Food for the Fourth

This year was our fourth time hosting The Fourth party.   We almost decided against having it this year due to every one's busy schedules and that it was in the middle of the week..... but I'm so glad we didn't!

How else would I have ever gotten this cute picture!  :)

Or gotten to spend some fun, relaxing time with family.  Or gotten to eat so much ( TOO MUCH!) good food all in one day.

Here is most of the food - linked to recipes where possible.....

Appetizers:

Blueberry, Strawberry, and Jicama Salsa.

It had a little bit of jalapeno in it ( which I loved) to balance out the sweetness from the fruit.  I served it with chips.  If it didn't have the jalapeno, I would probably serve it with cinnamon pitas.

Baked Tex-Mex Pimiento Cheese Dip

Wow!  This stuff was incredible!  And addictive!  It definitely has a kick, though, and I cut the amount of hot peppers in half based on the dainty taste  buds of the people attending.

I plan on making this dip a lot.  You have been warned, family!

For appetizers we also had mini quiches brought by Shannon and Mary.  Shannon's quiches were made from the fresh eggs that her chickens produced in her very own back yard.

The Sides:

Mac and Cheese Bites.

Your eyes are not deceiving you!  These mac and cheese bites were made in cupcake tins.  And were so incredible that they put me in a state of euphoria for the past seven days.

They are the perfect addition to a cookout, a picnic, a road trip, a bubble bath.  No utensils needed.  Just pick it up and go.  In fact, some of the kids were caught swimming around with them in their hands ( above the water, of course).

I was worried that mine wouldn't turn out because I am famous for trying "different" techniques and failing.  But I followed the recipe and they turned out perfectly.  I even made them the night before and was able to reheat them at 250 degrees for 20 minutes right before the party.

You can also make them in mini muffin tins!  Perfect for little hands at a birthday party!  Or you could fill up a popcorn bucket with them and call it a movie snack.

Grilled Corn.

Other sides not pictured:

Potato salad and watermelon ( from Mom and Dad)
Fried squash chips ( from Randy's garden)
Broccoli Salad ( minus the raisins)

And then the Main Course:

Crockpot BBQ Beer Chicken.

Ham and Swiss sliders ( from Shannon)
Meatballs ( from Mary)
Burger sliders
Hawaiian Pork Sliders... recipe from this book...

Trader Vic's is a restaurant we ate in last year when we went to Atlanta for a short vacation.  Kev happened across the cookbook and had just given it to me.  The recipe was for two pork loin that marinated over night and then roasted in the oven for an hour.

I sliced it and served it on Hawaiian sweet bread with grilled pineapple.

The pork sliders were definitely my favorite sandwich of the day... with Shannon's ham and swiss sandwiches coming in a close second.

The Desserts.

Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bake Dessert.

This dessert really deserves a better name!  Like Heaven or The Greatest Dessert on Earth.  It is just amazing.  And just like the last time I made it... it was already partially gone by the time it got served.

Shooting fireworks is exhausting!  ;)

I also made mini cherry and blueberry pies in mason jars!  And I completely forgot to get a picture!  It was also SO EASY and something I will definitely do again.  I made the blueberry ones sugar free and used regular cherry pie filling for the cherry ones.  The possibilities are endless.  I also used the pint jars that are tall and skinny - mainly because I couldn't find the ones pictured on the recipe - and they worked out just fine.  In fact, they had room at the top for a scoop of ice cream!  Which would then melt a little on the warm pie and seep down in to the jar.

My FIRST plate....

All healthiness and restrictions out the window!

I ended up eating ALL DAY.  And the next day woke up with a hangover!  A food hangover.  My body was just blown away by what I put in to it.

It was all worth it, though!

Little Abby sporting her patriotic bikini...

The party attendees... minus Mary and Glenn who were sitting on the porch in the shade.

It was such a fun day and we really enjoyed spending it with our family!

We hope every one had a great Fourth of July!!!