If you’re not done yet with your menu list, try the grilled lime corn recipe. This healthy grilling recipe It’s a perfect grilled recipe for your Independence Day celebration. You can have it done on the side of your main grilled meat recipe. You will never fail to impress your guest with this tasty grilled lime corn.

Grilled Corn on the Cob with Lime Recipe

Corn on the Grill Ingredients:

8 ears fresh corn, husks removed

Vegetable cooking spray

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced

1 small garlic clove, pressed

1 tablespoon lime zest

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro

Garnish: lime zest

Grilled Corn Directions:

1. Preheat grill to 350° to 400° (medium-high) heat. Coat corn lightly with cooking spray. Sprinkle with desired amount of salt and pepper. Grill corn, covered with grill lid, 15 minutes or until golden brown, turning occasionally.
2. Meanwhile, stir together butter and next 5 ingredients. Remove corn from grill, and cut into thirds. Serve corn with butter mixture. Garnish, if desired.

You should be able to serve at least 8 persons with this tasty grilled lime corn recipe. And this can be done in around 30 minutes only. This is not only easy but a quick grilled recipe that you can make. The lime doesn’t only provide a great flavor but an appetizing aroma as well. You definitely have to try this one of a kind grilled corn recipe.

For more summer food recipes on Stagetecture, click here.

How to Make a Delicious Berry Red Sangria Recipe

If you prefer, you can easily turn this drink into a mocktail.  Simply swap out the alcohol for ginger ale, flavored seltzer water or fruit juice for a bubbly and family-friendly substitute. We also love this sangria recipe made with watermelon and cucumber!

Don’t be afraid to play with the liquid ratios, this is an easy drink to customize with different amounts or types of alcohol, or even using different fruits completely!  This sangria will be a crowd pleaser that never gets old with all of the possible tweaks.

Berry Red Sangria Recipe

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Berry Red Sangria Ingredients:

1 bottle of your favorite dry white wine or red wine

1 cup light rum

1-2 cups real pomegranate or cranberry juice (to taste)

1-2 cups orange juice (to taste)

2 cups ginger ale

1 cup sliced strawberries and/or watermelon

½ cup blueberries

Sangria Directions:

1.  Using an ice cube tray, fill each section halfway with water and add blueberries to each cube.  Place in the freezer until solid.

2. In a large pitcher, combine the white wine, rum, and fruit juices.  Feel free to adjust the ratios to your preference.  Add the sliced fruit and chill the pitcher in the freezer for at least 2 hours so the fruit can infuse the sangria.

3. For serving once the ice cubes are solid and the sangria is chilled, add the ginger ale just before pouring to keep it bubbly.  Then pour the sangria into glasses and add the blueberry ice cubes.  Garnish with a sliced strawberry and sip away!  Refrigerate any leftovers… and enjoy on another occasion.

For more drinks and cocktails for your party, take a look through our archives on Stagetecture.

Memorial Day Appetizer: Grilled Potato Skins

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Total time: 25-30 minutes

Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients

2 baking potatoes – white or sweet potatoes

2 tablespoon melted butter

½ teaspoon dried rosemary

Pinch of salt and pepper

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

2 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

2 chopped, green onions

Sour cream

Directions:

1. Cut potatoes into 4 wedges. Hollow out the center of each wedge. Microwave potatoes, uncovered, on high for 6-8 minutes or until tender.

2. In a small bowl, combine rosemary, butter, salt, and pepper. Remove potatoes from microwave and brush over both sides of potato.

3. Put potatoes with skin-side up on the grill rack. Grill for 2-3 minutes, turn and grill again. Add cheese to potato wedges and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

4. Top off with bacon and onion. Serve with sour cream.

Just about everyone will love this delicious Memorial Day appetizer. You can also substitute low-fat cheese or add broccoli and other vegetables for a healthier option.

For more easy appetizers on Stagetecture, click here.

Take a look at 23 of our favorite patriotic desserts:

1. Patriotic Desserts: Summer Berries Popsicles

See this yummy popsicle recipe here.

