Cooking with Sam: Add patriotic desserts to cookout menu

July is right the corner, and we have a lot of cookouts. Cake is always a hit with everyone. I have made this one for years.

Flag Cake

Cake:

1 package French vanilla cake mix, regular size

1 cup buttermilk

1/3 cup canola oil

4 eggs

Filling:

1 package berry blue gelatin

1.5 cups boiling water, divided

1 cup cold water, divided

ice cubes

1 package strawberry gelatin

2/3 cup finely-chopped fresh strawberries

¼ cup of blueberries

Frosting:

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

1 tablespoon milk

7-ounce jar marshmallow crème

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13×9-inch baking pan with waxed paper and grease the paper. Set aside.

In a large bowl combine all ingredients for cake. Beat two minutes and pour into prepared pan. Bake 35- 40 minutes then cool 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

Transfer cake to a covered cake board. Using a small knife, cut out a 5×4-inch rectangle about half an inch deep in the left corner, leaving a half-inch border along edges of cake.

For red stripes, cut out half-inch wide rows, also half an inch deep. I use a fork to remove the cake.

In a small bowl prepare the blue gelatin. Chill until thick. Make the strawberry gelatin the same and chill until thick.

Stir gelatin mixtures. Slowly pour blueberry mixture into rectangle and spoon strawberry mixture into stripes.

In a large bowl beat butter until fluffy. Beat in confectioners’ sugar and milk until smooth. Add marshmallow crème and beat will until fluffy.

Spread frosting on sides of cake. Put the rest in a pastry bag and refrigerate remaining frosting, then pipe frosting in between rows of strawberry gelatin and around cake.

I always place blueberries in the blue gelatin and sliced strawberries in the stripes.

This can be make ahead of time to free you up to enjoy family and friends.

Patriotic Gelatin Salad

2 packages of berry blue gelatin (3 ounces)

2 packages of strawberry gelatin (3 ounces)

4 cups boiling water, divided

2.5 cups cold water, divided

2 envelopes unflavored gelatin

2 cups milk

2 cups sugar

2 cups sour cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In four separate bowls dissolve each package of berry blue and strawberry gelatin.

Pour one bowl of blue gelatin into a 10-inch tube pan. Chill until set.

Pour unflavored gelatin in cold water and let stand five minutes.

Heat milk in saucepan over medium heat. Stir in softened gelatin until dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in the sour cream and vanilla until smooth.

Chill unflavored gelatin and spoon on top of blue, then add the strawberry, then repeat layers until you end up using all the gelatin. Chill after each layer.