Otto's First Birthday and Fourth of July Favorites for Summer Entertaining
My son Otto just turned one and because I also absolutely love the Fourth of July, we celebrated with a "Red, White and One" theme. If you know me, you know I go all in for a theme party. This year was no different, though I have either learned to manage stress better by my third child or I've learned to let the little things go, because the party really went off without a hitch (and a lot less yelling at my husband than usual).
This year feels like a big one, between America's 250th birthday, Otto's first, and my husband and I both starting our own businesses. I guess you could say we were celebrating our freedom in many ways!
Anyway, onto the food. Whenever I throw a party, I get really focused on how I can make fun party foods using only real ingredients. Some of this inspiration made it into my book, Naturally Nourished Kids, where you'll find some of my favorite party-ready recipes like Mini Wedge Salads, Dirt Cups with Gummy Worms, and Birthday Butter Blondies. So a Fourth of July theme was no different, and thankfully there is a good amount of red, white, and blue occurring in nature already! Safe to say the berry budget was exceeded this week.
Here's our whole family at least in one photo and looking at the camera! I swear I had matching outfits for everyone at some point.
Here's what we ate:
Red White and Blue Charcuterie Board
A Grazing Board is a staple around here, we even use them for lunches as seen in this blog. This red, white and blue version is perfect for the Fourth of July, Memorial Day, or any backyard gathering where you want something that looks impressive but takes almost no real effort. Pick a few options from each color category below, arrange them on your favorite board, and you're done.
Red
Strawberries
Raspberries
Cherry tomatoes
Watermelon cubes or stars
Red grapes
Prosciutto or salami
Red bell pepper strips
Pomegranate arils
Red apple slices
Cherries
White
Fresh mozzarella pearls
Brie or goat cheese
Whisps parmesan crisps
Cauliflower florets
Jicama sticks
Aged cheddar cubes, manchego, gouda or cheese of choice
Coconut chips
Marcona almonds
Blue
Blueberries
Blackberries
Blue corn tortilla chips
Concord grapes
Dried blueberries
A small bowl of blueberry compote or jam for dipping
Of course I also added some Yeehaw Brisket Chips to go along with this spread. Nothing says 4th of July like some BBQ. Not pictured: Byron smoked a brisket and we actually got to eat it! Usually his briskets go straight into the dehydrator for our customers. I served it with pickled jalapenos, pickled red onions and classic dill pickles.
Star Quesadillas
These turned out super cute and were a hit with the kids. No real recipe here, just use tortillas and cheese of choice and make quesadillas as usual. You can add chicken for more protein if desired. Allow to cool before cutting with star shaped cutters. I used a large and a small one for less waste (and we ate the leftover pieces for lunch for days!). Serve with salsa and sour cream.
Red, White and Blue Caprese Salad
This salad could not have been easier. I made this for a crowd so scale up or down as needed but this was plenty for a group of about 30 people as a side. This could easily be served over greens as well, I just didn't have room in the bowl!
4 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
2 pints strawberries, quartered (I forgot to put these in! hah!)
2 pints blueberries
16 ounces mozzarella pearls
1 cup basil, freshly chopped
1/3 cup white balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
4 Tbsp honey
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper or to taste
Arrange the tomatoes, strawberries, mozzarella and blueberries in a large serving bowl. I chose to keep separate until serving but you can mix them right away if desired. Top with fresh basil.
Mix the dressing ingredients: white balsamic, olive oil, honey, sea salt and black pepper in a ball jar. Shake to incorporate, then pour over the salad.
Makes about 16 servings
Watermelon Cake
This looked a heck of a lot easier on Pinterest than it was in real life. I almost lost it while trying to get the perfect cylinder shape. Mabel, my 3 year old, reminded me "it doesn't have to be perfect, mama" as we were decorating it and I really took her advice to heart. If you're going to make this, give yourself extra time and grace if you are anything like me and have some first born daughter perfectionist tendencies, hah.
Here's how the cake turned out:
2 large seedless watermelons
Trim both ends off each watermelon so you have flat, stable surfaces to work with. Stand one watermelon upright and use a large sharp knife to carve straight down around the sides, removing the rind in sections until you're left with a clean cylinder of watermelon flesh. Repeat with the second watermelon, making it a bit smaller to go on top.
Trim the height of each cylinder so they're roughly even, then stack one on top of the other to form a two tier cake. If the top tier feels unstable, insert a few wooden skewers down through the center to anchor it before decorating.
I used toothpicks to decorate with berries and watermelon stars.
Sugar Cookie Flag Cake
I can't take credit for this one at all. My friend Chelsea made the base using this Sourdough Sugar Cookie Discard Bar recipe and my friend Jodie made a classic buttercream frosting. They even decorated it with raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and some marshmallows while I was getting ready for the party. All I can say is, get you some friends like these ladies.
These two saved the day by showing up early, getting to work and not even needing direction. And look at how cute their collaborative cake turned out!
A Few Entertaining Tips
Pick a theme and let it do the work. Once we landed on red, white and blue, most of the menu chose itself. You don't need a big concept, just a color palette or a simple idea gives you a filter for every decision.
Lean on grazing boards. A board with a handful of options per category looks far more impressive than the effort it actually takes. No cooking required, just good ingredients arranged well.
Set everything out the night before. Serving dishes, decor, all of it. I use the post it method, labeling where everything goes, so I don't forget something sitting in the fridge, and if I have help, they can execute even without me. I do the same with any recipes, printing them out and laying them next to their spot ahead of time.
Let a few things be imperfect. My watermelon cake did not look like Pinterest, and nobody at the party cared. Save your energy for the one or two things that matter most to you and let the rest be good enough.
Ask for help. My friends brought the flag cake, start to finish. You don't have to make everything yourself for a party to feel special.
Final Thoughts
However you celebrated this year, whether that was a full theme party or just a simple backyard cookout, I hope you found a way to make it easy on yourself while still feeling special. A board full of real food, a few simple recipes, and good friends who show up with cake go a long way.
Happy first birthday to my sweet Otto. Here's to another year of freedom, growth, and hopefully a little less yelling at my husband.
XO
Becki
