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This post is sponsored by Hebrew National.
I’ve always loved to throw parties! It could be a birthday party, a baby shower or a 4th of July cookout, no matter what the occasion is I love the details and planning that goes into throwing the perfect party!
Since Big Bear was in the military, the 4th of July holds a special place in my heart and we always try to have a party or at least a cookout the weekend of July 4th!
While we all know what red, white and blue is going to be the main color scheme of any patriotic 4th of July cookout, here are some more ideas for your Independence Day Soirée!
Just remember that there is no need for expensive decorations! You can have a beautiful red, white and blue themed party without breaking the bank! Stick with the basic red, white and blue colors and toss in a few American Flag themed items to round out the decorations! For our 4th of July party, I lined our food/party table with a blue plastic tablecloth but you could of course use red or white as your main color!
Like I’ve said before, I love having a party menu available for the food table! Not only does it show off what we’ll be having but it also serves as a little checklist for me as I’m bringing the food out!
For ours, I typed out our menu on the computer, printed it out onto white paper, cut out the menu and then glued it to a sheet of red, white and blue scrapbook paper! After I had the menu ready, I propped it up onto a red, white and blue cake stand and placed it at the end of the food table.
Also when I start setting up my food table for parties, I always go from right to left.
I set up the plates and utensils on the right end, I set up the food in the middle and then I set up the end of the party/food table with the drinks!
So right in front of our 4th of July Menu board, I have these adorable 4th of July themed mason jars that are holding our utensils for the day and a few colorful paper straws!
These little patriotic mason jars were so easy to create and they added a perfect 4th of July theme to the table!
I bought wide mouth mason jars at our local craft store and used acrylic paint to paint the red and white stripes as well as the blue area and white stars on the top half of the jars!
I used these as our utensils holders but they would also be beautiful as flower vases; add a little water and some white flowers for an adorable centerpiece!
Now moving down the party table, we’re at our main attraction! What goes hand in hand with cookouts and the 4th of July?
Hot Dogs!!
We grilled a few packages of Hebrew National ® All-Beef Franks for our traditional cookout hot dog bar and lined the table up with our favorite toppings and hot dog buns!
Hebrew National ® All-Beef Franks are our go-to hot dogs for cookouts and entertaining! We love the taste and we love that they’re made with premium cuts of beef!
Need some hot dog topping ideas? We normally set out the following:
Ketchup
Mustard
Relish
Cooked Onions
Raw Onions
Slaw
and Hot Sauce
I have to admit that I don’t normally go wild and crazy on my hot dogs. haha Ketchup and maybe a little bit of relish and I’m one happy girl!
Moving on down the food line you’ll find two fantastic side dishes to go along with our Hebrew National ® All-Beef Franks!
For the sides, I kept it simple and served homemade Fried Mac and Cheese bites and a big bowl of ice-cold watermelon cubes!
The mac and cheese bites were super easy to make and I can’t wait to have them again!
We took our favorite mac and cheese, spread it out into a single layer on a baking sheet and stuck it into the freezer. We let it get pretty cold and right before it was frozen solid we removed it from the freezer and cut it into squares.
Next, you’ll want to dip the mac and cheese squares into a bowl of breadcrumbs. Dip them into a bowl of egg wash (one egg and a tablespoon of water whisked together) and then dip them back into the bread crumbs. Set them on a tray while the oil is heating. Heat vegetable oil in a heavy bottom pot until it reaches 350F. Drop the mac and cheese bites into the hot oil and fry until golden brown. Remove and let drain on a paper towel! So easy!
Next we come to the watermelon! I just cut cup a medium sized watermelon that I had been keeping in the fridge and loaded all of the little watermelon cubes into a pretty clear bowl! I set out some patriotic cupcake picks for guest to use to pick up their watermelon!
We served two types of beverages at this party!
I served a simple blueberry sangria filled with ice and fresh blueberries, as well as watermelon spritzers!
I think that the watermelon spritzers were probably my favorite of the two!
I used a cookie cutter to cut watermelon stars from a few slices of the cold watermelon and then popped those stars into a few mason jars!
