4th of July Charcuterie Board – Courtesy of thekitchenprepblog.com

If you’re looking for a quick, easy, and impressive appetizer, then look no further than this red, white, and blue charcuterie board, which features delicious cheese, fresh summer berries, and buttery crackers. Lay out the ingredients “just so” to show off Old Glory.

Ingredients

  • Blueberry Goat cheese log, sliced (or any specialty cheese with fruit incorporated)
  • Blueberries
  • Strawberries {or favorite red berries}
  • Favorite white cheese, cubed
  • Water crackers {or favorite crackers}

Instructions

  1. Place slices of blueberry goat cheese {or your favorite blueberry spread, etc.} in a small square serving dish. Top with a few blueberries. Nestle the square dish in the upper left-hand corner of a large, rectangular serving platter or cutting board.
  2. Arrange strawberries in a horizontal row across the top of the serving platter.
  3. For the second row, arrange cheese in the same manner under the strawberries.
  4. Repeat again with strawberries or other red berries.
  5. In the last row, arrange crackers horizontally to complete the “flag.”
  6. Serve with your favorite, complementary beverages!

 

 

Foil Pack French Dip Sandwiches – Courtesy of granddesignrv.com

This simple recipe is a crowd-pleaser at lunchtime, and it only takes a few ingredients and a campfire to melt the cheese and toast the bread.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 1 package au jus gravy mix, separated
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 3/4 teaspoon dried minced garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • Heavy Duty Foil
  • 1 long/large (or 2 smaller) baguettes
  • 1 pound deli roast beef (ask for rare, since it’s getting cooked)
  • 1 package pre-sliced (12 slices total) provolone cheese

Instructions

  1. Start by making the butter mixture. Combine the softened (not melted) butter, 1 tablespoon of the au jus gravy mix, Worcestershire sauce, dried minced garlic, and onion powder in a bowl. Stir until ingredients are completely combined and set aside.
  2. Cut the baguette into equal parts of about 6-10 inches in length. Next, make an ODD number of thin slices (approx. 1/2 inch wide) into each piece of the baguette, cutting only about 3/4 the way through. It’s important there are an ODD number of slices so that each sandwich has 2 pieces of bread.
  3. Separate the butter mixture created in step 2 into 2 equal parts. Using a butter knife, spread a small amount of the mixture inside each slice of bread. Save half of the mixture for later.
  4. Slice the individual pieces of cheese in half and place 1 piece, along with 1 piece of roast beef, in-between every two “slices” of bread. (Again, these will be individual pull-apart sandwiches, so you don’t want cheese and meat in-between each slice).
  5. Take the other half of the butter mixture and brush it along the tops and sides of each of the sandwiches with a pastry brush.
  6. Wrap each baguette section completely in foil. Make sure none of the bread is exposed.
  7. Place in the preheated oven for 10 minutes or the preheated grill for 6-9 minutes (turning frequently) or until bread is toasty and cheese is melted. If you have a thicker baguette it will take longer.
  8. While the sandwiches are cooking, prepare the au jus. Take the remaining au jus mixture and place in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add 2 cups cold water and whisk. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer to allow it to slightly thicken. (You can do this on the side burner of a grill or even over a campfire OR make ahead of you bring these sandwiches camping)
  9. Remove foil packs and open carefully to let the steam escape. Pull apart the sandwiches and enjoy with the au jus sauce.

 

Best Southwestern Pasta Salad Recipe  – thepioneerwoman.com

This flavorful and colorful side dish is the perfect accompaniment to a Fourth of July picnic. It’s refreshing and full of nutrients. For easy prep, chop and dice everything at home prior to going camping.

Ingredients

  • 2 ears corn, shucked
  • 1 16 oz. box medium shell pasta
  • 3/4 c. sour cream
  • 3/4 c. mayonnaise
  • 1 1 oz. packet ranch seasoning mix
  • 2-3 chipotle peppers in adobo, seeded
  • 1 tsp. lime zest
  • 1 tbsp. lime juice
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1 pt. cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 15 oz. can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 avocados, diced
  • 1 orange bell pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 1/2 medium red onion, chopped
  • 1 c. chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 c. shredded Mexican cheese blend

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the corn until tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the corn from the pot with a fine mesh strainer and rinse with cold water to cool.
  2. Add the pasta to the same pot of boiling water and cook one minute longer than the package directions. Drain, rinse with cold water, and let cool.
  3. In a blender, combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, ranch seasoning mix, 2 chipotle peppers, lime zest, lime juice, and cumin. Blend until smooth. Taste, and blend in a third chipotle pepper, if desired.
  4. Cut the corn off the cobs. In a large bowl, combine the corn, cooled pasta, cherry tomatoes, pinto beans, avocado, bell pepper, red onion, cilantro, and cheese. Fold to combine. Gently fold in the dressing. Serve chilled.

