Memorial Day is right around the corner… which means it’s time to start planning your first epic party of Summer! Don’t waste money on pre-made party salads and over priced catering. We went digging through Pinterest to find you the most unique Memorial Day Food inspiration, that’s easy to make, inexpensive and guaranteed to impress all of your guests next weekend!
Make an American flag out of Fruit kabobs or cheesecake mousse stuffed Berries.
To make the Fruit Flag kabobs, all you need is wooden skewers, your choice of a red berry (Strawberry or Raspberry work best), Blue or Blackberries and bananas and/or mini marshmallows. Tip: to keep your flag bright and free from browning, mix one cup of water with 3 tablespoons of lemon juice and coat your fruit with a little of the mixture. Start by threading a strawberry quartered (or raspberry whole) followed by a banana slice or mini marshmallow onto 9 skewers. With the final 4 skewers, thread strawberry and banana slices, leaving a third of skewer empty. Next, thread blue or blackberries the remaining way. (Optional: Add random mini marshmallows in between the blueberries to look like stars..
Cheesecake Mousse stuffed Fruit Flag
- 2 lbs of fresh whole strawberries
- 1 cup of fresh blueberries
- 8 oz package of cream cheese (at room temperature)
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Cut the stems off of each strawberries, they stand cut-side down. From the tip of each strawberry, cut a deep X shape halfway down each berry. In a mixing bowl add cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla and beat using an electric handheld mixer until fluffy peaks form. On a white serving tray, arrange each strawberry to form the flags red stripes, leaving a square at the top for the stars. Use a pastry bag (with a star-shaped piping tip) to pipe cheesecake filling into each strawberry. Next pipe tiny little dots of the cheesecake filling where each blueberry will go. Place the blueberries gently down on each dollop, so the square is completely blue. Add additional stars with the filling on top of the Blueberries to simulate the stars. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.
Memorial Day Frankfurter Fireworks:
Recipe inspired by Pop Sugar
- 1 can refrigerated breadstick dough (Pillsbury)
- 12 hot dogs
- 12 thick slices colby cheese
- 12 skewers
- Small Star cookie cutter
- Wooden skewers
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Use parchment paper to line a baking sheet and set aside. Thread a wooden skewer all the way through the center of each hot dog (lengthwise) leaving an inch or two of the stick exposed at the top of each hot dog. Wrap each piece of breadstick dough around the hot dogs in a spiral shape. Lay each hot dog on the baking sheet. Bake until bread is golden brown (approximately 20-25 minutes). Press the star-shaped cookie cutter into the cheese to make 12 small stars. Once the hot dogs have cooled, place each cheese star on top of each hot dog (where the skewer is exposed) Display by pushing the bottoms of the skewers into a styrofoam square in a tin bucket so they stick up like firecrackers.
Patriotic Sweet and Savory Salad
- 8 oz of Arugula (or Mixed greens)
- 1 Cup of Fresh blueberries
- 1 Cup of Strawberries or Raspberries (choose one, don’t mix)
- ⅓ Cup of Feta Cheese or Goat Cheese
- ⅛ cup of toasted Almond slivers or Pecans *Optional
- favorite salad dressing, served on the side
- Mason Jars for serving *Optional
In a mixing bowl, Add all ingredients and gently toss. Spoon equal portions into each mason jar, cover and refrigerate until ready to eat. Serve dressing on the side to avoid soggy salads.
Star Shaped Burgers
Wow your guests with Star Shaped burgers fresh off the grill! All you need is a few star shaped cookie cutters and a mini star baking mold or pan. We found a great silicon six star baking mold from Wilton, available at most baking supply stores and readily available at Walmart, JoAnn fabric and Michaels Craft Stores for under ten bucks! To make the buns, simply press dinner roll dough (pre-made from pillsbury) into each star mold and follow instructions. For the hamburger meat, press into a cookie cutter and refrigerate until ready to grill.