It’s that time of year again! Time to start planning our 4th of July parties and get togethers! In honor of Independence Day, I thought I’d throw together a list of some festive party foods that your guests (or just your own family if you’re not partying) will love!
Let’s start with some appetizers and snacks.
Red, White and Blue Popcorn:
This one is SUPER easy!!! Just pop some popcorn, or use store-bought popcorn to make it even easier.
Melt some white chocolate either in a double boiler on the stove or in a glass bowl in the microwave. (Follow the melting instructions on the packages of chocolates.) Toss the popcorn with the white chocolate to coat it, and spread it out on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or on a big sheet of wax paper.
Melt some blue and red chocolates in separate bowls.
Use a spoon to drizzle the colored chocolates over the popcorn. If you don’t trust yourself with a spoon, you can pour the melted colored chocolates into squeeze bottles to provide you with a more even flow of chocolate. Work fast, because the chocolate will start to set up on you pretty quickly!
Allow the chocolate to cool and set before placing the popcorn into your serving bowl. Voila! A super festive and fun snack to get the party started!
*Note: For a lighter and faster version, skip the white chocolate altogether and just drizzle your already white popcorn with red and blue melted chocolate. Another variation would be dividing the popcorn into three bowls and coating each bowl with a different color chocolate (red, white and blue) and then mixing them all together after the chocolate sets.
Ok, so that last one was a bit of a guilty pleasure. Never fear! You can make up for it with this next appetizer which is TOTALLY healthy and an excellent source of vitamins and nutrients!
Fruit Kabobs with a Honey Lime Glaze:
These are pretty self-explanatory. Put strawberries, bananas and blueberries onto skewers in a red, white and blue pattern. I recommend rolling the bananas around in a mixture of Fruit Fresh and water before you skewer them to prevent them from browning. (The directions and measurements for that are on the Fruit Fresh package.)
To make the honey lime glaze:
Brush the glaze onto the kabobs using a silicon brush, and there you have it! A delicious, nutritious, cool and refreshing treat to enjoy in that hot summer sun!
*You could also make these without the glaze, if you prefer.
Now let’s take a peek at some 4th of July entrees, shall we?
Grilled Chicken Topped With Roasted Red and Purple Bell Peppers:
Ok, so I know technically this one isn’t red, white and blue. But red, white and purple is pretty dang close!!!
Chicken and roasted bell peppers are such a delicious combination any time of year!!! I’d add some fresh garlic and onions to the peppers, as well as a good amount of salt and pepper. I would also GENEROUSLY season the chicken with salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder.
Whether you choose to cook this dish on the grill, on the stovetop or in the oven, one thing is for certain… this dish brings the flavor!!!
Red, White and Blue Tacos:
Did you know that you can actually buy red, white and blue taco shells??? I love the internet!!! You can find ANYTHING nowadays! Click on the links below to find them:
Just fill them with your favorite meats and toppings for an easy and festive feast!
Ok, time to talk side dishes. First up is…
Red, White and Blue Roasted Potatoes or Potato Salad:
If you can’t find blue potatoes (they’re actually purple, but they are called “blue potatoes”) in your local grocery store, I have heard that Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s both sell them. (They may be in a bag as part of a medley of colors.)
UPDATE: I found this one at ALDI yesterday (6/28/18) so they may still have some at your local ALDI, as well.
These mini potatoes make the perfect red, white and blue side dish for the 4th of July! You can use them to make either a warm roasted potato dish, or a colorful potato salad!
I am personally not a fan of celery, so I add some diced sweet pickles to my potato salad in order to get that same crunchy texture. I also add sliced hard boiled eggs.
As far as the mayonnaise mixture goes, I simply add some dijon mustard, salt and pepper to the mayo and mix it in. I sometimes sprinkle a little paprika on the top, but I like to keep it simple. If you can’t find the blue potatoes, you could always use red and purple bell peppers to complete your color scheme.
Other ingredients that some people like to add include dill, parsley, onions, celery, vinegar, sugar, and/or green peppers, among other things. Feel free to put in whatever you want. You do you!
White and Blue Corn Tortilla Chips With Salsa:
I don’t think this needs a super in-depth explanation, since really you’re just opening two bags of chips and pouring some red salsa into a bowl. I will, however help you to locate said ingredients. Just click the links below.
Arrange on a plate, and DONE!!!
Now we’re moving on to the good stuff… DESSERT!!!
This American flag cake is about as festive as they come! It is a double layer cake with strawberries and vanilla buttercream frosting in the middle. Here’s how to make it:
I ended up using 2 boxes of cake mix for this one because the brand that I bought (the LiveGFree brand from Aldi) only makes a 9″ round cake, and I wanted a double layer 9″x13″ cake. I mixed the batter for each box in two separate bowls to make sure the layers would be even. Then I poured each layer into a separate baking dish and baked them according to package directions.
After the cakes had cooled, I frosted the bottom layer with my dairy-free vanilla buttercream frosting and sprinkled some chopped strawberries on top.
I did make a minor tweak to my traditional vanilla buttercream frosting for this recipe by adding about a teaspoon of lemon juice and the zest of one lemon. It was a pretty delicious audible, if you ask me! Especially with the blueberries!!! 🙂
After coating the bottom layer with strawberries, I ran a knife around the edges of the second layer to release it from the sides of its pan. I also ran a flexible silicone spatula around the edges and slightly underneath the sides to try to loosen it as much as I could. Lastly, I very carefully inverted the pan to place the second layer of cake on top.
Finally, I frosted and decorated the top of this layer with fresh blueberries and strawberries to look like the American flag. Here is the finished product:
TA DAH!!! A beautiful, patriotic and easy to make cake for you to serve to your party guests (or just eat the whole thing yourself! Why not, right?!) I like this recipe because it really doesn’t require much cake decorating skills. It’s just placing fruit on top of a cake. No big deal, but the end product still looks impressive!
And by the way… IT’S DELISH!!! Just thought I’d throw that in there since we ate some of it today. Strictly for product research, of course. 😉
I hope these ideas have inspired you to get creative this 4th of July season! As always, if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to email me at anne@blessingsinsurprise.com. Have a great Independence Day, everyone!!!