4th of July Cookie decorating ideas

The upcoming 4th of July celebration is as American as it gets. Flags fly, fireworks fill the nation's night skies, and families and friends spend the entire day together eating, drinking, and celebrating our country's birth. Red, white, and blue are the colors of the day. Streets are lined with American flags, and in Austin, boats tied together in the cove proudly fly Old Glory and fill their coolers with flag-decorated beverages cans...think Bud Light and Dr. Pepper. No garment or accessory is too gaudy or less-than-tasteful to wear--flag sunglasses, flag swimsuits, flag t-shirts, flag hats (tacky and patriotic). Americans look forward to this day probably more than Christmas. The only holiday that possibly competes with "The 4th" would be Thanksgiving. 

My son's 4th of July boat outfit...as I said nothing too
tacky or controversial on this day of national pride!

Austinites can enjoy numerous cool lakes, springs, and creeks and have access to great food and lots of Texas beer every weekend in the summer, but we especially love the city-wide party day of July 4th! I should end this patriotic rant with a local saying: God Bless America...specially Texas!

Now that you understand our deep passion for this national day of celebration, let me tell you more about the traditional food and drink. On July 4th we drink lots of iced tea, icy cold beer, Lime-a-ritas, and frozen margaritas. The party doesn't begin until the homemade guacamole and queso, along with fresh salsa and store-bought salsas, fill the kitchen counter. Austinites love to fry just about anything in the food world--catfish, onion rings, okra, corn tortilla chips, pies (another post)--and we will stuff or wrap whatever spicy peppers we have with bacon. The ever-favorite cream cheese stuffed jalapeño and Gulf shrimp filled with jalapeño strips and wrapped in bacon, immediately come to mind. 

 

This the day when the grill is filled to capacity with Texas-sized burgers land on Texas-sized buns, links of local German bratwurst and knockwurst, jalapeño venison sausage from the season's hunt, and plain ole beef hot dogs for the kids. Beef briskets and chicken are smoked to perfection and baby back pork ribs are coated with a dry rub and then baked in beer until the meat falls off the bone. A quick baste with sauce and a sear on the grill and they disappear. The air is filled with smokey goodness throughout the day.

Baby back pork ribs with dry rub and long beer braise--oh my--recipe to follow soon.

Bowls of potato salad made from grandma's recipe with lots of real mayonnaise, yellow mustard, sweet pickles, sweet onion, hard-boiled eggs, and a dusting of paprika, sit alongside Pyrex dishes filled with crunchy coleslaw and Aunt so and so's poppy seed dressing. Someone always brings a tray of deviled eggs, which disappear immediately. Peach cobbler made with Fredericksburg peaches, Blue Bell vanilla ice cream, banana pudding, brownies, cookies, and watermelon slices fill the dessert table. It's a day of pigging out, relaxing in some sort of cool water source--pool, lake, spring, or creek--and consuming far too much to be floating in water as the fireworks fill the evening sky.

The night ends with a walk down to Lake Austin to see the firework display. Neighbors gather along the shoreline and boaters fill a portion of the lake by the Pennybacker Bridge for the final hurrah. The Finale is always spectacular and loud and applause and boat horns signal the end of the big celebration. We follow the path back home with lots of tired children and adults with sparklers set ablaze to light the way. 

Cousins enjoy the fireworks display on a warm July 4th evening in Austin.

This is how America celebrates its birthday every year--and in Austin we wouldn't have it any other way.

I thought I would share a few 4th of July Sugar Cookie decorating ideas to get you ready for the big holiday. Made by my nieces last summer. Quick learners! Cookies are always a fun project to do with my nieces, nephews, and friends' kids. After years of annual Christmas decorating cookie parties in my Austin kitchen, they have all become pretty adept at decorating techniques. With a few simple instructions on how to make these designs, my nieces created lots of red, white, and blue cookies last year for their dad's Air Force retirement party--a very patriotic event. Even the not-so-perfect ones got oohs and aahs. They tasted as good as they looked.

Begin with my never-fail recipes for sugar cookies and royal icing and invite the neighborhood kids over to make dessert for the 4th. The cookies freeze well, so make them now and have one less thing to do on a very busy and fun holiday.

Happy 238th Birthday America