 

Camping Dutch Oven BBQ Ribs  — Campingforfoodies.com

Nothing celebrates the Fourth quite like slow-cooked, tender BBQ ribs. They only seem to be made on this particular holiday – so they are spectacular to the senses as the evening’s fireworks.  

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 2 onions, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 cups ketchup
  • 1 (29 oz) can tomato sauce
  • 2 1/2 cups red wine vinegar
  • 1 cup unsulfured molasses
  • 3 tablespoons hickory flavor liquid smoke
  • 2 1/2 cups brown sugar*
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder*
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder*
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder*
  • 2 teaspoons paprika*
  • 1 teaspoon celery seed*
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon*
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper*
  • 2 teaspoons salt*
  • 2 teaspoons pepper*
  • 3 baby back rib racks NOTE: If you don’t have a deep 12″ Dutch oven and you are using a regular 12” Dutch oven, you may only be able to fit 2 – 2 1/2 racks of ribs.

Ingredients marked with * are those that can be measured and mixed at home and just transported in a sealed container to the campsite.

 Instructions

  1. Build The Sauce in a large saucepan over medium heat. Start by melting the butter.
    • Now add the onions and garlic and sauté until tender.
    • Now add the ketchup, tomato sauce, red wine vinegar, molasses, liquid smoke and stir until incorporated.
    • Now add the brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, paprika, celery seed, ground cinnamon, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper.
    • Thicken the sauce, reduce the heat to low and stir occasionally, simmer uncovered about 20 minutes or till desired thickness (shorter cooking time = thinner sauce, the longer you cook it, the thicker it will become.)
  2. Cut the silver skin off from the back of the ribs. You can use a butter knife to pull it up pretty easily. Depending on where you purchase your ribs, the silver skin may already be removed, which is always a nice thing! Cut the rack to fit into the Dutch oven; 4-5 ribs per cut works well.
  3. Prepare your heat (campfire coals or charcoal briquettes) for cooking with a deep 12″ Dutch oven.
  4. In deep 12” Dutch oven, cover 3 cut racks of baby back ribs with BBQ sauce keeping the level about 1 inch below the lid to avoid the sauce boiling over as it begins to simmer. Camp Cooking Tip: The key to these Camping Dutch Oven BBQ Ribs being super tender is keeping them submerged in the sauce throughout the cooking process. If you can’t get all of the ribs in the sauce, rotate them throughout the cooking process pulling the ribs from the bottom and placing them on top every half hour or so.
  5. Simmer for 4-6 hours (6 is better, so make sure you start this meal early enough to get maximum flavor and tenderness). You can use charcoal briquettes or a campfire to cook this recipe; either way, you want to monitor the heat throughout the cooking process to cook them at a simmer.

 

Campfire Baked Apples – Courtesy of The Dyrt

The most American dessert around Independence Day has to be featuring American apples. Pick your favorite (tart varieties tend to have better flavor). You can put together the dried fruit, walnuts, and spices together at home before you go camping. It tastes just like apple pie, but in a less messy, camping version.

Ingredients

  • 4 large apples, pick your favorite
  • 2 Tbsp. lemon juice, divided
  • 1/3 cup dried fruit of choice, chopped
  • 2 Tbsp. walnuts, chopped or your favorite nuts
  • 1/4 tsp. cinnamon, ground
  • 1/8 tsp. nutmeg, ground
  • 1 Tbsp. butter, unsalted, softened, divided

Instructions

  1. Use a knife to carefully core the apples without breaking them open – the idea is to make a bowl out of the apple. Take half of the lemon juice and brush the inside of the apples.
  2. Mix the remaining lemon juice along with the dried fruit, nuts, cinnamon, nutmeg, and half of the butter in a small bowl.
  3. Press the fruit and nut mixtures in the center of each cored apple. Take the remaining butter and divide it into four equal parts.
  4. Next, place one piece of butter on top of each filled apple. Wrap each apple tightly with its own piece of foil.
  5. Place your foil-wrapped apples in hot coals or on a fire grate over the coals (do not place it on the open flame).
  6. Last, cook the apples for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Your dessert campfire apple is done when it feels tender when squeezed.