Every year the Fourth of July comes around and we all drag out the Flags and other fourth decorations we have gathered over the years. So now you are wondering what the best way to celebrate is. There are so many ways you can celebrate the Fourth of July, such as a family camping trip, which I believe is a great way to celebrate;however, my favorite way to celebrate is to have a family barbecue. Having family and friends over to celebrate is not only a great way to celebrate, but it's also safer with all the people drinking on the fourth.
INVITATIONS
Inviting people to a Fourth of July barbecue should be fun and casual. No engraved invitations here. Unless your Paris Hilton and have to glamify everything. Remember this is suppose to be down home, casual fun. Create an American flag invitation.
Instructions:
1. Cut white card stock into a rectangle that you can fold into invitation size of your choice. (or you can buy pre-made cards)
2. Cut a piece of blue Card stock for the square in the corner.
3. With a punch in the shape of stars, punch out white stars and adhere them to the blue squares. Or you can use star shaped brads.
4. With red card stock cut the stripes for your flag.
5. Now that you have the basic card made, you can add your own personal touches to your card. Also be sure to put the party information on the inside. I like to hand write mine to give it a more personal touch; but if you have a printer (and who doesn't these days), you can print the invite on the inside first and then make your cards.
BEVERAGES
Once the invites have gone out and the RSVP's have come in, it is time to start thinking food. Since this is an all American holiday, you want to stick to all American food. For example you would not want to serve tacos and burritos as these are traditional Mexican dishes.
Beverage Ideas:
Adults of course can have the traditional beer and a summer wine of your choice. Now what do you do for the kids and the non-alcoholic drinkers? (Yes we exist) You can always serve soda, but what if you want something a little healthier for your guests?
Top 3 Wines
As mentioned before wine is always a good to serve for the adults, but some of us may not be up-to-date on wine etiquette. After doing a little research and talking to some people who are wine connoisseurs, I learned that a summer wine should be light, not heavy, and crisp, not syrupy or sugary. Also when talking summer wine you want less alcohol content.
1. Sauvignon Blanc - with crisp herbal flavoring and a hint of citrus and lemongrass this is a refreshing and cool wine to be sipping. Serve this with a light tasting chicken cooked in olive oil and some herbs like basil or oregano
2. Pinot Grigio - this wine, though not as popular, and known in the past to be a tad on the weak side, wine connoisseurs are now adding them to their list of favorites. Recent vintages are giving off floral and even tropical scents. This is the "it" summer wine. It is good served with fruit and cheese platters.
3. Zinfandels - these wines are great served with hamburger menus.
Non-alcoholic beverages:
1. Lemon Mint Slushy
1/4 cup lemon juice, 1/4 cup syrup, 6-8 fresh mint leaves, 1 cup ice cubes. Mix ingredients in a bender until smooth and you have a cool refreshing non-alcoholic beverage to serve your younger guests.
2. Lemonade Fruit Smoothy
5 oz lemonade, 2 oz mango (or other frozen fruit juice such as raspberry, peach etc.), 2 scoops vanilla ice cream. Place all ingredients in the blender and blend until frothy. Poor into glasses and away you go. Garnish if you like with strawberry or mango slices.
MENU
When planning any menu that involves inviting guests over you need to consider the guests you are inviting. Create a menu that includes vegetarian dishes as well as meat lover items. Just be sure to keep these item separate. Once cooked you really can not tell the veggie burger from the beef burger. If there are any known allergys such as peanuts or shell fish you must know to keep these items off the menu. Even contact with someone who has touched a peanut can cause an allergic reaction for one allergic.
Sample Menu:
Hamburgers (beef and veggie) Fruit and Veggie Platter w/dip
Hot Dogs Watermelon (a must)
Potato Salad Chips and Dip
Coleslaw Sandwich Platter (mix meat sandwiches with cucumber and alfalfa sprout sandwiches)
Devilled Eggs Strawberry Shortcake
You can make your menu as simple and as complicated as you are willing to make it. Its a good idea to make your menu at least two weeks before you send out your invites so you can add this with your invitation. This way, if someone is allergic to something on the menu, you have time to alter the menu before you go shopping for the items.
THEME/DECORATIONS
I bought an adorable Fourth of July plate set from my local grocery store. The plates are in the shapes of apples and have stars and stripes on them. Stars and Stripes are great decorations and you can get them in flags (of course) and ribbons, bows and just about any other items you choose. At the beginning of your barbecue play the Star Spangled Banner to welcome guests. Another idea is a movie barbecue. You can play movies like Independence Day and Born on the Fourth of July.
So whatever you decide to do, have fun! Celebrate the fact that we are free to be who we are and we have the independence to be what we want to be.