Fun Fourth of July Picnic Ideas and Recipes! Happy 4th of July from It Works!!

Fun Fourth of July Picnic Ideas

Declare your independence from a hot grill this July Fourth. Gather the gang for a make-ahead meal and games, then spread your blanket, kick back, and focus on the fireworks.

Red Velvet Summer Trifle

This festive dessert is durable enough for travel and, even better, can be made a day ahead. You can make it all from scratch or use a cake mix.

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This is an amazing recipe and the instructions and ingredients are below:

For the Cake:

•  Nonstick spray for baking
•  2 1/2 cups  all-purpose flour
•  1/4 cup  unsweetened cocoa powder
•  1 teaspoon  baking soda
•  3/4 teaspoon  kosher salt
•  1 1/4 cups  buttermilk, room temperature
•  1 ounce bottle red food coloring
•  2 teaspoons  pure vanilla extract
•  1 teaspoon  distilled white vinegar
•  1 cup  (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
•  2 cups  sugar
•  3 large eggs, room temperature

For the Filling:

•  2 8 ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
•  3/4 cup  sugar
•  2 teaspoons  pure vanilla extract
•  2 cups  heavy whipping cream, cold

For the Decoration:

•  3 cups  blueberries
•  1 cup  raspberries
•  1 cup  strawberries

Make It

For the Cake::

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat two 9x2-inch round cake pans with the baking spray, and line the bottoms with parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Reserve. In a medium bowl, stir together the buttermilk, food coloring, 2 tsp. vanilla, and the vinegar. Reserve.

3. In a large bowl, beat the butter and 2 cups sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until very light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating between additions until combined. Alternate adding the dry flour mixture and the liquid buttermilk mixture to the batter, with mixer on low speed, scraping down the sides occasionally. Do not over mix.

4. Divide the batter evenly between the 2 prepared pans. Bake, on the same rack, about 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and remove parchment. Let cool completely on wire racks. Cake layers may be made up to 2 days ahead, and left at room temperature lightly covered or wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen up to one week ahead of trifle preparation.

For the filling::

5. In a large bowl beat the cream cheese and 3/4 cup sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until creamy and smooth, about 3 minutes. Beat in the 2 tsp. vanilla

6. With mixer on low speed, slowly pour in the cold cream. Increase speed to high and mix until voluminous and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Filling may be made 3 to 4 hours ahead of assembly and kept, covered and refrigerated.

To Assemble the Trifle::

7. If necessary, cut one cake layer into pieces to fit snugly in the bottom of a 4-quart trifle dish or glass bowl. Spread half the filling over the cake layer in the dish. Layer the blueberries over the filling, reserving a handful for the top of the trifle.

8. If necessary, cut the second cake layer to fit snugly over the blueberries. Press down gently and the blueberries and filling will move out slightly to the edge of the dish. Spread remaining filling on top of second layer. Cover the trifle with a plastic lid or plastic wrap. Pack raspberries, strawberries, and remaining blueberries in a zip-top bag or other storage containers. The trifle and berries may be refrigerated at this point for up to 24 hours. If chilled, let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes prior to serving.

9. At the picnic, top with the reserved raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries.

Nutrition Facts

Servings Per Recipe: 24; Amount Per Serving:cal.(kcal): 374, Fat, total(g): 23, chol.(mg): 93, sat. fat(g): 14, carb.(g): 39, Monounsaturated fat(g): 6, Polyunsaturated fat(g): 1, Trans fatty acid(g): 0, fiber(g): 2, sugar(g): 27, pro.(g): 5, vit. A(IU): 838, vit. C(mg): 7, Thiamin(mg): 0, Riboflavin(mg): 0, Niacin(mg): 1, Pyridoxine (Vit. B6)(mg): 0, Folate(µg): 35, Cobalamin (Vit. B12)(µg): 0, sodium(mg): 215, Potassium(mg): 135, calcium(mg): 62, iron(mg): 1, Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

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