I have to admit that I am a holiday person. I love the different seasons and how each holiday brings its own foods and decorations. Summer brings the Fourth of July, and one of the things I love about this holiday is I have more time to make fun coordinating food and decorations because there is less pressure. No presents to buy and wrap, no magnificent tree to decorate, huge turkey to cook or searching for the perfect costume.
The Fourth of July gives me time to have fun and explore new recipes and decorations. So, if you are looking for easy Fourth of July recipes and decorations to entertain your guests, I have the list for you!
Watermelon Stars
Take this classic summer fruit and turn it into the perfect patriotic side dish for all those burgers and hotdogs! My family loves this one and we have done this every year for the past few years. The best thing about this is that it can be elevated or made simple.
Take your watermelon and cut off the ends. Be sure to save one of the ends for later. Continue cutting the watermelon length-wise and into round slices. Once you have that done, then you can take a star shape cookie cutter and cut out stars from the slices. After all the stars are cut out, you can put them on skewers and even put some blueberries on them to add a splash of blue.
Remember that end of the watermelon I said to save? It makes a great stand to put the skewers into when they are finished. Not only is this a tasty dish, but it will look great on your table as a centerpiece, too. If you don’t have time to put the skewers together, you can throw the stars into a bowl or on a tray and mix in some blueberries for a red and blue fruit salad!
Red, White and Blue Punch
Wow, your guests with a red, white and blue layered drink! This works best in a clear cup or glass so you can see the colors and layers. Start by filling the glass with ice, this will be the “white” in the drink. Then fill about halfway with cranberry juice.
Next, pour very slowly (so the blue doesn’t mix with the red) the blue Hawaiian punch on top of the cranberry juice. Add a red, white or blue straw, and you are done! You can substitute for your favorite red or blue drink, too, like blue Powerade.
If you still want a patriotic drink but aren’t up for layering, don’t worry there is an easier version! Remember those watermelon stars? Freeze some of them and use them as ice, put them in a glass with the blue Hawaiian punch, and you have an easy red and blue drink that is still going to impress!
Flower Vases
This is probably one of the easiest Fourth of July Decorations. Just take some vases, fill them with water, and then add red or blue to the water, put some white flowers in the vases and you have quick and colorful table decorations for your party. It is that simple!
Red, White and Blue Cherries
Need a quick and easy snack for your party? Take a jar of maraschino cherries, dip halfway in white chocolate (so you can still see red at the top), then dip the white chocolate in blue sprinkles. You should have the red on the top of the cherry, white chocolate in the middle and the blue sprinkles on the bottom. Leave the stems on for easy dipping, too!
Let them chill in the fridge an hour before serving. If you want to put a twist on it (an adult-only twist) before you dip them, soak them in your favorite liquor, vodka, rum, etc. for an hour before you dip them. Just keep them out of the kids’ reach during the party!
Lawn Stars
This may seem a bit wild, but if you want to go big with your decorations in an easy way, this may be the thing for you! Take a large piece of cardboard and cut out a star shape, making a stencil. Using the stencil, lay it where you want the star to be on your lawn, and spray paint it red, white or blue. Continue randomly placing the stars until you are satisfied you have the most patriotic lawn on the block!
Let the paint dry all the way before you walk on it or let the kids play in the yard. The paint will grow out of the grass eventually as well. You can use water-based paint if you are worried about chemicals or the grass. They also make spray paint chalk that will wash away in the rain; the spray paint chalk could be used on a patio as well.
If you want to be adventurous and add an eagle or a flag like we did, go for it! But that may be more difficult than the stars, and we had a painter in the family who did this one here. But whatever you choose, looking at a lawn full of red, white and blue stars is sure to get anyone in the patriotic spirit and is one of my family’s favorite decorations!
No matter what food or decorations you decide to go with this Fourth of July, I hope you have a safe and happy Fourth of July with your family!
