Tag: 4th of July

Easy Star Bandana for the 4th of July | Popcorn and Chocolate

Easy Star Bandana for the 4th of July

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Easy Star Bandana for the 4th of July | Popcorn and ChocolateYou better believe I will be rocking this star bandana for the 4th of July this year! I’m not one to go too crazy on the 4th of July but I do like to wear a little something that shows my spirit. This bandana is perfect because it has stars on it, it has a splash of red or blue (or both!), and you can wear it anywhere – in your hair, around your neck, tied to a bag. I like that versatility.Easy Star Bandana for the 4th of July | Popcorn and ChocolateI’ve kind of had a moment with bandanas lately. They are super fun to diy, you should really give it a try sometime! You can start here with this easy star bandana for the 4th of July!Easy Star Bandana for the 4th of July | Popcorn and Chocolate

Materials:

  • Plain white bandana
  • Ink in red or blue
  • Star stamp
  • Optional: glitter, embossing pen, embossing heat gun

How to make a star bandana:

  1. Take your star stamp and press it firmly into your ink pad.
  2. Stamp the star onto your white bandana.Easy Star Bandana for the 4th of July | Popcorn and Chocolate
  3. Repeat this process until your whole bandana is covered.
  4. Optional: If you want to emboss a few stars so that they have glitter on them, here is what you will do.
  5. Go over the star with the embossing pen.
  6. Gently pour some glitter on top of that star.
  7. Shake off any excess glitter.Easy Star Bandana for the 4th of July | Popcorn and Chocolate
  8. Take your embossing heat tool and GENTLY go over the star, making sure you don’t hold it in one spot for too long. This will cause the fabric to burn. You will see your star turn from the color of the glitter to a bright, almost plasticy texture. This is when you know you are finished. Note: I read that using cotton fabric works a lot better for this so if you are planning on embossing I would highly suggest buying 100% cotton bandanas.Easy Star Bandana for the 4th of July | Popcorn and Chocolate


Happy 4th of July everyone! I hope you all have a fun and festive holiday! We are currently in Seattle (!!!!) and if you want to see what we are up to make sure to watch our Instagram stories. Chow for now!

Easy Star Bandana for the 4th of July | Popcorn and Chocolate

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Fourth of July Popcorn | Popcorn & Chocolate

Popping 4th of July

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Fourth of July Popcorn | Popcorn & ChocolateHello popcorn lovers! Can you believe it’s already almost the 4th of July? What are all you doing? For me every year is different. When I was little, my family used to go to the local park and watch the fireworks with our close friends. I always loved this since they set up a carnival and rides beforehand. My dad and I used to bike down early in the day so I could play on the rides. I always remember one year he bought me a balloon and just as we left, the balloon popped because it was so hot out! I was sad so we went back and got another. We got half way home on the bike with this balloon before, POP! We ended up just going home, and my dad drove back later and got me a new balloon. I kept this one until it got small and pruney. Thanks dad :)

Strawberry Pie Flavored Popcorn | Popcorn & Chocolate

Holiday Popcorn | Popcorn & Chocolate

More recently I prefer to grill up some good food, make a refreshing drink, and watch the Macy’s fireworks on TV. I know that’s lame, but it’s always fun to watch! Plus, then you can pop up a huge fresh batch of popcorn and eat it right out of the bowl. And lately I’ve been dreaming up this delicious red white and blue inspired sweet treat for your 4th of July get-together. This strawberry pie popcorn is sweet and decadent without being too over the top. The best part is that it’s not too messy, so you could pack it up in tupperware with your picnic and bring it to share with whoever you watch the fireworks with. But be warned, you might want to hoard it all for yourself. It’s that good. Plus, it’s very allergy friendly – there’s no dairy, nuts, peanuts, shellfish, or gluten here! Just freeze dried strawberries, coconut butter, coconut oil, salt and sugar. Simple and delicious! What are you waiting for? Let’s get popping!

IMG_1381

Ingredients: Serves 2 hungry popcorn lovers or a group of 3-4

  • 1/4 cup Freeze dried strawberries  (we bought them at Target, but Trader Joes also has a good selection)
  • 1.5 tablespoons slightly melted Coconut butter
  • 1.5-2 tablespoons melted Coconut oil
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla sugar (if you don’t have vanilla sugar you can just use the sugar of your choice)
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1/4 cup kernels

Instructions:

  1. Pop up your kernels either on the stove top or in an air popper and then lay out on parchment paper on top of a baking sheet
  2. Preheat your oven to about 200 degrees Fahrenheit
  3. Grind the freeze dried strawberries, the vanilla sugar and the salt together in the food processor for a couple of seconds or until the strawberries are a fine powder
  4. Mix together the coconut butter, 1.5 tablespoons of the coconut oil, and about half of the strawberry mixture in a small bowl
  5. Drizzle the remaining coconut oil over the popcorn and then sprinkle the remaining strawberry mixture on top of it
  6. Drizzle the coconut butter mixture on top of the popcorn
  7. Pop in the oven for about 5 minutes – you don’t want it to burn!

