Patriotic Potato Salad
Use three types of potatoes: traditional white, red skinned and blue or dark purple skinned. Slice and boil the potatoes. Toss with olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. You can also use your favorite oil based salad dressing, such as Greek vinaigrette. Throw in some diced onion and pepper if desired. Dressing the salad this way instead of with the traditional mayonnaise base will make the dish safer for outdoor events and allow the colors to show through.
Yankee Doodle Dandy Dogs
Grill or boil hot dogs. Place the dogs on buns. Top the dogs with chili (red), Monterrey jack cheese (white) and purple onions (blue). You can also make a slaw using red cabbage to stand in for the “blue” part if you prefer.
Open Face Americana PB&J
Cut the crusts off your favorite bread. Spread each slice with peanut butter. Top half of each slice with strawberry jam and the other half with blueberry or grape jam. Place a few thin slices of banana across each slice. Cut the banana slices into hearts or stars to add extra impact. A star shaped sandwich cutter will make the classic lunchtime staple even more patriotic.
Freedom Salad
Top your choice of salad greens or lettuce with crumbled feta cheese, strawberries and blueberries. Toss with vinaigrette dressing. Serve with whole grain crackers.
Happy Birthday, USA! Cupcakes
Bake cupcakes of your choice and cool completely. Top with vanilla icing (white) and red and blue candies. Add candles for added flair – or sparklers if you’re really daring!
Firecracker Cubes
Make both red and blue Jell-o. Cut into squares and layer each color into clear cups. Top with whipped cream.
Star-spangled Lemonade
Make a pitcher of your favorite lemonade (either from a mix or freshly squeezed). Thinly slice an apple horizontally. Cut out star shapes if desired. Float apple slices, frozen blueberries and frozen cherries in the pitcher of lemonade.
Yes, technically some of the items are more purple than blue, but the impact will still be clear! Your friends and family will love gobbling up these fun treats and they are all easy enough to prepare that kids can help you make them.
Rachael Moshman is a mom, freelance writer and blogger. She grew up in a small town where 4th of July was the biggest celebration of the year. Find her at www.rachaelmoshman.com
