Summer is finally here and now it’s time to look ahead to the 4^th of July.  Can you believe it’s only a week away?  We plan on celebrating with family and friends – backyard bash, BBQ, yard games, drinks, the whole shebang!  If you are as unprepared as I am, you are probably in need of a few quick and easy food options 🙂

First up is Buffalo Chicken Firecrackers.  These are fun to assemble and a great themed food for your spread.  Feel free to use your favorite homemade Buffalo Chicken Dip if you prefer but I like to order fresh from the deli.  Saves me some time and effort, and it’s delicious!  Plus, any leftovers can be set out to enjoy with the rest of the food.

Start by laying out wonton wrappers on the counter.  Place a spoonful of the Buffalo Chicken Dip on each wonton wrapper.  Then dip your fingers in some water and wet the outside edges of the wonton wrapper.  Roll each wrapper into a tube and pinch the ends together.  Use the water to make sure the wonton wrapper is completely sealed.  Set on a baking sheet and cover with a damp paper towel until all firecrackers have been formed.

Heat oil in a large skillet or wok and fry 3-4 Buffalo Chicken Firecrackers at a time, until golden brown, about 2 minutes or so.  Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a baking sheet.  You can keep these warm in a 200-degree oven while frying the rest of the firecrackers.  I like to serve with Blue Cheese or Ranch Dressing on the side as a dipping sauce.

Next up is a 4^th of July Fruit and Cheese Board.  My favorite part of this is you can make it anyway you like!  You can add meat, crackers, chips….any red, white, or blue colored food…in addition to fruit and cheese.  My “board” contains black bean tortilla chips, bagel chips, strawberries, grapes, raspberries, blueberries, red pepper hummus, and 2 kinds of cheese.  I used a star shaped cookie cutter to cut the cheese into a festive shape.

It’s a great snack and serves a lot!

Lastly, and my favorite part of every meal, comes dessert.  4^th of July Fruit Pizza is the way to go!  It is dessert, BUT, after eating all the other yummy food at the get-together, the fruit on top makes me feel slightly better about my caloric decisions 🙂

My go to is store-bought sugar cookie dough.  You can absolutely use homemade sugar cookie dough if preferred, but in lieu of saving some time, store-bought is a life saver!  I like to knead the dough for a few minutes make it softer and easy to work with.  Then I press in onto a pizza pan in a circular shape and bake for about 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown.

While the dough is baking, I whip together the topping.  You can use a stand mixer or hand mixer for this step.  I used both, so I could have two items going at once.  Once both items are smooth, they are combined into one bowl and set aside until the “crust” is ready.

Let the dough cool completely before adding the topping or it will start to melt and get pretty messy.  You can speed this process along by adding the cooked dough to the fridge for 10-15 minutes.

Spread the whipped topping completely over the top of the dough and arrange berries of your choosing in a circular pattern (or be creative and try to make a firework).  Boom!  It’s a 4^th of July Fruit Pizza.

The recipe can be found here.

I hope you enjoy these recipes and/or any others you prepare to celebrate the 4^th of July!  Stay safe and have fun!

Happy Cooking!

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