There are many opportunities for making magical childhood memories, and the Fourth of July is a contender for some of the best. Close your eyes and you can probably see the patriotic holidays of your past, with dazzling fireworks blooming in the sky, the sizzle and pop of neighborhood pyrotechnic parties, and everything frosted red, white, and blue.

Don’t leave it all to the kids this year. Write your name in the air with a sparkler and go ahead and paint a flag on your face. Life is too short not to enjoy it.

Other fun activities with a sweet result involve foods with patriotic flair. Rope the kids in for some easy recipes and they’ll hopefully learn a thing or two while having a blast cooking with Mom or Dad.

There are some basics, of course. Make sundaes with vanilla ice cream and top with blueberries and strawberries. 

Dip strawberries in sour cream, leaving the top third plain for the red to shine, and dip the tips in blue sanding sugar. Or make your own colored sugars by following this recipe from Taste of Home. Basically, you add a couple of drops of food coloring to sugar in a zip lock bag, shake it up, and let it dry. So easy!

Then there’s my personal favorite …

Fruity Sparklers

Pictured here from Forkly:

“They’re so easy to put together, all you’ll need is watermelon, fresh blueberries, a star cookie cutter (to make things extra festive) and skewers. This is another easy recipe so you can have the kids get in on the fun of assembling them too.”

Thread the blueberries onto the skewer and top with a star-shaped chunk of watermelon. Beautiful!

Patriotic Parfaits

You can always count on Parent’s Magazine to serve up the fun. And as Donkey says, “You know what else everybody likes? Parfaits! Have you ever met a person, you say, ‘Let's get some parfait,’ they say, ... ‘No, I don't like no parfait?’ Parfaits are delicious!”

Here’s the easy recipe:

“For four servings, make one box each of red and blue gelatin according to the package directions. In tall, clear glasses, alternate layers of red gelatin and whipped topping (we used Cool Whip), as shown. Top with the blue gelatin. (For the fruity version on our cover, substitute raspberries and blueberries.) Finish with a slice of star fruit.”

Red, White, and Blueberry Popsicles

Then there are these cool pops from Eating with Elaine:

• 2 cups unsweetened, plain non-dairy yogurt*
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1 cup blueberries
• 1 cup raspberries (or diced strawberries)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS

Place yogurt and maple syrup in your blender and blend until fully incorporated. Taste and adjust to your desired level of sweetness.

Place blueberries and raspberries in the popsicle molds leaving room in the center for the popsicle sticks and for pouring in the yogurt and maple syrup mixture. I typically fit 3-4 raspberries and 4-5 blueberries in my molds (2.5 ounces each).

Pour the yogurt mixture into the molds making sure it reaches the bottom and fills to the top of each mold. Place popsicle mold top on and insert wooden popsicle sticks. Place in the freezer for 4-6 hours until frozen solid (or preferably overnight). Pops will stay good for up to 2 weeks in your freezer. Just before serving, briefly run molds under hot water to release pops.

NOTES

* Select a thick and full-fat yogurt or sub full fat coconut milk. If your yogurt is a thinner consistency, the popsicles may get icy and will not taste as creamy. The creamier your non-dairy yogurt the better!

Have fun! Happy 4th!