Independence Day Fun!

Here's an update on the Picnic Game:

I'm going to a picnic and I'm bringing:

A: Almond Joy Pie: Brought by Marjie from Modern Day Ozzie and Harriet

B: Baked Beans: Brought by Kasha from Grub and Stuff

C: Chocolate Picnic Cake: Brought by Janet from Dying for Chocolate

D: Dutch Funnel Cake: Brought by Julie from The Sporadic Cook

E: Easy Blender Chicken Pie: Brought by Juliana from Simple Recipes

F: Five Bean Salad: Brought by me!

Do you remember this one? It was standard picnic fare when I was a child. Every once in a while when I'm asked to bring a salad to feed a crowd, I turn to this old standby. With Mother's old recipe, you can take short cuts and use some canned veggies. But to keep things fresh, you can make nearly the entire thing with lovely crisp vegetables. I personally use canned kidney and garbanzo beans, but use fresh yellow and green beans, quickly steamed. I use frozen limas, but par boil and cool them. Sometimes I add a carrot, or radishes...odds and ends of whatever's left in the vegetable bin. You can also add other kinds of beans like black or cannellini beans, but I am posting Mother's original recipe, cans and all; tweak it any way you like. It all depends on how much of a hurry you're in. Note: This has to be made a day ahead.

Mother's Five Bean Salad

Ingredients:
1 can slender green beans

1 can yellow  wax beans

1 sm can small lima beans

1 can kidney  beans

1 can garbanzo beans

1 cup diced celery

sweet red onion  rings to taste

1/2 cup diced green bell pepper

1/2 cup diced red pepper

2 cups cauliflower florets

1/2 cup water

2 cups cider vinegar

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 Tablespoon salt

1 clove garlic, split, remove before serving

Method:

Combine vinegar, water, sugar and salt and heat to dissolve sugar. Set aside to cool.

Place all the beans in a colander to drain the liquids and then place in large bowl. Add celery, onions and green pepper and cauliflower. Mix. Pour the dressing over the vegetables. Push the split garlic down in the marinade. Refrigerate for at least 24 hours, stirring several times.

Easily feeds 15 or more depending on portion size.

Check with Louise at Months of Edible Celebrations for the rest of the picnic recipes! There's still time to join the fun.

And do you need another dessert for the 4th? Here's an idea...........

Great BBQ's, family, children running around with sparklers and tables loaded with food is how I remember most of the Independence Day celebrations in our family...and the magnificent fireworks as we all lay back on our blankets. I bet most of us will be having picnics on the 4th...and while strawberry shortcake is what my mother made most often for dessert on the 4th, as kids we all preferred ice cream cones or popsicles. Because I'm still a kid at heart, I found a frozen dessert recipe that's made with fruit and yogurt. It's a favorite of mine because it has sweetened condensed milk as an ingredient. Has to be fabulous, right? Did I mention there are marshmallows? Yep, those too.
You want to make this at least a day ahead. It's a quickie dessert with red, white and blue ingredients for a Happy Birthday to America!

Fourth of July Frozen Delight

Ingredients:
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 teaspoons lemon rind
2 cups plain yogurt
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1 pint fresh strawberries, sliced
1 cup fresh blueberries

Method:
Combine the condensed milk, lemon juice and rind and mix well. Stir in the yogurt, marshmallows and nuts. Spread half the mixture in a 9 by 13 dish. Put half the strawberries and half the blueberries on top. Pour the other half of the yogurt mixture on top and use the remaining fruit on top, pushing them in slightly.
Cover and freeze.
Remove from freezer about 10 minutes before you're ready to cut and serve.
Makes about 15 servings.