Strawberry pie fourth of July popcorn | Popcorn & chocolate

Strawberry Pie Fourth of July Popcorn | Popcorn & Chocolate4th of July popcorn recipe | Popcorn & Chocolate

Follow us around: Cape Cod 4th of July

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Truro bay

Well hello! We had the most amazing, fun, relaxing weekend in Cape Cod for the 4th of July. Rose’s family recently bought a beach house in Truro and invited us to stay there for the long weekend.

ping pong paddles

Truro beach

Beach towel

It was a blast! The weather couldn’t have been more perfect when we were there. The first day we were there we did a few errands to grab some food and supplies for the weekend and then jumped in the car to go to the beach. The sky was bluer than blue and although the water was colder than cold, it was quite refreshing to dip your toes in every once and a while. We relaxed and read our books, ate some lunch, played some games, and watched all the seals swim by. It was a very calming first day.

Shark bite

shark attack

At night we went out to dinner with Rose’s mom in Provincetown. We got some Moscow mules to sip while watching all the locals and vacationers walk by. After dinner we got attacked by a shark. I was first to go and then Rose tried to save me but got eaten up too. Good thing we had just stocked up on some fudge and salt water taffy for the weekend to soothe our injuries.

salt water taffy

The next day Rose and I went down to the bay, which is about a 5 minute walk from their house. At night we weren’t sure whether or not we wanted to stay in and cook something or go out to eat again, so we went to the food store not sure of what we wanted and then left with supplies to make tacos. But, before we even got home we decided we’d rather go out so we got dressed and went to Patio in Provincetown. It was a good decision; the food was delicious and so were the drinks! After dinner we enjoyed some wine and fudge while working on a puzzle.

4th of july

4th parade

Parade

On the 4th of July Rose and I woke up and made our way down to Provincetown to watch the parade. We were a little confused when it would start and why more people weren’t standing around but I think we were just in an odd location. The parade wasn’t anything too special, but we wanted to do something patriotic so we stayed. Afterwards we grabbed some lunch and then headed back home to relax and possibly nap. Ah the beach life! We ended up exploring and Rose showed me where she used to stay when she went to the Cape as a kid.

hot dogs

For Dinner we made some hot dogs for a festive 4th dinner. At night we went back down to the bay to watch the sunset. We were going to stay and watch the fireworks as well but we bummed out and went home for more wine, fudge, and puzzle time.

sunset on the bay

sunset on the bay

The last day we were there we enjoyed it on the beach. It was probably the sunniest day we were there so we wanted to soak it all in before we had to get back on the road home to Allston. It was the perfect day to end our little mini vacation! And now we are both itching to go back, hopefully soon!

bay in cape cod

4th of July Pops

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red white and blue fruit popsicle

As a kid growing up in New Hampshire where the summers are hot and sticky there wasn’t anything that I wanted to eat more than a nice refreshingly cold popsicle. I used to spend my summer days swimming and then go and buy a popsicle from the little stand by our pool. It was always such a hard decision which popsicle to get; do you get the ones with the gumball eyes? Or the creamsicle? Or the classic red, white, and blue firecracker popsicle? You really couldn’t go wrong with any of those choices.

red white and blue fruit popsicles

As it has gotten closer to the 4th of July I’ve been seeing the firecracker popsicles taunting me at the grocery store with their festive coat of red, white, and blue. My 5 year old self started drooling at remembrance of those decadent delights. The purple stained lips and tongue, the sticky fingers, the wonderful surprise as you go from each different flavor. Oh, how my stomach longed for those popsicles. After a few days of not being able to shake that craving I had to take action. I whipped out my blender and grabbed some fresh fruit, yogurt, and milk from the fridge. I was going to make a festive treat that could be enjoyed guiltlessly at anytime of the day, and one that would hopefully not stain my teeth purple..

red white and blue popsicles

Here, my friends, is our version of the infamous firecracker popsicle perfect for your 4th of July soiree. It’s quick and easy to make and tastes delicious! Not to mention it is full of nutritious fruit. Enjoy the simplicity of a wonderfully refreshing popsicle on the 4th of July.

red white and blue fruit popsicle

Ingredients:

  • 1/3  – 1/2 cup strawberries – or any red fruit
  • Yogurt – we used greek yogurt, but you could sub dairy free yogurt as well
  • 1/3 cup blueberries
  • Honey, or sweetener of choice
  • Milk – we used almond milk

1. In a blender blend together around a 1/3 to 1/2 a cup of fresh strawberries, 1 tablespoon greek yogurt, 1/2 tablespoon honey, and a dash of milk (around a tablespoon or 2 depending on how well your blender can blend non-liquid foods). Pour the contents from the blender into your popsicle molds; this made about 4-5 popsicles for me. Put popsicles in the fridge to set up for about 15 minutes.

2. For the next layer just blend together greek yogurt, 1/2 tablespoon honey, and a splash of milk. I did about 1/2 cup of greek yogurt for all of the popsicles. Pout this next layer on top of the strawberry layer in the popsicle and again let it set up for about 15 minutes.

3. For the blueberry layer, blend about a 1/3 cup of blueberries, 1 tablespoon greek yogurt, 1/2 tablespoon honey, and some milk (again, it depends on how well your blender works). Pour the final layer on top of the greek yogurt layer and stick the popsicle stick into the mold. Let the popsicle fully freeze before enjoying on a hot summer day!

Red white and blue firecracker popsicles

These popsicles are so yummy and easy to make, plus with all the greek yogurt they add a good source of protein for an afternoon snack! I’ve been munching on these once I get home from work pretty much every day this past week. Yum yum yum, my childhood self is quite content with these new ‘firecracker’ popsicles!

melting popsicle

Got to eat them before they melt!