4th of July is a laid back holiday. We really don’t have any steadfast traditions so that allows us to go with the flow. This year my 6 year old son asked if we could have a party. We’ve been social distancing and basically in isolation since mid-March. So it definitely seemed like a party was needed! When I started planning, I really wasn’t sure if anyone would be here except the three of us-and that would have been fine. But fortunately, my husband’s parents and his sister’s family were able to join us. My son hadn’t seen his cousins since March and I think he definitely enjoyed having someone to swim and play with for the day!
I started out by ordering a few decorations from Michael’s. I tried to choose things that I can re-use and also items that weren’t over the top tacky. I ended up selecting a patriotic ribbon and asked my friend Candace to make some bows for my front porch post and my mailbox. (I might have paid her in zucchini bread). I also selected a segmented serving tray, a streamer, and some paper serving trays as well as cupcake liners and toppers. Because what’s a party without cupcakes? Oh, and flag decorated paper plates!
My menu was:
Hot dogs with homemade chili
Burgers and fixings
Loaded Baked Potato Salad
Chips
Canned Baked Beans
Vanilla Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting
Fruit
In planning the menu, I tried to make sure that everyone would have a few things on their plate. There’s more than a few picky eaters with this bunch and that can be challenging. I planned the menu out early in the week and ordered my groceries early so I’d have time to make adjustments or run out to a store if needed (I currently use Instacart from Kroger and Costco for groceries). Everything was delivered as ordered so I took that as a good sign.
The party was Friday so I started writing out my plans on Wednesday. I tried to do as much cooking as possible on Thursday to make things easier. I made the chili Thursday morning and set it aside so it could cool for storage. Then I made the 7 Layer Salad. I always use my Instapot to boil eggs so putting together the salad was fairly quick (I also take a shortcut and use packaged bacon pieces).
On Friday morning, after coffee on the deck with the bunnies and birds, I started my Slow Cooker baked potatoes for the Loaded Potato Salad. I baked my cupcakes and while they cooled, I turned the oven up and baked some bacon for the potato salad. While it was baking, I sliced up some strawberries and made a little fruit tray with the berries and some canned oranges. I made my buttercream and decorated the cupcakes. I’m not a cake artist but I think they turned out pretty dandy.
As party time got closer, I started working on the potato salad. I put the chili on the stove to warm and heated up the canned beans in the microwave. I sent my father in law to the grill with the dogs and burgers. My niece arrived and I put her in charge of the apple dumplings. I wanted them to still be warm when people were ready for them.
All in all, the party was a hit! We ate, went swimming, took a long nap and then ate some more. And swam more. And then had fireworks. It’s a bold statement but this might have been the best 4th of July ever.
I also have to share a cool home decor item that I found on Amazon. You might have noticed my 4th of July “red truck” pillow in the first picture above? I admit that I hadn’t thought of a patriotic pillow until I saw a similar one on Michael’s. It was sold out and most of the holiday pillows that I found elsewhere were more than I wanted to pay. Then I found this great 4 pack of pillow covers on Amazon. It was perfect because I had three pillows on my deck couch and one on the front porch. A quick zip and they were 4th of July ready! I always admire holiday throw pillows but I don’t them beyond a Christmas pillow or two because of storage. But with the covers, it’s easy storage. My pillow game just got strong, y’all! I’m already eyeing these.
I’m closing out by sharing my sort-of-a-recipe for Loaded Baked Potato Salad. It’s not really a salad but we call it that anyway.
You’ll need:
Baked potatoes
Butter
Sour Cream
Bacon pieces
Shredded Cheddar
Salt and Pepper
I don’t measure anything with this. Basically, just bake up some potatoes. I recommend my Slow Cooker method. How many depends on the appetite of your crowd and the size of your potatoes. I baked 6 HUGE ones for 6 adults and 3 kids and had a lot of leftovers. I would say one normal potato per person. After the potatoes are baked, you need to carefully peel them while they are still warm. This can by tricky and hot. Gloves work great or you can hold the potato with a towel. I find that taters cooked in the slow cooker peel easier. You can also leave the peel on if your family isn’t opposed to it.
Chunk up the potatoes and add in your softened butter along with generous amounts of salt and pepper. Give it a stir than add in your other ingredients. Stir it gently so that your potatoes don’t break up too much. Some chopped up chives and green onions make a great topper for it.
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