Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes

Total Time: 3 hours

Makes: one rack of 13 ribs

Ingredients:

• one rack of pork baby back ribs
• juice of one lemon
• 1/4 cup dry rub
• 1/2 cup barbeque sauce

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300° F.
2. Remove excess fat from ribs. Peel the silver skin off the back of the ribs – lift with a sharp knife and grab with a paper towel to remove.
3. Cut ribs apart into individual pieces.
4. Rub ribs all over with lemon juice.
5. Coat ribs with dry rub. Place meat side down in large baking pan, & cover tightly with foil, shiny side out.
6. Bake in the oven for 2 1/2 hours.
7. Remove from oven & pour off liquid.
8. Brush bbq sauce over all sides of ribs.
9. Grill: To finish ribs on the grill, remove from the pan and place ribs on the grill (I use a basket over direct but low heat) basting and turning a few times for about 10 minutes.
10. Oven: To finish ribs in the oven, set oven to broil and return ribs to the same oven rack, uncovered, basting and broiling about 5 minutes per side, watching so they don’t burn. They will be so tender, it’s best to turn them using gloved hands. (If foil starts to burn, transfer ribs to a clean sheet of foil for broiling). (Original)

Loaded Baked Potato Salad

Yield 14-16 Servings

This yummy potato salad is destined to become one of your favorite go-to recipes!

Ingredients:

• 6 pounds Russet potatoes

• 3-4 tablespoons olive oil

• 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

• 1 + 1/4 cups mayonnaise

• 1 cup sour cream

• 1 teaspoon sea salt (plus a few sprinkles more!)

• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1 + 1/2 pounds thick-cut butcher’s bacon, cooked and coarsely chopped

• 5-6 green onions, chopped

• 2 cups medium cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions:

1. Move oven rack to middle position. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. With a potato brush, scrub potatoes clean under running water. Dry off potatoes with a dish towel.

3. Using a fork, pierce potatoes 3-4 times on each side and transfer to a baking tray. Brush all sides of the potatoes with olive oil.

4. Bake the potatoes for approximately 45 minutes until tender. You’ll know they’re done when you can run a knife straight through the potatoes without resistance.

5. On the baking tray, cut each potato into four pieces to allow steam to escape. Allow potatoes to cool for 10 minutes. Using a knife and your fingertips, remove the potato skins.

6. Cut potatoes into bite-size pieces and transfer to a large mixing bowl. For a beautiful flavor, sprinkle the cooled potatoes with apple cider vinegar.

7. In a small mixing bowl blend the mayonnaise, sour cream, salt and pepper together with a spatula.

8. Pour wet mixture over the potatoes. Using a spatula gently fold in the mixture.

9. Gently fold in remaining ingredients: bacon, green onions and cheddar cheese.

10. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours before serving. Enjoy!

Patriotic Fruit Ideas

We all love watermelon in the summer, but those big half-moon slices aren’t very patriotic. Here are a couple ideas to help your delicious fruit match the holiday!

Use a star shaped cookie cutter to cut the chunks of the center of the watermelon. It makes for an adorable tray, or try the idea below and put them on a skewer with some blueberries.

You can even chop up a few delicious strawberries, and toss them in a bowl with the watermelon slices and fresh blueberries to make a patriotic fruit salad. (Bananas would be an excellent addition to it for a pop of white)

Easy Dessert Idea

If you’re planning a big party, you’ll be putting in all kinds of time cooking the meal, and with the hot summer temperatures rising, the last thing you want to do is be in the kitchen any longer than you need to.

Dessert tends to be an afterthought when there are so many other things to focus on, and here is the perfect solution for your meal planning woes!

The temperatures are hot, so ice cream sandwiches are a perfect finish to your delicious meal. Buy a jar or patriotic colored sprinkles, and press them around be edges, and within minutes you’ve got the easiest dessert possible, and everyone will love the cool treat!

Easy, Cost-Effective Decorations

Planning a holiday party for family and friends can get expensive, but these easy decorating ideas can be done with dollar store purchases, and don’t take much time!

Firecracker Pool Noodle Decorations

Pool Noodles have become a growing trend for all sorts of purposes. This one is adorable and super easy! All you need are some scissors, patriotic streamers or wire ribbon, and red and blue pool noodles.

Cut the noodles into small sections, tie them together, and stick the streamer/ribbon pieces out the top. They can be hung or set on a table for an adorable pop of color!

If you can’t find the right pool noodle colors, you can even use scrapbook paper (12″x12″) to wrap the noodle pieces with. You just need some mod podge or Elmer’s glue. This addition can add a fun pattern to an easy project.

Snap, Crackle, Pop Jars

Regardless of the fire restrictions for the year, sparklers are always allowed, and so are those fun snaps. You can find them at Walmart, or the fireworks stands. Pick up or order a package of bubble favors too! Grab a couple cute mason jars, stick a label on them, and you’re ready to snap, crackle, and pop all night!

Tin Can Utensil Holders

Everyone has vegetable cans that usually get thrown away. Up-cycle 3 of yours to make easy, inexpensive utensil holders for your upcoming party.

All you need are 3 tin cans, some red, white, and blue acrylic paint, and small handheld flags from a dollar store.

Paint the cans, each a different color, tape or glue the flag to the back, and BOOM, you’ve got holders to keep all your utensils organized and easy to access for your guests.

Mason Jar Flag Candle Holders

Mason Jar projects always end up with the cutest outcome, and these jars are no exception. As the sun starts to set, before the big, city-wide fireworks start, you’ll want some candles around to help light the area. These candle holders are simple, and will offer a good source of light for your backyard get-together.

Mod Podge a small handheld flag to the outside of a regular sized mason jar, and stick a wick or electric tea-light inside.

If you want to keep the bugs away, look into putting citronella oil for tiki torches inside, drill a hole in the center of the lid, and stick a piece of rope inside to create a wick. It will burn above the jar lid, and will keep those mosquitos away.

For the Kids

Sparklers are always a big hit, but they do spark, and often land on the soft skin of our kiddos. Many have started using plastic cups as a guard to protect hands and wrists from the little sparks that fly as they’re being used. So as you begin to light your sparklers this year, consider using some cups to protect those sweet little fingers!

Finally, when it’s warm outside and the kids are running around, why not have them do a fun, patriotic themed scavenger hunt. The one below is a great idea, but you could make your own. Offer some fun glow sticks or a sweet prize to the child who completes their lost first!

The Roosevelt Review hopes your holiday planning goes off without a hitch, and that you enjoy a safe and happy Independence Day! God Bless America!