Image via: HGTV

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2. Fourth of July Dessert: American Flag Cake

4th of July Cake Ingredients:

Cake:

6 large eggs
3 cups of sugar
18 tablespoons of unsalted butter
1 cup of sour cream
3 cups of flour
1 ½ teaspoons of  pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
⅓ cup cornstarch
1 ½ pounds of cream cheese
1 pound of unsalted butter
1 ½ teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
1 pound of confectioners’ sugar (sifted)
3 half-pints of raspberries
2 half-pints of blueberries

Icing:

1 ½ pounds of cream cheese
1 pound of unsalted butter
1 ½ teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
1 pound of confectioners’ sugar (sifted)

Flag decorations

3 half-pints of raspberries
2 half-pints of blueberries

Patriotic Desserts Cake Directions:

Cake:

1)      Heat oven to 375ᵒ F or 350ᵒ F if you’re using a nonstick pan. Butter and flour a rectangular pan. Mix the butter and sugar in an electric mixer and turn the paddle attachment to high speed. Once the mixture is fluffy, turn the mixer to medium speed and add the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla. Stir the mixture until it is smooth.

2)      Sift the flour, salt, baking soda, and cornstarch in a bowl. Turn the mixer to low speed and add the flour mixture. Combine the mixture well.

3)      Pour the mixture into your rectangular pan and smoothen the top. Bake for 20 – 30 minutes and test with a toothpick. Remove the cake when the toothpick comes out clean.

Icing

Mix the sugar, butter, vanilla, and cream cheese in an electric mixer until the mixture is smooth.

How to Decorate your Patriotic Cake:

1. Spread ¾ of the icing on the top side of the cake. Draw a sketch of the flag on top using a toothpick. Add blueberries to the upper-left corner and make red rows with the raspberries. Leave some space between the rows.
2. Put the leftover icing in a pastry bag and make white rows between the red stripes. Pipe white stars over the blueberries.

This American flag cake is a perfect Fourth of July dessert to bring to a picnic, bbq or to serve as a centerpiece at your family gathering. It is tasty and beautifully shows off your patriotic side. Make it for your guests and see if they won’t be asking you for the recipe.

3. Patriotic Berry Pie Recipe

Try this yummy patriotic berry pie recipe here.

20 Blogger Friends share their favorite patriotic dessert recipes:

1. Red, White And Blue No-Bake Cheesecake Parfaits
2. Strawberry Blueberry Cloud Cake
3. Skinny Ice Cream Sandwiches
4. White Chocolate Berry Parfaits
5. Coconut Water And Fresh Berry Popsicles For 4th Of July
6. Berries & Cream Tart With Cookie Crust
7. Berry Patriotic Poke Cake
8. Patriotic Dipped Oreo Cookies
9. Brownie Flag Recipe
10. Try These Easy Patriotic Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries
11. Patriotic Layered Jello Dessert
12. Patriotic Parfait
13. 4th Of July Ice Cream Cone Cookies
14. Patriotic Red White And Blue Pastries
15. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Flag Dip
16. Fireworks Sugar Cookie Cake
17. How To Make Mini Cheesecakes (video)
18. 4th Of July Berry Dessert Pizza
19. American Cheesecake Popsicles
20. Red, White And Blue Oreo Cookie Pops

Do you love Grilled Fruit Recipes?

Take a look at our Strawberry Shortcake Grilled Fruit Kabobs recipe here.

For more Patriotic Dessert Recipes ideas, click here.

4th of July Healthy Side – Crunchy Broccoli & Pasta Medley

Image via: Table Feast

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Ingredients

• 2 cups of red grapes without seeds (halved)
• 1 pound of broccoli
• ½ cup of package farfalle pasta (or 16-oz)
• 1/3 cup of chopped red onions
• 8  slices of cooked bacon (crumbled)
• 1 cup of mayonnaise
• 1 cup of diced pecans
• 1/3 cup of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1/3 cup of vinegar (red wine vinegar)

Preparation

1)      Preheat your oven to 350ᵒ. Place the pecans in a shallow pan and bake them for five to seven minutes or until they are slightly brown and aromatic. Mix them halfway through to ensure they are evenly baked.

2)      Prepare your pasta as per the instructions on the package.

3)      Cut the broccoli florets from the stems and divide them into little pieces using the tip of a sharp knife. Peel the outer layer of the stems and chop them.

4)      Mix mayonnaise, sugar, salt, diced onions, and red wine vinegar together in a big bowl. Add the broccoli, grapes, and cooked pasta. Stir the mixture to ensure everything is coated then add the pecans and bacon prior to serving.

Image via: Foodiddy

Expert Tips

• If you don’t want to use sugar, substitute it with honey which is healthier and also very tasty.
• Replace the mayonnaise with a low-fat type if you are trying to lose weight.
• To get the perfect consistency, refrigerate the salad for 3 hours. This makes it change from slightly watery to thick.

