JULY 4TH RECIPES TO IMPRESS YOUR VINAS WITH

Happy July 4th, vinas! Besides fireworks, this is a time to impress your vinas with super patriotic foods that are totally Pinterest-worthy.

My absolute favorite thing to make for this holiday are refreshing red, white and blue layered drinks. I find it is best to prepare the drinks right before the party starts to avoid the ice melting too much or the colors mixing before your vinas can enjoy them.

The other trick is to pick three different colored drinks with three very different sugar contents since that is what will keep the layers separate. For example, Ocean Spray’s cran-apple juice with 40 grams of sugar, SoBe’s pina colada with 25 grams of sugar and blueberry-pomegranate G2 with five grams of sugar. Take your cups and fill them with ice, then slowly poor each drink into the container with the most sugar first. Use clear glass cups and add festive straws to add to the fun!

I also absolutely love making a sparkler cake for dessert! This is a patriotic-colored cake with red, white and blue frosting sprinkles on top. This cake takes a little extra time than your normal cake would, but is still super easy to bake.

Ingredients:

1 box (15.25 oz.) white cake mix

Water, vegetable oil and egg whites for the cake mix (directions on box)

Red food coloring

Blue food coloring

1 container (12 oz.) white frosting

Red, white and blue sprinkles

Instructions:

• Preheat your oven according to the directions on the cake mix using a 12 cup bundt pan.

• Make the cake batter as directed on the box.

• Pour 1 cup of the batter into a small bowl and stir in the red food coloring until it is well mixed and the shade you desire. Pour another cup of the batter into another separate bowl and stir in the blue food color until it is well-mixed and the shade you desire.

• Pour the red cake batter into the bottom of the bundt pan. Carefully pour the white batter over the red batter in pan and repeat with the blue batter over white batter (the blue batter does not need to cover the white batter completely). When you add the batter to the pan, do not mix with a spoon. The colors should be layered and not mixed.

• Bake the cake as directed on the box.

• When the cake is baked, let it cool for 10 minutes. Place a cooling rack over cookie sheet. Turn the bunt pan upside down onto cooling rack so that the domed side of the bundt cake is on the top.

• Let the cake cool completely, for about 30-45 minutes.

• When cake is cool, divide the frosting evenly into 3 microwavable bowls. Microwave the bowl of white frosting uncovered on HIGH for a few seconds until it is smooth enough to drizzle over the cake. With a spoon, drizzle the 1st bowl of frosting onto the cake.

• Microwave the second bowl of frosting until it is smooth, then stir in the blue food coloring until it is well blended and the shade you desire. Drizzle the blue frosting over the white frosted cake, making sure you don’t cover all of the white frosting.

• Repeat with the 3rd bowl of frosting and red food coloring, making sure each color of frostings can be seen on the cake.

• Sprinkle the cake with red, white and blue sprinkles, then let the cake stand at room temperature until the frosting is set before serving.

Get ready to be called VINA Crocker because these recipes are sure to be a hit!