Red, White and Blue Fun

The 4th of July has to be one of my favorite holidays! It is in the middle of summer, it includes getting together with my family, and it has a great color scheme (lol)!

This year my sister Mary hosted our 4th of July gathering. She has a wonderful backyard with lots of shade trees - which we really needed this year as it was so very hot out.

We all love getting decked out in our red, white and blue for the day...

including my mom and my sweet niece, Elizabeth.

Mary has a fabulous rope swing that the boys loved playing on. I got some great photos of Patrick who took the time to smile for his camera-crazy aunt...

but try as I may, Nathan never stopped long enough for me to get a still photo of him!

Our 4th of July family gathering would never be complete without lots of fabulous food (another reason I love this holiday!). This year we had the Chicken Souvlaki and vegetables that I did a post on yesterday. Plus, we had some amazing risotto, compliments of my Italian brother-in-law (John -I am still waiting for the recipe!), a Greek salad, my Mom's 5-Bean salad (the best ever!) and a pasta salad.

And of course, our meal has to include yummy desserts.

I made up a red, white and blue trifle that was delicious. I took my Summer Trifle recipe and used blueberry jello in place of the other jellos, and strawberries and blueberries in place of the mandarin oranges. It looked very festive and tasted delicious!

We then celebrated two birthdays, Patrick's and Spencer's,

and ended our day with lots and lots of sparklers, thanks to my brother David (who is a true kid at heart). It was a wonderful day filled with family, food and fun!

Here is the recipe for my Mom's 5-bean salad. You have to give it a try - it is seriously the best!

Mom's 5-Bean Salad

1 can French cut green beans
1 can cut green beans
1 can cut yellow beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can chick peas
1 green pepper, diced
1 medium onion, diced

Drain beans. Rinse chick peas and kidney beans. Combine all of the above.

Mix together:
1/2-cup white vinegar
3/4-cup sugar
1/2-cup vegetable oil

Pour over beans and stir gently. Add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!