Your 4th of July Menu: Red, White & Blue Shortcake Stars

Another great addition to your 4th of July menu are desserts. I have quite the sweet tooth and I love shortcake almost as much as I love fresh strawberries and blueberries, so when I came across this great recipe for red, white, and blue shortcake I was thrilled to see two of my favorite foods combined. While strawberry shortcake is a widely-known and celebrated recipe, do not be afraid to mix it up and add other berries and fruits. You can usually get away with putting anything on shortcake so pick whatever is in season for the freshest, delicious shortcake.

You will need:

• 1 1/2 quarts strawberries, sliced (6 cups)
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 2/3 cups Original Bisquick mix
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup chopped dried cherries
• 6 tbs granulated sugar
• 6 tbs butter or margarine, melted
• 2 cups blueberries
• 3/4 cup whipping (heavy) cream
• 2 tbs granulated or powdered sugar

1. Mix strawberries and 1 1/2 cups sugar. Let stand 1 hour.

2. Heat oven to 425F. Mix Bisquick mix, milk, cherries, 6 tbs sugar and the butter until soft dough forms.

3. Gently smooth dough into ball on surface sprinkled lightly with Bisquick mix. Knead 10 times. Roll dough 1/2 inch thick. Cut with floured 3-inch star-shaped or round cutter. Place about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.

4. Stir blueberries into strawberries. Beat whipping cream and 2 tbs sugar in chilled medium bowl or electric mixer on high speed until stiff. Split shortcakes in half. Fill and top with berries and whipped cream.