Food for the 4th of July doesn’t have to be the tried and true. Try making something white, red and blue for your family picnic or gathering! There are some really great ideas out there to make your picnic a patriotic favorite.

Salads are a great choice for a picnic. Not only are they usually easy to make, but they are also great for a hot summer day. Try a tomato salad for your red food. Take cherry tomatoes and also some coarsely chopped firm tomatoes and add some chopped parsley and some basil. Toss in a large bowl with some extra virgin olive oil and you have a great summer salad.

How about potato salad with a twist? Boil ½ pound of blue potatoes with the skins on until they are done but not squishy. Slice a couple of green onions, 3 stalks of celery, 1 tablespoon of parsley flakes and add to the potatoes. For the dressing, add ¼ cup of vinegar and 2 tablespoons of mustard and gently stir into the vegetables. Blue food done easy!

Pineapple Cream Cheese Salad is a summer treat for everyone. The biggest can of crushed pineapple and drain the juice from it and place in a large measuring cup…add water to equal 2 cups. Heat the water and juice mixture until it boils and then add a package of jello. Make sure to dissolve completely. Remove from heat and add the crushed pineapple and refrigerate until syrupy. While refrigerating that mixture, mash 16 ounces of cream cheese and blend with a blender into the pineapple mixture. Add 1 cup of nuts and ½ pint of whipped cream and blend well. Chill in a 9 x 13 pan then serve your white salad to all your friends and family.

How about an appetizer or finger food for the family on the 4th? All you need is some “red “apples, walnuts, cream cheese and bleu cheese. Take ½ cup of walnuts (chopped), ½ cup of crumbled bleu cheese, 3 tablespoons of softened butter, and 1 small package of cream cheese (8 ounces), and mix together. Chill for 3 hours in the refrigerator; spread on apples that have been sliced and cored, for a delicious mouthwatering treat.

Cheese balls are always a favorite. If you serve this with blue tortilla chips, you have a great blue and white food to serve on Independence Day. You need an 8 ounce package of cream cheese, 1 small onion that is finely chopped, 2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce, 1 package of crumbled bleu cheese (4 ounces), and some English cheese. Blend together into a ball and chill overnight, and then serve with the tortilla chips.

Now we move on to the main course. Soften several tortilla shells the microwave. Dip in enchilada sauce. Place dipped shell on a plate and add a layer of browned ground beef then some shredded cheese. Repeat until you have 3 layers then add a fried egg to the top and BAM a meal to be remembered!

The 4th of July is not only for chicken and burgers, try this delicious fish recipe and you will have everyone eating out of your hands. Take ¾ cups of blue cornmeal with ½ teaspoon of salt, and 2 garlic cloves or the equivalent in garlic powder, and some jalapeno peppers finely chopped. Fry in a skillet with a little oil until the fish flakes and eat until you are full! What a great change of pace!

Pork chops are a great choice for the 4th also. Using a crock pot, place 6 pork chops in the pot and cook for a couple of hours. Add celery soup (2 cans) and 2 cans of mushroom soup and leave in the crock pot a couple more hours and you have your “white” meat dish available. The pork gets so tender it basically falls apart without any help with a knife!