Fourth of July Decorations and Recipes

Looking for some easy ideas for your upcoming Fourth of July holiday party? You’ve come to the right hub! Let’s face it; no one wants to spend inordinate amounts of time in the kitchen getting ready for a party. By the time your guests arrive, you’d be too tired to really enjoy yourself. Instead, try these simple, delicious recipes and craft ideas that will have your yard looking festive and your guests licking their lips…

These lanterns will add the perfect accent to your party’s décor. Simply purchase inexpensive, plain white Chinese lanterns and red and blue crepe paper streamers. From the streamers, cut blue stars and thin, red stripes that are long enough to circumnavigate the lantern. Affix cut outs onto the lantern using small amounts of glue stick. Do not use Elmer’s glue as a wet glue will be too heavy and likely cause the lantern to tear. It will also be most likely to show through. You may create a trail of streamers and hang them from the base of your lantern for added flare.

If you already have blue bottles, vases or glasses, you’re in luck. For the price of a few red carnations, you can create lovely centerpieces like the ones shown here. Using a variety of vases, bottles and glasses adds extra pizzazz. For added sparkle, consider setting the bottles onto a mirrored plate.

There is something very American about the look of the bandana. It conjures up images of the west with its dusty, open plains and guys on Harley’s, and even though it’s not specifically a fourth of July thing, it somehow seems to fit the theme. All you really need is a piece of thicker bandana print material that will fit the length of your table and no-sew hemming tape. You decide if you like your runner to drape over the edges or be cut a bit shorter and then find the material sizeable to suit your preference. Be sure to thoroughly iron the material before working with it. Fold over the edges of your material to create about a ½ inch seam. Pin to hold edges in place and run a hot iron over edges until the seam is permanent. Remove pins and affix hemming tape. Re-iron to affix hemming tape. Repeat process along the long edges first, followed by width edges.

These decadent treats make the perfect alternative to traditional smores. All you need is a roaring bonfire, strawberries, a jar a marshmallow fluff, Hershey’s chocolate syrup and skewers. To make, pierce the strawberry with a skewer and dip into the marshmallow fluff. Hold over the fire until desired doneness and then drizzle with the chocolate syrup if desired.

It’s true. Probably everyone in American has seen and probably eaten a Flag Cake at this time of year. The beauty of this dessert is that it is not only easy, it’s also cool, creamy and delicious so don’t leave it off of your party list this year! All you need is a yellow cake mix, a container of Cool Whip, strawberries and blueberries. Bake the cake according to package directions and let cool completely. While cooling, wash and slice strawberries. Once the cake has cooled, top with a generous, even layer of Cool Whip. Using berries, recreate the American flag on top of Cool Whip layer. If raspberries or blackberries are more your taste, you can substitute them for the blueberries and strawberries.

Everybody loves parfaits. Like the Flag Cake, these treats are cool, creamy and delicious. All you need are your favorite berries and a large vat of Cool Whip. Wash and slice berries, dropping a few into the bottom of a tall glass. Top with a layer of Cool Whip. Alternate berry and Cool Whip layers until glass is full and serve immediately.

There is something complimentary about the taste of watermelon and blue cheese. Though blue cheeses are often pungent, they do not overpower the subtle sweetness of the watermelon. Consequently, they are often found together atop summer salads. How about creating a festive holiday plate using these two flavors, and while you’re at it, throw in a bowl of blueberries to create a patriot, cool, summer party tray.

These easy-to-make, on-the-go-snacks are prefect for the kids, but all of your guests are sure to love the sweet, salty treats! All you need are long, thick pretzel sticks, chocolate discs or chips for melting and blue and red confetti candies. Lay a sheet of waxed paper over a platter and melt chocolate over double boiler. Dip pretzels about 1/3 of the way into the melted chocolate, or spoon evenly over the pretzel. Roll pretzel, before chocolate sets, into the confetti candy, or sprinkle candies over the pretzel. Lay onto waxed paper and place in refrigerator until set. Place pretzels into mason jars so that decorated ends splay out, creating a sparkler effect and let your guests enjoy!

Take a page from the local ice cream shop and create fun, festive cones for your holiday ice cream treats. All you’ll need is a box of sugar or waffle cones, a bag of white chocolate discs for melting, and blue and red jimmies. Open the cones and have them ready for dipping while you melt the white chocolate over a double boiler. Lay out a sheet of waxed paper. When chocolate is melted, dip the cones in about ¼ to 1/3 of the way until coated. Before chocolate sets, dip cones into jimmies or sprinkle jimmies onto the cone. Place onto a sheet of waxed paper to cool and set.