Instead of going out to eat this Independence Day, celebrate your patriotism by whipping up some good grub at home. We took a walk down memory lane to revisit some of the reader-submitted goodies that have won Cary Magazine recipe contests in the past, plus picked up an entrée selection from The Meat House.

We’ve got red, white and blue selections with decadent raspberry ice cream, a delightful blueberry tart, and a simple standby cornbread that’s sure to pair perfectly with a new twist on a good ol’ burger.

Raspberry Fudge Ice Cream
By Susan Mazzara, of Cary

2 tablespoons framboise
1/2 pint of fresh raspberries
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup The Silver Palate® Raspberry Fudge Sauce

Pour framboise over raspberries and mash with a fork. Stir in 1/4 cup sugar and let sit in refrigerator for 2 hours. Stir remaining sugar into milk until dissolved. Add cream and vanilla extract and stir until well blended. Stir in raspberry mixture. Pour into frozen bowl of ice cream maker and churn for 30 minutes. During last 5 minutes of churning, heat fudge sauce in microwave for about 30 seconds, just until pourable. When ice cream is ready, layer 1/3 of ice cream in a 1 1/2-quart air-tight container. Drizzle ice cream with half of the fudge sauce. Repeat ice cream and fudge sauce layers, and then cover second layer of fudge sauce with remaining third of ice cream. Cover ice cream with a layer of plastic wrap and seal. Place in freezer for 2 hours to harden.

Superb Cornbread
By Heather VanSteenbergen, of Fuquay-Varina

Cream together:
1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup milk

Sift together and add to the creamed mixture:
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 cup corn meal
1 cup flour
Bake the final mixture at 350 degrees for 25 minutes in a greased 8×8 pan.

B4 Burger (Black and Blue Bacon Burger)
From The Meat House

2 pounds 85/15 ground beef
3/4 to 1 cup Meat House Cajun seasoning
18 slices thick-cut bacon
8 ounces strong blue cheese
Rolls and desired toppings

Crisp the bacon in a large skillet on medium heat. While the bacon is cooking, combine the beef and Cajun seasoning, mixing thoroughly by hand. Let this mix rest in order to allow the seasoning to work into the meat. Pre-heat grill to medium-high, clean and oil the grates. When the bacon has browned and is crispy, remove from skillet and drain. Crumble the blue cheese into big chunks into the seasoned beef. Gently fold in the crumbled cheese. Divide the meat into 6 balls, and press them by hand into patties. Press a three-fingered indent into the middle of the burger to allow the meat to cook more evenly. Grill on medium-high heat, turning once at about 10 minutes. Grill until reaching desired doneness. Try not to exceed 160 degrees internal temperature for a medium-cooked burger. Let the burgers rest for 3 minutes before pairing them with rolls and bacon strips.