Fourth Of July Favorites — Lemonade To Lace

The Fourth of July is all about stars, stripes and red, white and blue everything. It’s also about celebrating, with or without the fireworks. So whether you’re hosting a picnic party or a pool party at home, carrying out the patriotic theme with festive food, drinks and decor makes the holiday that much more of a special celebration.

I walked to the Farmers Market today, and it was obvious while walking around Santa Monica, that many retail stores have prepped and are ready for the July 4th holiday, especially Pottery Barn. They have a great selection of Napkins and Melamine Dinner Plates and what I love about these is they can be used over and over again for all of your outdoor entertaining.

They have other festive options as well. Their Liberty Outdoor Party Banner can be arranged as a table runner or as a wall hanging. The Drink Dispenser is a great investment for anyone who entertains a lot and can be used for absolutely any occasion. You can also use red, white and blue in bold graphic patterns to create a chic and modern Independence Day vibe.

Complimenting your tabletop with colorful foods can be a decorating opportunity too. I’ve chosen four ‘frozen’ recipes that will keep your guests cool as well as add a few extra red, white and blue touches to carry out the party’s patriotic theme.

Photo from HGTV

STRAWBERRY YOGURT POPSICLES

Ingredients:

2 C. Sliced Strawberries (10 ounces)
3 Tbsp. Agave Nectar, Honey or other sweetener
1-½ C. Vanilla Nonfat Greek Yogurt

Method:

Place strawberries and 2 Tbsp. agave nectar in a food processor. Puree until smooth with some small chunks of fruit.
Mix yogurt and remaining agave nectar in a bowl until smooth.
Spoon 2 - 3 tsp. of strawberry puree into the bottom of each Popsicle Mold.
Spoon about 1-½ Tbsp. yogurt on top of fruit. Repeat with another layer each of strawberry puree and yogurt.
Place popsicle sticks into popsicles.
Cover and freeze until solid, about 3 - 4 hours.

RED WHITE AND BLUEBERRY PIE

Serves 8
Ingredients:

For the Crust:

2 C. Natural Granola
½ C. Walnuts
4 Tbsp. Melted Coconut Oil
1 Tbsp. Agave Syrup

For the Filling:

1 Quart Vanilla Ice Cream or Frozen Yogurt, softened to spreadable consistency

For The Berry Topping:

6 Oz. Fresh Raspberries (about 1-¼ C)
6 Oz. Fresh Blueberries (about 1-¼ C)
2 Tbsp. Agave Syrup
2 Tbsp. Water
1 Lemon
1 tsp. Cornstarch

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a food processor, pulse crust ingredients until combined and granola is ground to crumbs.
Lightly coat a 9-inch pie dish with butter and press crust into bottom of dish and up the sides.
Bake 10 minutes and cool completely.
In a small saucepan over medium high heat, stir together raspberries, 1 Tbsp. agave syrup, 1 Tbsp. water, the juice of ½ the lemon and ½ tsp. cornstarch.
In another small saucepan over medium heat, stir together blueberries, 1 Tbsp. agave syrup, 1 Tbsp. water, juice of the other ½ of the lemon, and the ½ tsp. of cornstarch.
Simmer both saucepans of berries until the berries have broken down and sauce has thickened, stirring occasionally with a whisk, about 10 minutes.
Cool and pour each sauce separately through a fine mesh sieve into small separate bowls.
Let sauces cool completely.
Pour sauces into resealable sandwich bags. Snip a tiny amount off one of the corners of the bags.
Alternating bags, pipe circles about 2 inches apart over the pie starting in the center and working outward.
Drag a toothpick from the center of the pie outward to the crust so that the berry sauces are pulled upward.
Drag a toothpick back in the other direction (from crust to center) about 2 inches away from the first line. Continue around the pie.
Freeze uncovered at least 3 hours. Cover with plastic wrap until ready to serve.

Serve with additional berries and any remaining sauces.

Enjoy!

Photo from Endlessly Inspired — Photo from ***Endlessly Inspired***

FOURTH OF JULY ICE CREAM SANDWICHES

Ingredients:

Ice Cream Sandwiches (full or mini size)
Red White & Blue sprinkles
Popsicle Sticks (optional)

Method:

Unwrap each ice cream sandwich one at a time. Can cut in half if you want to serve smaller bites.
Place the festive sprinkles onto a plate.
Place the ice cream sandwich onto the plate with the ice cream side down so the sprinkles stick to the ice cream.
Coat all four sides. Insert popsicle sticks.
Place the ice cream sandwich back into the freezer to freeze again. Continue to do this with each ice cream sandwich.

Enjoy!

BERRY ICE CUBES

Ingredients:

¼ C. blueberries
½ C. strawberries, thinly sliced

Method:

Add water to Ice Cube Trays with 1 - 2 berries in each well.
Place into freezer until fully frozen, at least 4 hours.

Enjoy!

Smooch!

xxBarbara