If you're like me, you have a few too many pinterest boards, full of good intentions you're never going to get to. Last year around the 4th of July you may remember some of these recipes. Well this year, I'm giving myself plenty of time to prep for this wonderful holiday. And since the 4th of July falls on a Monday, I have the whole weekend to whip up delicious treats ripe with americana. So just like last year, here are some fresh and tasty ideas of how you can serve fun fantastic food for your family on the fourth.
Do you have any other fun Fourth of July recipes you enjoy? If so, we'd love to hear about them. Now that I've got the sweet side of life covered, its time to go find some grilling ideas! Happy 4th!
Adorable 4th of July Popsicles from Stagetecture
Patriotic Fruit Salad from Whole and Heavenly Oven
Gorgeous Strawberry Blueberry Shortcakes from Whats Gaby Cooking
Oh so cute watermelon on a stick from Skinny Taste
Do you have any other fun Fourth of July recipes you enjoy? If so, we'd love to hear about them. Now that I've got the sweet side of life covered, its time to go find some grilling ideas! Happy 4th!
I've been making this Mexican skillet for my family for years. This week when I made it, my husband commented that it is actually one of his favorite recipes of mine. Its just a filling stick to your ribs no fuss meal. Classic Mexican flavors that come together in a cinch.
We hope this easy weeknight meal quickly becomes a favorite in your household as well.
Enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 lb lean ground beef
1 small onion, diced
1 packet taco seasoning
2 tsp olive oil
2 cups cooked brown rice
1 tsp butter
1 can black beans
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
1 avocado, sliced
2 tsp chopped cilantro
Directions: Cook your rice with 1 tsp butter and a pinch of salt. While that cooks, in a large pan heat some oil, cook your onions until they begin to brown. Add your ground beef and crumble and cook until golden brown. Mix in your taco seasoning, and beans. In a large dish, layer your rice on the bottom, meat mixture on the top, then cheese, tomatoes, avocado, and cilantro.
We hope this easy weeknight meal quickly becomes a favorite in your household as well.
Enjoy!
Have you ever tried to make fried rice at home and come back with results that are no where near as good as what you can get in a restaurant? It seems easy enough, but the flavors and techniques that restaurants use can be trickier than you imagine. Below is our ham fried rice recipe. It has a deep delicious asian flavor that will make you feel like you are eating delicious Chinese take-out. Our most important tip? Use day old rice! Using rice made the same day wont give you the texture or flavor you are looking for. So if you can, make your rice a day ahead and only pop it out of the fridge right before you are ready to serve it.
Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked brown rice, cooked with 1 tablespoon butter, left in fridge overnight
6 slices canadian bacon, chopped
1 head broccoli, chopped
1 small package edamame beans
1 carrot, shredded
2 eggs
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp fish sauce
salt & pepper to taste
Directions:
Chop and fry up your Canadian bacon in some oil in a hot pan. Add your eggs, some salt, and pepper, and scramble them. Once cooked through, add your vegetables and cook until warmed through and the broccoli is slightly wilted. Add your rice, soy sauce, sesame oil, and fish sauce. Stir everything together and salt and pepper to taste.
It seems so silly that a little trick like using day old rice could make or break your recipe, but it really does make such a huge difference. Also, using Canadian bacon instead of chicken adds such depth of flavor. Then using the sesame oil and fish sauce will take your home made meal and make it restaurant ready. Enjoy!
Here is another EPCOT copy cat recipe. What can I say? We love all of the sophisticated foreign flavors there. The unique twists on everyday recipes are right up our alley. This dish is another great one from the Morocco section of Epcot. It's a wonderful citrus salad. Its delightful warm, but also great served cold as leftovers the next day.
Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked pearled couscous
1/2 red onion, diced
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup chickpeas
1 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup mandarin orange segments
salt and pepper to taste
nutmeg to taste
cinnamon to taste
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 tsp slivered almonds.
Directions:
Boil your couscous in 1 1/4 cups water with some olive oil and salt until all liquid is absorbed (about 6-8 minutes). While that is cooking, add some oil to a pan and saute your onions, garlic, and a sprinkle of cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, & pepper. When your onions begin to soften, add your raisins, chickpeas, and orange juice. Simmer and allow to thicken. When your cous cous is ready, mix that with the orange juice liquid. Add your orange segments, parsley, and adjust seasoning as needed. Top with almonds.
You can eat this warm as is and its delightful. If serving cold the next day, adding a few cucumber pieces adds a nice crunch. These exotic flavors are unique, cheerful, and oh so tasty. We hope you enjoy this salad as much as we do!
Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked pearled couscous
1/2 red onion, diced
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup chickpeas
1 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup mandarin orange segments
salt and pepper to taste
nutmeg to taste
cinnamon to taste
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 tsp slivered almonds.
Directions:
Boil your couscous in 1 1/4 cups water with some olive oil and salt until all liquid is absorbed (about 6-8 minutes). While that is cooking, add some oil to a pan and saute your onions, garlic, and a sprinkle of cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, & pepper. When your onions begin to soften, add your raisins, chickpeas, and orange juice. Simmer and allow to thicken. When your cous cous is ready, mix that with the orange juice liquid. Add your orange segments, parsley, and adjust seasoning as needed. Top with almonds.
You can eat this warm as is and its delightful. If serving cold the next day, adding a few cucumber pieces adds a nice crunch. These exotic flavors are unique, cheerful, and oh so tasty. We hope you enjoy this salad as much as we do!
Tonight my husband cooked. Yes, I am a lucky girl. Of course it was a manly meal of burgers, but he put a wonderful spin on them. He came up with this idea to make Greek burgers in honor of a trip to Tarpon Springs we took a couple of weekends ago. These Greek flavors come together so beautifully in these burgers that you will forget you are eating a hamburger and feel like you are chowing down on a delicious gyro. The flavors here are so so good.
Ingredients:
1 pound 90% lean ground beef
1/4 red onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 egg
salt & pepper
tatziki sauce
Directions:
Mix your beed with your onion, garlic, parsley, oregano, and egg. Form into patties, creating a small indent in the middle so when grilling it remains juicy. Cook until brown on the outside and grill marks form. Add to crispy buns, lettuce, and top with tatziki sauce.
Bon Apetite!
Hello to all our Utah locals!
It's time to come visit us. The Lavender Apple will have a booth at Summerfest all weekend long! For those of you who don't know, Summerfest is an Arts Faire held on the grounds of the Logan Tabernacle. It celebrates the arts in Cache Valley by bringing people together to enjoy a festival of high quality art, music, and food.
Event Location: Historic Downtown50 North Main StreetLogan, UT 84321
Summerfest is open from 11am-10pm Thursday and Friday and 10am-9pm on Saturday. We will have all of your favorite Lavender Apple products available. Everything from lavender bundles to massage oil. Not only is this free event a wonderful way to celebrate culture here in Cache Valley, its also a lot of fun. Hope to see you soon!
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