Very Cherry and Blueberry Cheesecake Jars

Ignite a star-spangled 4th of July in your backyard when you serve these cherry and blueberry cheesecakes in canning jars. The individual, eight-ounce serving size makes them perfect for little fingers and big ones too! Great for picnics, just pop them into the cooler and they'll stay nice and chilled until it's time for dessert, that is if they last that long...  

Cherry and Blueberry Cheesecake in a Jar

Servings: 8
Eight 8-ounce canning jars
Two 3.4 ounce boxes of cheesecake flavor Jell-O
4 cups cold milk
⅔ cup graham cracker crumbs
⅛ cup sugar
4 tablespoons butter, melted
Cherry and blueberry pie filling

In a medium bowl, whisk pudding mix and milk together for two minutes. Refrigerate for 15 minutes to set. 

Combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter. Spoon even amounts of crumb mixture into canning jars. Divide pudding among canning jars. Top with cherry and blueberry pie filling.

Coming up next...  light and healthy Red, White and Blue Fruit Salad tossed with a honey, mint and lime dressing.

A Red, White and Blue To-do

It’s mid-summer, and we’ve got a birthday to celebrate. Follow along this week as I will show you how to make this 4^th of July your most star-spangled celebration yet, beginning with a cheerful centerpiece today. Stay tuned for individual-serving cherry and blueberry cheesecake desserts, a light and healthy fruit salad, and iced fruit cubes to keep your beverages chilled. All you’ll need to come up with are the hot dogs and sparklers.

The Centerpiece

Create an all-American table display with one large or a few small cobalt blue vases. Fill each with red mini carnations and daisy mums.  Add small flags and a little something sparkly. 


A patriotic table runner sets the stage for the occasion. Finish the look with white platters and plates and some stars and stripes napkins.  

Up next... canning jar individual-serving cherry and blueberry cheesecakes.

Skinny Crunchy Asian Salad

Summertime is meant for picnics, potlucks and all kinds of outdoor events. Keep your cool this season with a side dish that can accompany just about anything you can throw on the grill. This light and colorful Asian-inspired salad is bursting with flavor and has a hearty crunch thanks to ramen noodles and sliced almonds.

Crunchy Asian Salad
Servings: 15

Dressing
¼ cup canola oil
¼ cup rice vinegar
2-3 tablespoons sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper

Salad
1 package (3 ounces) ramen noodle soup mix
1 bag (16 ounces) coleslaw mix with shredded cabbage and carrots
8 medium green onions, thinly sliced
½ cup sliced almonds
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
2 cups fresh baby spinach leaves, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

In a large bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients until sugar is dissolved.

Break up ramen noodles in bag before opening. Discard seasoning packet. To the dressing, add noodles and remaining salad ingredients. Toss to mix well. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve immediately.
(Recipe adapted from bettycrocker.com)