6 Simple Fourth of July Recipes

BAY CITY, Mich. - It's officially time to celebrate the red, white and blue as Independence Day has arrived! We know that this day is all about celebration and fun, so you shouldn't have to stress about what you're going to make. Whether you're taking food to a BBQ, or throwing one of your own, we have 6 simple 4th of July recipes that quick and painless.

1. Patriotic Popcorn! This recipe is super simple and super delicious. First, you pop your popcorn (or buy a bag of pre-popped) and place it in a large bowl. Taking a 12 oz. bag of candy melts (we use vanilla), melt the chocolate using either the microwave or your oven. After the candy is melted, pour it over your popped popcorn and toss it to spread the chocolate evenly. Using your hands is recommended, but you can get creative. After it is evenly tossed, take red/blue sprinkles and sprinkle it over your popcorn. The popcorn will need to cool for a few hours, but it's absolutely delicious when it's ready!

2. Layered Fourth of July drinks! The trick to getting the layers is to look at sugar content. For these drinks, Sobe Pina Colada, OceanSpray Cran-Apple, and Gatorade Blueberry-Pomegranate were used. The drink with the highest sugar content (the OceanSpray) will sink to the bottom, while the drink with the lowest sugar content (the Gatorade) will rise to the top. You can use any drink you'd like, as long as you layer the sugar content. 

3. Red, White and Blue Strawberries! This is such a simple thing to do and always looks so nice on your table. Using melted white chocolate (if you made the patriotic popcorn, you should still have melted candy melts!), dip your strawberries 3/4 of the way into the chocolate. Immediately after dipping, roll your strawberry in blue sprinkles. They will need time for the chocolate to harden, but they look and taste so nice when they are ready!

4. Spangled Sandwich Pops! The nice thing about this recipe is that the sandwiches are already made - you just have to make them patriotic! Taking a box of ice cream sandwiches, insert a popsicle stick into each one. Then, simply roll the sandwiches in red, white, and blue sprinkles to make them ready for the 4th. If you think these sandwiches will get messy, we recommend sticking the popsicle stick end through a cupcake liner to catch any drips.

5. Independence Day Fruit Salad! This requires almost no effort, as you'll just need a big bowl and various red, white and blue fruit. We recommend using blueberries as your blue fruit, as blueberry season is in full swing here in Michigan. Raspberries, watermelon, or strawberries will work for your red fruit, while bananas work great as your white!

6. DIY Festive Cupcakes! This is a great thing to try if you have kids and want to keep them busy. Simply prepare various red, white and blue cupcakes. After letting them cool, the kids can decorate them with various festive toppings! This entertains the kids and also let's them get a little creative!

We hope you have enjoyed these 6 simple fourth of July recipes! Fourth of July is all about freedom and fun, so enjoy yourselves and be safe!

If you need a new car to get you safely to your 4th of July destination, we have a great selection of New Chevrolet Trucks and Low Mileage Used Cars at our Mt. Morris Area Chevrolet Dealership. Stop in today and let us help you into a vehicle that you'll love! Hank Graff Chevy is located at 3636 Wilder Road, Bay City, MI 48706. For more information on Hank Graff Chevrolet, or for any questions call us at (989) 684-4411 or visit our websites: www.GraffBayCity.com.

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