To all my American reader, I am sending you my best wishes of happiness on this Fourth of July. I hope you cheer with a piece of flag cake and some fireworks later tonight.

RECIPES and PHOTO CREDITS:
+ Flag Cake by Ina Garten published on Barefoot Contessa’s Family Style – photo by Maura McEvoy
+ Use fresh berries instead of frozen  to make the Frozen Berries with Hot White Chocolate published on Barefoot Contessa at Home – photo by Quentin Bacon
+ Flag Cake made by Anne’s Food – she will publish her flag cake recipe later.

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This is a well-done Patriotic Bunting Banner Flags for the Fourth of July. springchick used the flag elements on a good taste manner. As you know, I am not a fan of displaying the flag at any party. This is a more subtle way to achieve the same result.

By changing a pattern or two, it could be harmonized with the DIY Fourth of July craft project from Twig & Thistle that I am shown you earlier today. It is not too late to go shopping for pieces of fabric and sew your own banner flags.

SOURCING:
+ Patriotic Bunting Banner Flags by spingchick $32 USD on etsy

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The super talented Kathleen of Twig & Thistle has designed the cutest party celebration kit for the Fourth of July. Her design is modern, festive and elegant. Build your party around these elements. You could print a second batch of sparkler cards to glue on handmade paper cones. Use the cones to serve cashews, popcorn or fresh strawberries dipped in chocolate.

Kathleen provides the templates with easy to follow instructions on her blog. Basically, you simply print, cut, tape and you are ready to receive big Awe! from your guests. I absolutely adore it!

If you can remove the words “Fourth of July” with Photoshop or add a white rectangle on top to hide the unwanted words with MS-Word, you could print a second batch of the sparkler cards, matchbook covers and straw tag for when you host other summer parties.

MORE:
+ DIY 4th of July on Twig & Thistle

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I was interviewed last Friday by a Montreal-based journalist about the art of making menu when you hosting a party at home. My best advice has always been to cook dishes that you are familiar with. This way, you will not stress out. Your meal must taste great. It is not the time to experiment. To make your dinner special, simply be original with the food presentation.

The home cooking approach is invading formal events like weddings. The New York Times published Readers’ Wedding Food to illustrate this trend. You will see that it crossed over a wide range of wedding budgets, from high to low.

Easy Inspiring Food Presentation

It is not complicated to serve french fries in paper cones. But it makes it more special. You can use parchment paper, newspapers like they do in Belgium or gingham waxed paper. Opt for professional grade grease proof waxed paper to keep your food.

I gathered from the NY Times article the best pictures that you could use for your parties this summer. My photo collage at the top would be perfect for Canada Day or the Fourth of July. As you can see this home cooking trend mixes with eating seasonal food.

+ Lobster bake on the beach in Massachusetts – photo by Paul McEvoy
+ Decorate a cheese platter or for a grand event, your cheese and charcuterie table with seasonal berries and figs
+ Be creative when preparing skewers of vegetables and fruits. An old-time favorite appetizer is a Caprese salad assembled on skewers. Drizzle some balsamic vinegar or put a small bowl of balsamic vinegar for dipping.

2009 Trends in Weddings

Going back to the article on the New York Times, it talks about the current trend in weddings, even upscale weddings, to serve home cook style meals. People do not do it for saving money. It costs the same and sometimes more to elevate comfort food. This trend started out of a desire to feel less opulent. It also conveys authenticity to their celebrations. Is it representative to what you have seen in weddings this year?

One thing I would say it that guests should dress up even for a simple country weddings. It is a special occasion for the bride and groom. Tell them you know how special this day is by NOT wearing casual clothes. It is one element of etiquette that I strongly believe in.

SOURCING:
+ Waxed Paper Red Gingham $5 USD for 50 sheets
+ Down-Home Celebrations by the New York Times

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Whenever possible, I reuse and recycle tableware and decorations for designing my parties. By interchanging some table accessories and the menu, your party will look and feel different. Here changing the table cloth plus a few decorative allows you to create a look for Father’s Day and another for the Fourth of July.

