A Patriotic Picnic for the Whole Family
Kids always get into the spirit of things, but never is that more true than with Independence Day. The Fourth of July is such a special time for families to come together and celebrate the founding principles of the country that they love. So why not turn this national holiday into a most festive family occasion? You can cater some of your best BBQ ideas to the kids and let them have some fun of their own.
When planning a Fourth of July party so many of us throw on a few hamburgers and hot dogs in the backyard. Add a bit more color this year with some well orchestrated patriotic dishes. With the right touches and a nice splash of red, white, and blue, you can make this a very unique celebration for you and your family. This is the BBQ that the kids will look forward to all year long in anticipation of the most festive treats around. Here’s a couple awesome recipe ideas:
Patriotic Pizzas
Who says you can’t make pizza patriotic? The key to this pizza is the good ol’ stars and stripes. With a rectangular pizza pan (a cookie sheet will do) shape your dough into a flag shape and add the red tomato sauce. Layer completely with pepperoni. Now, carefully sprinkle mozzarella cheese in neat strips, leaving the top left portion blank – you know what goes there! Slice a quarter inch portion of the cheese. Using a 1 inch star-shaped cookie cutter, cut stars out of the cheese. Place these in the top left corner of your flag. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Viola!
Rocket Dogs
So easy and yet so good, and a welcome twist to the traditional hot dogs on the grill. Place hot dogs on skewers and let a little bit of each one hang off at the top. Then wrap each one with a pre-made biscuit dough in mummy fashion. Bake the hot dogs until the dough is fully cooked with the hot dog inside.
After the wrapped hot dogs come out of the oven, place a perfect triangle of white cheese at the top of each one. Draw red lines with ketchup across each rocket dog and then present to the kids. Watch for the most amazing reaction as these goodies are a surefire hit!
4th of july watermelon fruit sparkler, by http://www.time2saveworkshops.com
Festive Fruit Kabobs
Kids love fruit, and this healthy dish just so happens to work as a favorite Independence Day staple. Be sure to layer plenty of red, white, and blue fruits on a stick including banana, coconut, blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries. To really kick this up another notch serve with a red or blue dipping sauce such as strawberry cream cheese or blueberry yogurt. The combination of refreshing fruit, served on a stick, with a yummy dipping sauce makes for a very popular dish for kids and adults!
A variation is using marshmallows, watermelon and blueberries, as seen in this delicious offering by Time2saveworkshops (see image).
Celebratory Cupcakes
The great thing about cupcakes is not only that kids love them but also that parents can decorate them in fun and creative ways. So when it comes to putting them out at a Fourth of July gathering, use the top of your cupcake as prime decorating real estate. Start with a base of a red type of cupcake such as red velvet or even strawberry.
Alternate frosting with the cupcakes from a red strawberry to a white vanilla. Then each one can be topped with a subtle dash of blue sprinkles. Place a small American flag on a toothpick atop each cupcake and then finish them off with some red, white, and blue M&M’s. You get the perfect end to a delicious meal and it’s perfectly fitting for the occasion.
Drinks with Pride
It will show that you thought of every last detail when you present this beautiful drink idea. Rather than going with a punch you can serve up something clear like lemonade or even a sparkling soda. The key here is in the ice cubes that you make ahead of time.
Take red fruit punch and blue Gatorade and place them into two separate ice trays to make some fantastic ice cubes. When you place them into the kids drinks they will be in awe of this cool little patriotic touch. Enjoy and toast America’s birthday!