Salads are perfect for those trying to lose weight, improve their nutrition, or adopt a healthier lifestyle. If you’ve been looking for salad recipes for the fourth of July, add this one to your list.

For more 4th of July recipes on Stagetecture, click here.

BBQ Side Recipe: Jalapeño Cheddar Corn on the Cob 

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Serves: 8

Grilled Corn Ingredients:

8 ears of corn

1 stick of butter

4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese

2 tablespoons cilantro, packed and chopped

1 tablespoon lime juice

2 teaspoons jalapeño pepper, minced

Salt and pepper, to taste

Grilled Corn Directions:

1. Start by cleaning your corn. Peel back the husks. Remove them, along with any silk, and discard.
2. Soak the ears of corn in a bath of moderately salted water for 15-20 minutes to ensure that they retain moisture while cooking.
3. While the corn soaks, ready your ingredients. Set the butter out to soften. Grate the cheese and chop the cilantro. Juice the lime. Remove the ribs and seeds from the pepper before mincing it very finely, remembering to wash your hands afterwards.
4. In a small bowl, mix together the butter, cheddar, cilantro, lime juice, and jalapeno until all the flavorings are evenly distributed. Adjust seasonings to taste.
5. After the corn finishes soaking, shake off any extra moisture.
6. Prepare a packet for the corn by laying a few sheets of aluminum foil on top of each other. Lay the corn on the foil and butter it generously. Then, seal the packet closed by crimping the top and bottom together and folding the sides over themselves.
7. Cook the corn for 15 minutes on a grill that’s been heated to medium high. Make sure to flip the foil packets every 5 minutes to keep the foil from charring.
8. Carefully remove the corn from the foil packets. Serve warm with extra butter, salt, and pepper on the side.

The clear star of is BBQ side recipe is the jalapeño cheddar compound butter. You may want to keep extra on hand to jazz up cornbread or potatoes during your weeknight dinner routine. However, you shouldn’t stop there. Feel free to swap out the flavoring ingredients to reflect what your family loves to eat.

See our other corn recipes!

For more recipes on Stagetecture, click here.

The last holiday of the season Labor Day weekend will be here soon. A final summertime entertainment is a great way to bring together friends and family for fun, food, and fellowship. While adults can keep themselves entertained by cooking out, drinking, and spending time with guests, children often feel left out in such gatherings. We point you many different Labor Day activities for kids that will keep them occupied at the party and give adults some time to have fun.

Image via: Accent on Design

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Patriotic scavenger hunt

Gather patriotic items or pieces related to Labor Day such as flags, steamers, festive color balloons and hide them throughout the yard. Make a list of items and handover a copy to each child or group of children if they will be working as a team. Let them know that everything on the list is hidden and they have until the end of the day to find these items. Plan fun prizes for the winners. This patriotic scavenger hunt is sure to keep the kids busy throughout the day.

Image via: Style Motivation

Cookie decorating

If you are hosting an outdoor party, cookie decorating can be a fantastic activity for kids. Buy ready made cookie dough and cut it into fun shapes such as flowers, flags, geometrical shapes and more. Bake them a day before your Labor Day bash. On the celebration day, set up a cookie-decorating table, and provide kids with items like edible stars, colored frosting, candy bits and any other desired toppings. They will have a fun time decorating and eating their yummy Labor Day treats.

Image via: Miss Mustard Seed

Crafts and games

Depending on the age group, you can give children coloring sheets, vocabulary worksheets, and word finds related to Labor Day and various jobs. Coloring printables with big, simple images are great for preschool kids, while word finds and vocabulary activities are perfect for elementary school kids. You can easily find these Labor Day printables online. Alternatively, you can handover old magazines to young kids and ask them to cut out pictures of people doing different work and stick them to construction paper.

When planning a Labor Day party, do remember to plan any of these fun activities for kids. These are sure to keep them entertained throughout the day and everyone in attendance will have a great time.

For more holiday ideas with your kids on Stagetecture, click here.

