TIP OF THE DAY: Red, White & Blue For Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

July 4, 2013 at 7:57 am · Filed under July 4th/Independence Day, Recipes, Tip Of The Day

Enjoy the red, white and blue all day. Photo courtesy Shiloh Farms.

For three weeks leading up to Independence Day we’ve presented quite a few ideas for red, white and blue food.

Here’s the last one for Independence Day 2013:

For each meal today, use red and blue berries to create a red, white and blue dish.

Breakfast: Sprinkle your cottage cheese or oatmeal with red and blue berries.

Lunch: Garnish plain or vanilla yogurt with red and blue berries.

Dinner & Snack: For dessert, garnish or layer the berries with frozen yogurt, ice cream, rice pudding or tapioca.

INDEPENDENCE DAY: HOW THE CELEBRATION BEGAN

Independence Day, popularly known as the Fourth of July, commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The document declared independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain.

The day before, John Adams had written to his wife, Abigail: “I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.”

The Festivities Began Two years Later

The first Independence Day celebration took place in 1777. Bristol, Rhode Island marked the day with a thirteen-gunshot salute in the morning and evening, honoring the 13 colonies that formed the United States of America.

Philadelphia also celebrated that day: with 13-gun salutes, speeches and prayer sessions, music, parades, troop reviews, an official dinner and the now-indispensable fireworks. Ships in the harbor were decked with red, white, and blue bunting.

In 1781, the Massachusetts General Court became the first state legislature to recognize July 4 as a state celebration. The first printed reference to “Independence Day” appears in 1791.

Today we’d prefer these petit fours to turtle soup, an earlier favorite. Photo courtesy Dragonfly Cakes.

The Federal Holiday Was Declared In 1870

Congress established the first federal holidays in 1870, including New Year’s Day, the fourth of July and Christmas.

Much of the 1777l Philadelphia celebration had become July 4th tradition: barbecues, baseball games, bunting, civic ceremonies, concerts, fireworks, parades, picnics and more. To add some civics to your day, read the Declaration of Independence.

Here’s more Independence Day history.

FOOD TRIVIA: Hot dogs and potato salad were not served on Independence Day in the 18th and 19th centuries. The popular food choice was turtle soup! (Source)

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