Pretzel Sparklers

Pretzel Sparklers

8 ounces white baking chocolate, chopped

1 package (10 ounces) pretzel rods

Colored candy stars or sprinkles

In a microwave-safe bowl; melt chocolate for 1 minute; stir. Microwave at additional 10 to 20 second intervals, stirring until smooth.

Dip each pretzel rod about halfway into chocolate; allow excess to drip off. Sprinkle with stars. Place on waxed paper to dry.

Recipe and picture from TasteOfHome.com

Uncle Sam's Crispy Treat Cake

Uncle Sam's Crispy Treat Cake

8 cups miniature marshmallows

1/2 cup butter, cubed

12 cups crisp rice cereal

2-1/2 cups shortening

3 cups confectioners' sugar

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 jars (7 ounces each) marshmallow creme

Red and blue paste food coloring

In a Dutch oven, combine marshmallows and cubed butter. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until melted. Remove from the heat; stir in cereal. Press 4 cups into a greased 9-inch round pan. Form remaining mixture into a 5-inch diameter x 6-1/2-inch tall cylinder; place on waxed paper to cool.

For frosting, in a large bowl, beat softened butter until fluffy; beat in confectioners' sugar and vanilla until smooth. Beat in marshmallow creme until light and fluffy.

Unmold cereal mixture from 9-inch pan and place on a cake plate. Place 3 cups frosting in a small bowl; beat in red food coloring until smooth. Frost top and sides of 9-inch cake with 1 cup red frosting.

Place 1 cup white frosting in a small bowl; beat in blue food coloring until smooth. Frost bottom 2-1/4-inches of the cylinder with blue frosting. Place cylinder on cake. Frost the rest of the cylinder with red frosting.

Cut a small hole in the corner of a pastry or plastic bag; insert basketweave tip. Using white frosting, pipe stripes on side of hat. With a round tip, pipe trim.

Using a 1-1/2-inch star cookie cutter, press a row of stars onto hatband. Fill in stars with white frosting using a round tip.

Recipe and picture from TasteOfHome.com

Watermelon Pops

Watermelon Pops

1 cup sugar, divided

1 package (3 ounces) lime flavor gelatin

2 cups boiling water, divided

Ice cubes

1 cup cold water, divided

1 package (3 ounces) strawberry flavor gelatin

3 tablespoons miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 package (4 ounces) cream cheese, softened

1-1/2 cups thawed whipped topping

Mix 1/3 cup sugar and lime gelatin mix in medium bowl. Add 1 cup boiling water; stir 2 minutes until completely dissolved. Add enough ice to 1/2 cup cold water to measure 3/4 cup. Add to lime gelatin; stir until ice is completely melted. Refrigerate 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, repeat previous step using strawberry gelatin mix and omitting the refrigeration step. Pour into 16 (3 ounce) paper cups. Freeze 20 minutes. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon chocolate chips into gelatin in each cup.

Beat cream cheese and remaining sugar with mixer in medium bowl until well blended. Stir in whipped topping, spread over gelatin in cups.

Pour lime gelatin over cream cheese mixture. Insert wooden pop stick or plastic spoon into gelatin in center of each cup. Freeze 3 hours or until firm. Remove pops from cups just before serving by dipping cups in warm water for 15 seconds. Peel off cups. (Do not twist or pull on handle.)

Recipe and picture from KraftFoods.com

Firecracker Cupcakes

Firecracker Cupcakes

1-1/2 cups flake coconut, divided

4 drops each: blue and red food colorings

24 yellow cupcakes

2 cups thawed whipped topping

24 red string licorice pieces (4 inch)

Place 1/2 cup of the coconut in each of two separate resealable plastic bags; set remaining 1/2 cup coconut aside. Add blue food coloring to coconut in one bag and red food coloring to coconut in second bag. Seal bags; shake until coconut is evenly tinted.

Spread tops of cupcakes with whipped topping. Sprinkle with red, white (uncolored) and blue coconut as desired; press coconut gently into whipped topping to secure.

Insert licorice piece.

Recipe and picture from KraftFoods.com

Star Spangled Dessert

Star Spangled Dessert

Strawberries

Whipped cream cheese

Sugar (optional)

Blueberries

Clean and hull five strawberries, then add dollops of whipped cream cheese to the top of each one. Sprinkle sugar on the cream cheese (optional), then top each strawberry with a blueberry and arrange them as shown.