Then I filled mason jars with a blue sports drink and screwed on the lids! You can also add a bit of club soda to them for a bit of a fizz!
I kept them in the fridge until it was time for the party and then served them in a shallow tray that was packed with ice!
I just can’t get over how pretty they are!!
Last, but not least, we finished up our evening with homemade red, white and blue ice pops!
I used our quick pop maker to make these but any popsicle mold will work! Pour in red fruit juice of your choice, a clear soda (or water) and follow that up with a blue sports drink to make the perfect 4th of July Popsicle! Just remember to let each layer freeze BEFORE adding the next!
Here’s another fantastic tip for your 4th of July Party:
I love listening to music and I literally having music playing at the house all day long! I listen to it in the car and at the office, so it’s just natural for me to play music at our parties!
I create a playlist to match the party’s theme a few days in advance and then I normally sit my tablet and Bluetooth speakers outside with us and hit play! I keep it low enough not to disturb conversation but loud enough to be heard throughout the party!
Here’s one of my 4th of July Playlists, it’s a mix of patriotic, country and summer themed songs, because that’s how we roll.
Born in the USA – Bruce Springsteen
Party in the USA – Miley Cyrus
R.O.C.K. in the USA- John Mellencamp
American Pie – Don McLean
Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue – Toby Keith
Only in America – Brooks and Dunn
Riding with Private Malone – David Ball
Anchors Aweigh
Star Spangled Banner
Beachin’ – Jake Owen
Feelin it – Scotty Mccreery
Pirate Flag – Kenny Chesney
Small Town USA – Justin Moore
American Kids – Kenny Chesney
Born Country – Alabama
God Bless America – Martina McBride
Sweet Home Alabama – Lynyrd Skynyrd
Hero – Mariah Carey
American Soldier – Toby Keith
Who You’d Be Today – Kenny Chesney
8th of November – Big & Rich
That’s about an hour and 30 minutes of music for you. What else would you add to the playlist?
What’s your favorite part of 4th of July Parties or Cookouts?
What makes a Hebrew National kosher hot dog premium? It’s all about what makes the cut (And what doesn’t). We’re choosy about what goes into our franks – we use only premium cuts of 100% kosher beef from the front half of the cow and then choose the best from that. No artificial flavors, colors, fillers or by-‐products. When your hot dog is Kosher, that’s a hot dog you can trust! For more
Summer fun with Hebrew National, visit facebook.com/hebrewnational.
Looks like you’ve got the party covered! Great ideas as always.
Wow, what a party! This mac and cheese bites? I need 🙂
Oh my gosh – you’ve just helped me plan our July 4th party! Such clever ideas!
Hooray for the red,white and blue and some great celebration food.
Well you look like you have the makings of a great party there!
Holy cow. You went all out! These are some awesome ideas. I kind of want to cry now. We’re not doing anything for the 4th. I’d much rather hang out with you at your awesome party. 🙂
I love planning parties, too! Those painted mason jars are such a great idea!
We always host family for the 4th! Loving all of these ideas! The mason jars are so cute! And those mac and cheese bites? YUM! 🙂
Angie, these all look so delicious and festive. Have a happy 4th of July!
There are so many great ideas here! But that sangria is what I’m going to be thinking about all day long.
Such great ideas for a party! I love the ball jars….totally inventive! And those mac and cheese bites…OMG.
This looks like my kind of party! Super fun and full of pretty little touches, and most important of all, with lots and lots of delicious food. Those mac and cheese bites look like they’d disappear in two seconds… totally making those for my next backyard barbecue!
BTW, the official song of the U.S. Navy is “Anchors Aweigh.” And I’d add “American Woman” to the song list.
Fantastic ideas. Thank you! A few other song ideas. “Surfin in the USA”, by Beach Boys, “American Girl” by Tom Perry, “All-American Girl” by Carrie Underwood, “God Bless the USA” by Lee Greenwood, “Where the Stars and Stripes” by Aaron Tippin, and “This ain’t no rag” by Charlie Daniels.
Oops I meant Tom Petty! Sorry about that.