heat to high in a medium-high pot and add the Spice World Squeezable Ginger, strawberries, sugar, and 1 ½ cups of water. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat and cool for 5 minutes. Place in a food blender and blitz on high for 10 seconds or until smooth. You should have 4 cups of strawberry ginger juice.
- In a pitcher, stir the ice, lemon juice, 4 cups of water and strawberry ginger juice. Cover and place in the refrigerator or serve immediately, poured into glasses filled with ice. Lemonade stays fresh in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
Sources
Internal Sources
Spice World Ready-to-Use products
Spice World Squeezable Organic Garlic