Recipe and picture from FamilyFun.go.com

Edible Eagle

Edible Eagle

1/4 cup white chocolate chips

6 large marshmallows

Finely shredded coconut

Chocolate-covered oreo

6 cashews

Black decorators' gel

Melt 1/4 cup white chocolate chips according to the package directions.

For each bird, drop a large marshmallow into the melted chocolate, using a spatula to coat it well.

Remove the marshmallow from the chocolate and roll it in finely shredded coconut, leaving one end uncovered.

Immediately set the marshmallow, coconut free end down, atop a chocolate sandwich cookie.

Let the chocolate set a bit, then use a toothpick to make a hole in the side of the marshmallow and insert a cashew for a beak.

Finally, add black decorators' gel eyes.

Recipe and picture from FamilyFun.go.com

Uncle Sam Ice Cream Cones

Uncle Sam Ice Cream Cones

1 wafer ice cream cone

White frosting

Blue fruit leather

Red and blue decorating gels

Red and blue M&Ms

Canister of ready-made whipped cream

Place a scoop of vanilla ice cream on a plate and return it to the freezer to harden. Meanwhile, construct an Uncle Sam hat out of a wafer ice cream cone.

Use frosting to attach a blue band of fruit leather around the bottom of the cone. Squirt vertical stripes of red decorating gel down the sides and blue gel on the top. *Hold the cone from the inside.*

Using a star tip, squirt on white frosting stars around the blue fruit leather, if desired. Remove the ice-cream scoop "head" from the freezer and top with the Uncle Sam hat. Working quickly so the ice cream doesn't melt, add blue M&Ms eyes and a red M&Ms nose. Finally, add a whipped cream beard. Serve immediately.

Recipe and picture from FamilyFun.go.com

Patriotic Taco Salad

Patriotic Taco Salad

1 pound ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

1-1/2 cups water

1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste

1 envelope taco seasoning

6 cups tortilla or corn chips

4-5 cups shredded lettuce

9-10 pitted large olives, sliced lengthwise

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the water, tomato paste and taco seasoning. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

Place chips in an ungreased 13x9-inch dish.* Spread beef mixture evenly over the top. Cover with lettuce. For each star, arrange five olive slices together in the upper left corner. To form stripes, add cheese and tomatoes in alternating rows. Serve immediately.

Tip

*If preparing the salad in advance, omit the layer of chips and serve them with the salad.

Recipe and picture from TasteOfHome.com

Lady Liberty Cupcakes

Lady Liberty Cupcakes

Cake mix

Flat-bottom ice cream cones

Yellow or orange frosting

Sugar wafers

Orange and red decorators' gel

To make a batch, prepare your favorite cake mix according to the package directions and spoon it into flat-bottomed ice cream cones (a regular-size box of cake mix will make enough for about 24), filling the cones no more than halfway.

Set the cones upright in a baking pan, supporting them with crumpled aluminum foil. Bake according to the cake mix directions, following the time recommended for cupcakes. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely, then frost each one with yellow or orange frosting.

To make each torch's flame, cut 2 sugar wafers in half at an angle and stick them into the cupcake. Add orange and red frosting or decorators' gel.

Recipe and picture from FamilyFun.go.com

Watermelon Pop Stars

Watermelon Pop Stars

Use a cookie cutter to cut juicy star shapes from 1-inch-thick slices of seedless watermelon.

Insert a popsicle stick into each star, then set the pops on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet.

Cover the stars with another sheet of foil and freeze for 1 hour or until firm.

Recipe and picture from FamilyFun.go.com

Firecracker Bites

Firecracker Bites

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

1 cup cold milk

1 package (3.4 ounces) vanilla flavor instant pudding

1-1/2 cups thawed whipped topping, divided

1 package (12 ounces) vanilla wafers

1/2 cup mixed red, white and blue sprinkles

42 pieces red string licorice (1 inch)

Beat cream cheese in large bowl with mixer until creamy. Gradually beat in milk. Add dry pudding mix; beat 2 minutes. Whisk in 1 cup whipped topping.

Spoon about 1-1/2 tablespoons pudding mixture onto each of half the wafers; cover with remaining wafers to make sandwiches. Freeze 2 hours or until filling is firm.

Spread tops of wafer sandwiches with remaining whipped topping. Dip in sprinkles. Insert licorice piece in top of each for the fuse. Freeze until ready to serve.

*These are especially fun to make, but on a hot day will thaw quickly. However, they usually go fast so that is not a problem. Just make sure you have plenty of freezer space available since they take up alot of room.

Recipe and picture from KraftFoods.com