FourthofJulyCollage (620 X 360)
Photo credit: bettycrocker.com; Marilyn Nakazato Photography, marthastewart.comIndependence Day brings together friends and family with good food and fun festivities. And with the Fourth of July falling on a Wednesday this year, it is the perfect excuse to host a mid-week get together. However, a weeknight party poses a few problems: There is limited time to prepare and clean up, and guests don’t want to nurse a hangover at work the next morning. Try these easy ideas for a Fourth of July celebration that is stress-free for everyone.
Instead of serving cocktails, try a non-alcoholic lemonade bar. Use clear pitchers and leave in whole pieces of fruit for an enticing display. Set out several variations of the sweet drink – the flavor possibilities are endless. Include regular lemonade and pink lemonade, of course, but also try raspberry lemonade, strawberry lemonade, or watermelon lemonade for a flavorful twist. You can also mix things up by using flavored iced tea, or a lemonade-iced tea mixture, better known as an Arnold Palmer.
Don’t waste your limited amount of post-work, pre-party time worrying about complicated appetizers. Put out bowls of flavored popcorn instead – it takes five minutes to prepare and is a delightful contrast to sugary lemonade. Simply mix together spices and sprinkle over fresh popcorn. Create your own Italian popcorn, Cajun popcorn, or even curry popcorn mixtures with these savory recipes from Martha Stewart. Or go the sweet route with pumpkin spice popcorn, peanut caramel popcorn, or almond maple popcorn like these recipes from Veg Kitchen.
S’mores are a Fourth of July staple, but can be messy and tedious to make. Ditch the fire and sticky skewers and serve your guests some s’mores bars instead. They can be made ahead of time and refrigerated. For a twist on regular s’mores, try a Rocky Road variation. These ones from Betty Crocker are also gluten-free, an added plus for guests with dietary restrictions. Pastries filled with classic s’mores ingredients, such as these peanut butter turnovers, provide an even cleaner way to serve up a holiday favorite.
Top off your evening with festive sparklers. These hands-on fireworks will end the gathering with such sparkle, no one will even remember that there wasn’t any alcohol.