Recipe(tried): 1999 Fla. 4th of July Menu - Grandma's Famous Potato Salad, BBQ Beef Brisket, Settler's Beans, Cherry-Pie Jell-O Salad, Raspberry Fudge Ice-Cream Pie, Cherry Lemonade

Hi Pat,

At our home, we celebrate the 4th of July with old fashioned recipes, this year we will be eating Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Grandma's Famous Potato Salad, Cherry-Pie Jell-O Salad, Settler's Beans, Brisket BBQ, Raspberry Fudge Ice-Cream Pie, lots of Cherry Lemonade and assorted sodas. I am glad to share this year's menu with you and hope it gives you some ideas for your bash! Happy 4th Of July!!

Here are the recipes:

Grandma's Famous Potato Salad

This recipe makes 5 cups, it can easily be doubled

1 cup Hellman's mayonnaise
2 tblsp. vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. pepper
4 cups cooked, chunked, peeled potatoes (5-6 medium)
1 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
1/2 cup red or green chopped bell pepper
1 tblsp. relish

Combine 1st 5 ingredients. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and chill.

BBQ Beef Brisket

This is great served on a roll and it is so tasty!!

4-5 lb. well trimmed brisket
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 tblsp. worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp. liquid smoke
1 bay leaf, crumbled
1/4 tsp. pepper

Rub meat with salt. Place in 9x13" pan. Stir together other ingredients and pour over the meat. Cover with foil. Bake at 325 for 3 1/2 hours. When done, take off foil carefully so steam does not burn you. Shred meat with two forks and blend well with juices. Serve on rolls.

Settler's Beans

2 lbs. ground chuck
1 onion chopped
Brown the above and drain

1/2 lb. bacon, cooked and broken into pieces
1 16 oz. can pork n' beans
1 16 oz. can butter beans
1 16 oz. can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinse
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup BBQ sauce (I use Kraft's Honey BBQ)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 tblsp. liquid smoke
3 tblsp. white vinegar
1 tsp. salt
dash pepper
1/2 tsp. chile powder
2 tblsp. prepared mustard
2 tblsp. molasses

Mix all ingredients together. Cook in crock pot 6-8 hours or heat on med-low on top of stove for 1 hour.

Cherry-Pie Jell-O Salad

Prepare one large package of Cherry Jell-O using half as much cold water as directed. Add one can of cherry pie filling that has been mixed with 1 tblsp. of sugar. Chill until set.

Mix 4 ozs. of cream cheese and 8 ozs. of Cool Whip until smooth. Cream cheese should be at room temp.

Fold in a small can of crushed pineapple that has been well drained. Spread on top of set Jell-O. Sprinkle with pecans. Serves about 8

Raspberry Fudge Ice-Cream Pie

Mix together 1 1/2 cups graham crackers crumbs
6 tblsp. butter or margerine melted
1/4 cup sugar

Press onto bottom and sides of 9" pie plate

1/2 gallon softened vanilla ice-cream
3 cups fresh or frozen raspberries
2 small chocolate almond candy bars, broken into bite size pieces
1 jar of hot fudge ice-cream topping

Into the prepared pie tin, spoon half of the softened ice cream over crust. Cover with plastic wrap and very gently smooth ice cream out over bottom of crust evenly. The plastic wrap keeps your hands clean and prevents the crust from breaking up under the ice cream. Add a layer of candy bar pieces, and half of the raspberries. Keep remaining raspberries in the fridge until serving time. Add rest of ice cream and smooth out as before with plastic wrap on top. Keeping plastic wrap over the ice cream, place in the freezer until firm (about 1-2 hours) Cut into wedges and garnish with remaining raspberries and hot fudge. Makes about 8 servings.

Cherry Lemonade

This recipe serves 6 - 8 but can easily be doubled

1 3/4 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 12 lemons)
1 cup sugar
3 quarts cold water
1 lb. fresh cherries, pitted

In a gallon container, combine the lemon juice and sugar until dissolved. Stir in the water and cherries and stir. Serve in glasses filled with ice.