American Flag Food

AMERICAN FLAG COOKIE CAKE

Steps:

• For the shortbread: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and brown sugar. Cut the butter into pieces, and using 2 forks or your fingers, work the butter into the flour mixture until it's the consistency of wet sand. Press the dough firmly and evenly into a nonstick 9-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheet.
• Bake until the shortbread is pale golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely in the baking sheet on a wire rack. Once it has cooled, use a sharp knife to carefully cut around the edges then invert the shortbread onto a serving platter.
• For the toppings: Make the frosting by beating the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on low speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the butter and continue beating on low speed until combined, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla extract then sift the confectioners' sugar into the bowl and mix on low speed just until combined. (Overmixing will cause the frosting to be too runny.)
• Spread the cream cheese frosting in an even layer on the shortbread. Arrange 6 of the blueberries in the top left corner in each of 5 rows to form the blue portion of the flag. Arrange the raspberries in about 6 horizontal rows across the cake, leaving about 1 inch between each row, to form the stripes. Place the white chocolate chips between the blueberries to form the stars.
• Using a sharp knife, slice and serve the cookie cake immediately, or refrigerate until ready to serve the same day. To make the cake in advance, wrap the shortbread tightly in plastic wrap and keep at room temperature for up to 2 days. Refrigerate the frosting for up to 2 days. Then assemble the cake shortly before serving so the berries don't release juices into the frosting.

ALL-AMERICAN FLAG JELL-O MOLD

Steps:

• Add 1-1/2 cups boiling water to blue gelatin mix in medium bowl; stir 2 min. until completely dissolved. Repeat in separate bowl with red gelatin. Stir 1-1/2 cups cold water into gelatin in each bowl.
• Spray 10-cup flag mold with cooking spray; place on baking sheet. Pour red gelatin into mold. Refrigerate 45 min. until set but not firm. Meanwhile, refrigerate blue gelatin 45 min. After 20 min., dissolve lemon gelatin in boiling water in separate bowl. Refrigerate 25 min. or until slightly thickened.
• Whisk COOL WHIP into lemon gelatin; spread over red gelatin layer in mold. Refrigerate 10 min. or until set but not firm. Cover with blue gelatin. Refrigerate 4 hours or until firm. Unmold.

ALL-AMERICAN FLAG CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13-inch baking pan.
• Stir yellow cake mix, 1 cup water, vegetable oil, and eggs in a mixing bowl until moistened; beat with a mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour batter into prepared baking pan.
• Bake cake in the preheated oven until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack. Poke holes about 1 inch apart all over the cake with a fork.
• Dissolve strawberry gelatin in boiling water in a bowl and pour gelatin slowly over the cake, letting gelatin seep into holes. Refrigerate cake until gelatin sets, about 1 hour. Transfer cake to a serving platter and cut in half horizontally.
• Mix instant vanilla pudding mix with milk in a bowl and whisk until thickened, about 2 minutes; stir in 1/2 cup blueberries. Spread blueberry filling onto bottom of cake and place top of cake over the filling. Spread 2 cups whipped topping smoothly over top and sides of cake and arrange 1/2 cup blueberries in a square in the upper left corner of the cake for stars. Arrange alternating layers of strawberries and miniature marshmallows into horizontal red and white stripes.

AMERICAN FLAG FRUIT AND CHEESE TRAY

Steps:

• Plan and purchase what fruits and cheeses you want to use. Think about whether you are going to prep this ahead or serve it immediately as that may change what fruit you would use or how you would prepare them. Ie. I would'nt put bananas on this if I wanted to prepare it ahead of time etc.
• Prep fruit as needed. I hulled and halved the strawberries, chopped the honeydew, but I left the grapes and blueberries whole. Do what works for you.
• Cut cheese into cubes.
• Line tray with foil or plastic wrap if desired.
• Place blue fruits in a square bowl or platter and place at the top left corner of your tray. If you don't have a square bowl etc. just lay the blue fruit in the top left corner in a square pattern.
• Lay the red fruit out in stripes across the tray. You could do a stripe of just one fruit or mix the red fruits together and lay them out.
• Fill in the white stripes with white cheese cubes and/or white fruits.
• If not serving immediately, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

AMERICAN FLAG

Steps:

• Layer in shot glass.