4th of July: Food, Drinks, & Friends

Growing up I used to spend every fourth of July in Hawaii with my family. The first half of the day was all about Old Navy flag patterned bathing suits, lots of sunscreen and spending hours making the perfect sand creation for the sand castle contest at the beach club. My grandma would put together awesome goodie bags with glow sticks, funky accessories and noisy toys, just like the one she had for us this year.

Decked out in our patriotic gear my family would get ready for a buffet at the Mauna Kea and we’d watch the fireworks on the beach laying down on the sand. As I’ve gotten older, the 4th has shifted from a family centered holiday to celebrating with friends.

The last five summers I’ve shared this holiday with my boyfriend Michael, Though we’ve made it back to Hawaii for a Frost Family 4th, our new traditions are centered in Laguna Beach.

The weather was perfect without any residual June gloom in sight. The beach was packed, friends were laughing and drinks were flowing.

I found the perfect festive set to wear and was exited to celebrate America, and the wonderful life we enjoy here, with a day off work spent with close friends in the sunshine.

Michael and I love to host but it can definitely get a little overwhelming sometimes. This year we kept our menu simple. We focused on strong flavors that were easy to put together and didn’t take away from enjoying the day.

For something easy to drink besides beer, we made watermelon margaritas which are one of the fastest and tastiest drinks I’ve learned to make. The only things you need are a large watermelon, limes, tequila and a blender. All you have to do is scoop out the watermelon and blend it up, pour it over a glass of ice with your favorite tequila (or rum or vodka for that matter) and a finish it with a wedge of lime. If you want it to be sweeter, you can add a store bought Limeade to the mix and you’re good to go. Just be careful with how many of these you have at once! They are way too easy to drink because it’s like you’re eating a piece of fresh watermelon.

Once you make a blender full of the watermelon juice you can leave everything out for people to build their drink. I like to keep it right by the food so people remember to grab a bite when they get a refill.

My favorite snacks are chips and fresh veggies cut up with onion dip, guacamole and salsa. When I was little, it was always my job to mix up the Lipton pack of onion dip into the sour cream and I still take that role very seriously. It’s not a party without some ruffles and onion dip, if you ask me.

For a main meal we stuck with our favorite bbq staple, Jerk chicken. We marinated the chicken the day before and grilled it in the morning so we were able to leave in the slow cooker as we walked around and enjoyed the beach. When we were ready to eat, we served up some grilled asparagus, macaroni salad and rice. It was the perfect dinner to soak up all our margaritas. This meal was a hit and something to make for the rest of your summer bbq parties and beach days.

Once everyone was done with dinner we headed upstairs to play pool and wait for the fireworks. This year was our dog’s first 4th being so close to the beach where there are fireworks going off in every direction. We tried to make a plan to have him with us and keep him calm during the loud booms but ultimately he wanted to be back inside. Beety hid himself under the bed waiting for the show to be over while we watched in awe of the celebratory exhibit.

It was definitely a day well spent enjoying good company and remembering how blessed we are to live in such a remarkable country.

What are some of your 4th of July traditions? How did you celebrate this year?