Kara's Sights and Bites: Celebrate the 4th of July and stay cool in the process

By Kara Kimbrough

Berry Patriotic Cheesecake Fluff Salad is the easiest possible dessert to make for a Fourth of July gathering, but you wouldn’t know that from the creamy, delicious taste.

The Fourth of July is only a few days away, so the first thing I did was check the extended weather forecast. Yep…it’s going to be a scorcher.

Even though I did pick up a new charcoal grill the other day simply because it was on sale post-Memorial Day AND already assembled, I doubt I’ll be standing out in the heat grilling anything on the 4^th. However, every traditional Fourth of July meat – burgers, hot dogs and my favorite, ribs – can be baked in the oven and here’s the important part – tastes almost as good as if they’d been grilled over an open flame.

To get a jump on your holiday meal planning, I’m sharing recipes for my favorite oven-baked ribs, an old-fashioned macaroni salad that piqued my interest after watching vintage videos of Martha Stewart making one and last, a fluffy, delicious and patriotic cheesecake salad that requires no baking. If there are other patriotic food items you’d like to make, drop me an email and I’ll share a few recipes from my files.

Happy Fourth of July!

Oven-Baked 4^th of July-Worthy Ribs (Serves 6-8)
6 pounds pork ribs (baby back or spare ribs)
½ cup brown sugar
4 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
½ cup apple cider vinegar mixed with ¼ cup water
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups barbecue sauce

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Rinse and pat dry the ribs; remove the silver skin from the bone side. In a mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper. Mix well.

Drizzle olive oil over the ribs and coat evenly with the dry rub mixture. Wrap tightly in aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (or overnight). Place wrapped ribs on a baking sheet and bake for 3 hours. Unwrap ribs, brush with barbecue sauce, and bake uncovered at 375 degree for an additional 20 minutes until caramelized.

Old-Fashioned Fourth of July Macaroni Salad
8 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup red onion, finely diced about 1/2 a small onion
1/4 cup finely diced Dill pickles about 1 small pickle
2 hardboiled eggs, chopped (optional)
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
1 teaspoon finely ground sea salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Cook the pasta according to al dente according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cool water. In a large bowl, mix together the cooked macaroni, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, red onion, dill pickles, and chopped egg. Set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, yellow mustard, sea salt, and black pepper until well-combined.

Pour the dressing mixture over the macaroni mixture and toss gently to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

Berry Patriotic Cheesecake Fluff Salad

2 cups miniature marshmallows

16 ounces vanilla yogurt (I used fat free Greek yogurt)

8 ounces frozen whipped topping, thawed (1 tub, you can use the lite version if desired)

1 package (11.2 ounces) no-bake cheesecake mix

2 cups sliced strawberries (extras for topping)

2 cups blueberries (extras for topping)

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients (except the graham cracker crumbs that may have been included with your cheesecake mix). Top with extra strawberry slices and blueberries. Serve immediately, or store covered in the refrigerator.

Kara Kimbrough is a food and travel writer from Mississippi. Email her at kkprco@yahoo.com.

Kara’s Sights and Bites: Celebrate the 4th of July and stay cool in the process