Labor Day Side: Crunchy Tart Apple Coleslaw

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Apple Coleslaw Ingredients:

1/3 cup(s) cider vinegar
3 tablespoon(s) vegetable oil
1 tablespoon(s) Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon(s) sugar
1 teaspoon(s) salt
1/2 teaspoon(s) ground black pepper
1 small (1 1/2-pound) head green cabbage, thinly sliced, tough ribs discarded
1/2 small (4-ounce) head red cabbage, thinly sliced, tough ribs discarded
4 medium carrots, shredded
1 small red onion, minced
1 yellow pepper, thinly sliced
1 large Granny Smith apple
1/2 cup dried cranberries
Nuts if desired: Walnuts, Pecans, Almonds, Sunflower Seeds

Apple Coleslaw Directions:

1. In a large bowl, with wire whisk, mix vinegar, oil, Dijon, sugar, salt, and pepper until blended. Add green and red cabbage, carrots, onion, and yellow pepper; toss well. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour to blend flavors or up to 6 hours.
2. Just before serving, core apple and cut into matchstick-thin strips. Add to coleslaw and toss to coat.

For more recipes on Stagetecture, click here.

Labor Day is almost here and most of you may be wondering what you will grill as the last official summer holiday takes way. For many of you the thought of bbq main dish recipes and side dishes can be a challenge to think of. Well Stagetecture has plenty of summer recipes in the archives! Today, try this lemon grilled whole chicken recipe and let me know what you think!

Labor Day BBQ – Lemon Grilled Whole Chicken 

Image and Recipe via Delish

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Ingredients

1 tablespoon(s) grated lemon zest
1/3 cup(s) freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 2 lemons)
1/4 cup(s) finely chopped fresh oregano (or 1 tablespoon dried)
2 tablespoon(s) olive oil, plus more for grates
Coarse salt and ground pepper
4 (1 1/2 pounds each) chicken halves or 2 whole chickens, split
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4 lemons, halved crosswise
Oregano sprigs (optional)

Image via: Table Feast

Directions

1. Make marinade: In a small bowl, whisk together lemon zest and juice, oregano, oil, 2 teaspoons coarse salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Divide marinade between 2 large resealable plastic bags. Place 2 chicken halves in each bag; shake to coat. Let marinate at room temperature 30 minutes, turning bags occasionally.

2. Preheat grill to medium; lightly oil grates. Remove chicken from marinade, and pat dry with paper towels. Place chicken, skin side up, on grill. Cover and cook, until lightly browned and cooked through, about 20 minutes. Turn chicken over; cover and cook until well browned, 10 to 15 minutes (an instant-read thermometer should register 175 degrees.when inserted into thickest part of meat, avoiding bone). If chicken is browning too quickly, move to cooler parts of grill or turn grill to low heat.

3. Transfer chicken to a cutting board. Tent with foil; let rest 10 minutes. Meanwhile, place lemon halves on grill, cut side down; cook until slightly charred, 8 to 10 minutes. Cut chicken pieces in half; serve with grilled lemon halves, and, if desired, garnish with oregano sprigs.

For more recipes on Stagetecture, click here.

Fight the summer heat with cool smoothies. Not just cool, make it healthy too. Your body needs to cool down especially if you are exposed to the scourging heat of the sun. Of course, you can have water to neutralize your body temperature. But isn’t it great if your water has extra flavors?

Smoothies are very helpful in your body. These low-calorie drinks are perfect for summer picnics or any outdoor activities. You will be amazed how these smoothies are so easy to mix and yet packed with fruit flavors that you will definitely love.

Image via: Pinterest

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These healthy smoothies are great drinks for all ages. If you are looking for not just cool but healthy smoothies, try these delicious refreshments this summer:

Honeydew Mimosas

Blend 1 cup ice with ½ honeydew and 1 tablespoon sugar; stir in 1 (750-ml) bottle of sparkling wine (4 servings).

Mango Smoothie

For a light morning meal, blend 1 cup chopped mango, ¼ cup low fat vanilla yogurt, 2 tablespoons orange-mango juice, 1/3 cup ice, 1 teaspoon honey, and 1 teaspoon lime juice.

Image via: Table Feast

Ultimate Rum Punch

Stir together ¾ cup golden rum, ½ cup coconut rum, 1/4 cup apricot brandy, 1 cup pineapple juice, ¾ cup orange juice, and ¼ cup grapefruit juice (6 servings).

You can have them served in one event and have your guest choose which one they like the most. These smoothies can also be served at home during weekend family bonding. Just have the entire ingredient ready in different containers and you can have your favorite smoothie anytime you wanted. Your loved ones will be impressed with these fruity and delicious smoothies. For parties and gatherings, these can also serve as your healthy options especially this summer. Make sure to choose fresh ingredients to achieve the flavors you are looking for.

For more summer recipes on Stagetecture, click here.