Planning your 4th of July party? Here’s how to have a fire-cracking Fourth of July party wherever you are...

1. THE TABLESCAPE

• The Colors: On Fourth of July, throw yourself into a classic red, white & blue color scheme. Let the table sing the national anthem and recite the declaration of independence. It should be patriotic.

• The Plates: Mix & match blue & white plates. I inherited mine from my grandmother, but you can purchase these from Lenox. Or scour a thrift store; chips have charm :)

• The Tablecloths: Can be a long piece of denim fabric found at a fabric store, your grandma's white tablecloth folded in half, or our blue & white tablecloth

• The Centerpiece: This is literally the center of conversation. It does not have to be flowers; it can be an artwork, a newspaper article, a vase with goldfish, a set of books, candles, a flag cake, or a bowl of cherries. Get creative! Think about where the centerpiece will take the conversation, and how it can enrich the conversation.

• The Flowers (if you choose to do flowers): Pick something seasonal, either from your garden or from the florist. Seasonal flowers are always less expensive because they are grown in abundance! Chefanie plopped white hydrangeas from her garden at The Ledges into a wicker basket. You could also put red roses in our blue & white urns.

• The Napkins: Chefanie embroiders napkins, and she can do them for you too! Here.

THE MENU

• Printed menus double as place cards. Download Chefanie's 4th of July menu template here & scribble in what you serve and the names of your guests.

• Food-wise, fire up the grill! Nothing is off limits: you can do veggies (anything seasonal), pizzas, and (cheese, salmon, turkey, chicken, veggie) burgers!

• Chefanie's favorite summer salad is Zucchini Carpaccio.

• This cacio e pepe with pink peppercorns on a blue plate totally fits in the color scheme!

• For dessert we recommend:

  • Local red and blue berries

  • Red, white, and blue meringues, such as Susan Spungen’s

  • Red, white, and blue donuts, cookies, and cake decorated with corresponding Flag Chefanie Sheets.

THE CAKE

THE LIBATIONS

• Red, white, and blue sangria with white wine, strawberries, and blueberries is a low maintenance drink that is absolutely delicious. Plus, it can (and should) be made in advance to minimize your work on the day of the event.

• Make sure to always have water on the table in a pitcher or pretty glass bottle.

THE PLAYLIST

Bon Appétit!