Here are some easy tips for your 4th of July picnic:

• It’s hot. Keep it simple. We often love to take our fanciest desserts or dishes to a potluck but if you can’t do something elaborate, don’t worry. Whenever I go to a potluck, it is the simple dishes that disappear first.
• Something as easy as a platter of sliced tomatoes layered with sliced cucumbers on a bed of lettuce will look and taste lovely on a hot summer day. A plate of fruit lined up in rows on a pretty platter will disappear quickly. If you have some whipped topping to use as a dip for it, great! If not, don’t worry. They will eat it anyway!

• A pan full of brownies or a pile of rice krispy treats never last long either. Of course, plain old chunks of cold watermelon and cantaloupe are a must for July 4th picnics!
• To reduce your expense for soft drinks, serve cold sweetened ice tea or lemonade instead. One thing to remember when making tea, lemonade or Kool aid is to be sure to not add as much water as the recipe calls for because if you are going to add ice later, the ice will dilute the drink. There is nothing worse than a watery tasting drink. Of course you can freeze some of the drink itself to use for ice and that will help prevent the dilution.
• Add 1-2 tsp. of mint apple jelly to your iced tea for something different.

• Add any of the following to lemonade for a cool and refreshing drink:

  • 1/4-1/2 cup cranberry juice
  • 1/4-1/2 cup cherry juice
  • 1-2 tsp. of Kool-aid powder– strawberry, cherry, raspberry, lime or punch.

      -Jill

photo by: genbug