Fun & Easy Patriotic Food for the Family

Fun & Easy Patriotic Food for the Family

There's nothing like July 4th celebrations to bring everyone together for fun and fireworks. Want to celebrate with a deliciously festive spread that the whole family can help you make? Try one — or all — of these recipes for a patriotic treat everyone will love.

It's a Grand Ole' Flag Pizza

What could be better than pizza? Pizza that's patriotic looking enough to stand up and start pledging allegiance to! Bonus: this takes minimal time to prep, and little hands can easily help out.

Ingredients:

• Prepared pizza dough
• 1 cup pizza sauce
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella
• 1 package sliced pepperoni
• Sliced scallions (white sections only)
• 1-2 cups chopped swiss chard or kale
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3-4 tablespoons chopped garlic

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Add your pizza stone to preheat it too if you're using one.
2. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté the garlic for a minute or so before adding the swiss chard or kale and sautéing it until it's just wilted. Set it aside.
3. Stretch the pizza dough to the desired shape (you can stick with round or go for the gusto by making a rectangular pie).
4. Evenly spread the sauce over the dough and sprinkle the whole pie with cheese.
5. In the upper left corner, add your swiss chard. Drain it lightly first to avoid ending up with a soggy pie.
6. Over the rest of the pizza, create red stripes with pepperoni.
7. Add the whites of the scallions to the chard to create the illusion of stars.
8. Bake the pizza for about 15 minutes or until the crust is crisp and the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Fruit Sparklers

Who needs fireworks? These cute, refreshing treats are a cinch to make and a surefire hit with your crew.

Ingredients:

• Watermelon
• 16 ounces blueberries
• 20 wooden skewers

Directions:

1. Slice watermelon into one inch thick round slices.
2. With a star cookie cutter, cut out star shapes from each watermelon round.
3. Thread seven to ten blueberries onto each skewer. Make sure that you leave room at the bottom of the skewer for someone to hold it and room at the top of the skewer for one watermelon star.
4. Place watermelon stars on top of each skewer.
5. Cover and refrigerate until ready to enjoy.

Patriotic Popcorn

When you need to feed a crowd and you have limited prep time, this red, white, and blue snack comes to the rescue.

Ingredients:

• 8 cups popped popcorn
• 1/2 stick butter, melted
• 1/2 cup dried cherries
• 1/2 cup dried blueberries
• Sea salt to taste

Directions:

1. Divide the popcorn into serving bowls.
2. Drizzle the popcorn evenly with melted butter.
3. Divide the remaining ingredients between the bowls and stir gently to combine.

Sparkling Shortcakes

Make your own fireworks with this sparkling, fun dessert that puts a new twist on a summer classic. Bonus: have dessert ready even faster by using prepared biscuit dough as a shortcut.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 stick butter, cut into pieces
• 1 cup half and half
• 4 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
• 2 pints strawberries, sliced or diced
• 1 pint blueberries
• 1 pint heavy whipping cream
• 2-3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
• 1-2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 3 packets blue popping candy

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 F.
2. Add flour, half the granulated sugar, and the baking powder to the bowl of your food processor or a large mixing bowl.
3. Cut the butter in until the dough looks like large crumbs. Stir the half and half into the mixture until it comes together in a soft dough.
4. Spray a baking sheet with cooking oil. Drop the dough in balls onto the prepared sheet using a large spoon to measure.
5. Bake the shortcakes for about 15 minutes until they're lightly golden. Allow them to cool on a baking rack.
6. While the shortcakes bake, combine the strawberries, blueberries, and 2-3 tablespoons of sugar together. Set the berries aside.
7. Pour the heavy whipping cream, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla into a chilled bowl. Whip it until firm peaks form. Chill the cream until you're ready to assemble and serve the shortcakes.
8. To assemble the sparkling shortcakes, cut each biscuit in half. Add a generous dollop of whipped cream to the bottom half before adding a sprinkle of popping candy and a layer of berries. Top with the other half of the biscuit and extra whipped cream, popping candy, and berries if desired.

Sparkling Strawberries

Need a festive dessert without all the prep work? Skip the shortcake in favor of a July 4th-worthy take on chocolate-covered strawberries.

Ingredients:

• 1 pint strawberries
• 1/2 package white chocolate chips
• 2 packages blue popping candy

Directions:

1. Wash the strawberries and pat them completely dry.
2. Place the white chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave them at 50 percent power. Stir them every 30 seconds until they're melted.
3. Dip the berries in the white chocolate, allowing the top third to remain chocolate-free.
4. Place the dipped berries on a baking sheet covered with parchment or wax paper.
5. Allow the white chocolate to harden slightly.
6. Place the popping candy in a bowl.
7. Dip the bottom third of each berry in the popping candy to create stripes.
8. Place all the berries back on the baking sheet and refrigerate them overnight.