This theme plays with red and blue. You could bring the star at the fourth of July through food presentation. Serve slices of carambola as a side dessert for example.

I selected picnic accessories from Crate and Barrel to illustrate the principles of this concept.

+ Preserve Flatware $5.95 USD for 8 place settings, 24-piece set
+ Bamboo Picks $2.95 USD
+ Alethia Stripe Napkin on sale $1.95 USD, reg. $3.95
+ Star Candleholders on sale $1.50 each, reg. $2.95 in red and blue
+ Carnavale Picnic Blanket $39.95 USD

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To host a casual chic patriotic party, you need to think outside the box. You want to stay away from an overload of flag images. Be inspired by the color palette and the spirit of the celebrations.

I gather wonderful yet simple décor ideas to celebrate Independence Day. They are the best of what I saw this week on the Web. You can even use them if you are at the last minutes.

Drink Recipes

GlamDish featured wonderful drinks that would be great all summer. Cheers to Red, White & Blue! proposes a Chambeer (1 part Chambord, 3 parts beer), a Blue Mojito, a Blakberi Blues and a Blue Hawaiian.

Menu

Check out Rachel Ray’s Fourth of July feast for tasty recipes. Check out her Berry Cakes with Cinnamon Whipped Cream.

For more dessert recipes, check out red, white and blue desserts by Martha Stewart. The Red, White, and Blue Parfaits caught my eyes.

Tablescape

Martha Stewart suggested a Bandanna Table Runner. This is a cheap and easy way to get a festive table runner.
Rachel Ray suggests filling old blue cans or camping mugs with white and red flowers. Make a napkin ring by cutting a hole with a star-shaped hole punch. Tape the paper rings around red and blue napkins.

Happy Independence Day to all my American friends! Have fun celebrating the 4th of July surrounded by your friends and family.

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You can still show your patriotism at your party by doing it on a more subtle way. Deconstruct the element of the flag, reinvent the color palette by adding a trendy accent color. The idea is to create a unique modern and more sophisticated party scheme.

If you look closely at these styled pictures by IKEA, you can devise around the Summer IKEA collection a beautiful scheme to celebrate either Canada Day or the Fourth of July. At least, you will be able to enjoy the stuff the rest of the summer.

Dining On the Lawn Setting

Do a picnic in your backyard. Lay down several eating areas with DYNING, a beach mat available in red and light blue.Fill the floor with red and white HEMÖN rugs, SOMMAR table runners and GRENÖ round cushions.

Hang multicolor wind-sock on the tree to create an instant festive look. Create your own with a flag using SOMMAR as a template.

Individual Lunch bags

Stock SOMMAR beach bags for everyone. Use it as a welcoming party favor. Or fill each beach bag with an individual lunch. Assign a color to each lunch type: red for the meat sandwich package, yellow for the fish or poultry based package and blue for the vegetarian lunch.

Block Candle Lanterns

Fill small and medium height lanterns with red and blue SOMMAR block candles. If you do not find the lanterns in the right colors, you can paint the lanterns with outdoor metallic paints.

Sharing Your Opinions

I gave you ideas to think outside the box for your Canada Day or Fourth of July party. I want to hear your view about the question. How do you plan to celebrate Canada Day or the Fourth of July this year?

SOURCING:
+ DYNING mat beach at IKEA – price: $12.50 CAD
+ HEMÖN rug at IKEA – price: $7.50 CAD
+ SOMMAR table runner at IKEA – price: $3.50 CAD
+ GRENÖ round cushion, assorted colors at IKEA – price: $8.50 CAD
+ SOMMAR Wind-sock at IKEA – price: $1.50 CAD
+ SOMMAR beach bag, available in assorted colors at IKEA – price: $0.75 CAD
+ SOMMAR block candles – price: $1.50 CAD

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