Red, White & Blue Independence Day Celebration

My youngest son was born super close to US Independence Day. And as you can imagine, there's always a lot of social gatherings happening around this date.  A lot of his and our friends are out of town enjoying their Summer break elsewhere. And for those who remain in town, there's always a big 4th of July celebration or fireworks viewing already lined up (which was our case). So we have decided to properly celebrate our little man a little later in the month with a party of his own, but had a mini "Stars & Stripes" 3rd birthday celebration at home during the holiday weekend. 

sweets and beverages table

 I am so in love with my picnic-style beer garden table!

This yummy berry trifle is super easy to make! Recipe at the end of this post.

 My favorite local honey comes in these reusable glass jars perfect for some homemade ice tea

 I made custom Mason-jar paper lids to cover the "glasses" to shoo away any thirsty bugs...

 …and punched out holes just large enough to slip a paper straw in!

For this small but fun-filled party we invited our neighbors over and let all of our kids play free in the backyard. We also kept ourselves busy chatting, sipping some cold beer and munching on whole wheat pretzels and root vegetable chips while waiting for grilled “veggie dogs” and corn on the cob. Yum! 

 Vegan dogs with homemade chipotle ketchup and grain mustard

 After playing in the water for a while (on this super hot Summer day!), the kids were ready for dessert – raspberry sorbet, blueberry muffins and the fantastic “patriotic” trifle.

 Our guests left home with silver-coated Jordan almonds packed inside custom-made little packages. 

I hope you all enjoy and get inspired by these pictures and have a happy Independence Day!!

***

Here is the Martha Stewart recipe I used for this super easy, delicious and patriotic berry "pavê", which is how we call a dessert trifle in my beloved Brasil.

Red, White, and Blue Berry Trifle

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds raspberries (5 cups)
• 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice (from 1 large orange)
• 10 ounces mascarpone cheese (1 1/3 cups)
• 1 1/4 cups cold heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Fine salt
• 20 to 24 ladyfingers (from a 7-ounce package), broken into 1-inch pieces
• 3/4 pound blueberries (2 1/2 cups)

DirectionsIn a medium bowl, combine raspberries with 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar and orange juice. With the back of a fork, lightly mash berries to release their juices and let sit 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together mascarpone and 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar until smooth. Whisk in cream, vanilla, and pinch of salt and whisk until soft peaks form, about 4 minutes.
Cut one or two pieces parchment 1 inch taller than side of an 8-inch springform pan and line inside of pan. Place half the ladyfingers in pan and top with half the raspberry mixture. With a small offset or rubber spatula, spread half the whipped cream over berries. Tap pan gently on counter to remove air bubbles. Repeat with remaining ladyfingers, raspberry mixture, and whipped cream.
Top with blueberries and refrigerate until whipped cream is stiff and cookies have softened, about 3 hours (or, tightly covered with plastic, up to 3 days). To serve, unmold trifle and peel away parchment.

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