Celebrity Chef Lulu Powers Shares Her Secrets for a Star-Spangled Bash (NAPSA)—The young and young at heart have enjoyed Red Vines red licorice as a sweet snack for more than 90 years. This confectionary icon is not only a convenient and portable treat, it’s fat free and comes in a variety of flavors and sizes to satisfy any snack attack. To add a festive spin to this chewy treat, Lulu Powers, chef and party planner to the stars, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Will Smith and Madonna, offers a unique way to sweeten up a Fourth of July party or other patriotic occasion with her Red Vines, White and Blue Cookies. This easy recipe features a deliciously creamy cookie made with cream cheese, maple syrup and chopped white chocolate. Each cookie is topped with chewy red licorice twists and fresh blueberries to form mini fireworks of flavor. In addition to this star-spangled treat, Powers offers these tips for a spectacular Independence Day bash: * Summer is a great time to take advantage of the outdoors, so move your party out by the pool, down by the beach or to a local park. The open space may entice the guests to linger longer. * Purchase a large piece of red, white and/or blue fabric at a fabric store to use as a table covering or picnic blanket. Purchase blue or white paper dinner napkins and wrap silverware in them. Instead of a napkin ring, tie a red licorice twist around the napkin. Put an American flag toothpick (available at most party stores) through the twist to hold the knot in place. * Stir up a pitcher of lemonade with red licorice and mint ice cubes by chopping red licorice RED VINES WHITE AND BLUE COOKIES Recipe by Celebrity Chef Lulu Powers Ingredients 2 sticks butter 3 ouncesof cream cheese % cup sugar % cup maple syrup Spark interest in your patriotic party with these red white and blue firework cookies. twists and mint in ice cube trays. Add either water or simple syrup (sugar water) and freeze. Place in lemonade drinks or float in Blue Curacao martinis. * Makered licorice marshmallow pops by inserting a popsicle stick into a large marshmallow. Dip into melted chocolate and roll in chopped red licorice twists. Let pops dry by resting them in an empty egg carton. * For a night-time party, fill a vase three-quarters full with sand. Add shells inside the vase, so that they are visible on the outside. Place candles in the vase. * Roll down lunch-size paper bags and fill with nuts, dried fruit, popcorn and red licorice. Separate each ingredient into its own bag and cluster bags together on a table or counter. Supply white Chinese take-out containers so that guests can customize their own trail mix. Kids can decorate their boxes with markers andstickers. For more information and delicious recipes, visit www.red vines.com. 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 cupsflour 2 cups white chocolate, chopped Additional sugar for coating Red Vines Original Red Twists, chopped 1 cup fresh blueberries Directions: Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, cream together butter, cream cheese, sugar and maple syrup. Add vanilla, flour, chopped white chocolate and mix well. Roll dough into % table- spoon balls, and then roll each ball in sugar and place directly on cookie sheet. Use a silicon pad or spray a cooking sheet with vegetable shortening. Press a slight thumb print into the center of the dough ball so that you can add the blueberries after baking. Place the chopped Red Vines on top of dough balls surrounding the thumb print to form a burst formation. Dough balls may flatten out little. Red Vines can most easily be cut by holding four or five pieces together and cutting as one would cut green onions. Bake 12-15 minutes. Place a blueberry in the center of each cookie, while the cookie is still warm, to complete the firework design.
