All the Stuff I Made for the 4th

I made a TON of stuff this year.  Sheesh.  We did a breakfast this year instead of a cookout.  It was nice.

 For the parade, I made three dishes.  I made everyone write the name of their dish on a note card and they HAD to name it something that was 4th-of-July themed.  For example, Rick's dad named his dish "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Egg Casserole" and Parker named his "Democratic Danishes"...you get the idea.

Up first: Star-Spangled Breakfast Bread - I used this recipe but made a few tweaks (I halved the blueberries and added raspberries, I used vanilla flavored Greek yogurt instead of lemon flavored, etc.)  It was delicious.

Second: Fruit + Yogurt Dip - I got this idea from Lindsey - take 8 oz Greek yogurt and mix in 1 T honey and 1 t vanilla.  Delicious.  (Side note - I had completely forgotten how yummy oranges are until this morning.  Mmmmmm!)

Third: Patriotic Cookie Pops - I used my own tutorial from last year (I seriously pulled it up because I couldn't remember a few steps).  They were a hit with the kids. :)

 And then I MADE my son take some pictures.

This is pretty much how the whole experience went

Yep...this kid hates pictures

Like SERIOUSLY hates them

But this kid? Piece of cake.  Isn't that dress adorable?

The best picture I could get out of that boy!

I did finally manage to get a genuine smile out of him :)

 For dinner at my in-laws that evening, I made two dishes:

First: Red, White, and Blue Deviled Eggs - I used this recipe.  It was easier than it looks, but I have to say I wasn't that impressed with it.  Oh well - moving on.

Second: Quinoa Cold Salad - This is an adaptation of a barley salad recipe that I absolutely LOVE from a friend.  I remember loving it while I was pregnant.  However, I made a few changes.  Recipe below:

Ingredients:

• 1 c quinoa, prepared
• 1/4 c balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
• 1 t dijon-style mustard
• 2 stalks green onion
• 1/2 c fresh parsley, chopped and divided
• veggies (I used a bell pepper, half an onion, half a cucumber, cherry tomatoes cut in half)
• Feta cheese

Mix balsamic vinegar and mustard - store in refrigerator up to one week.  Combine quinoa, veggies, half of parsley and half dressing.  Mix well.  Just before serving, add remainder of parsley and dressing.  Top with Feta. 

Yummy!

And then...there were some more pictures:

Awwwww

Partaking in the 4th of July tradition of homemade ice cream!

And waving the flags!

Lovely day :)