Hi friends! I’m hoping everyone’s Fourth of July weekend was absolutely enjoyable. I know mine was! I spent mine with friends and family and went to the Boston Pops and Fireworks Spectacular, as well as a Boston Red Sox game! I also did a bit of baking, with a patriotic theme to it.

First off, I made a “red, white, and blue parfait” for a dessert when our friends came for dinner. Here’s how it works:

Ingredients:

• 1 box instant vanilla pudding (I used the box that makes 6, 1/2 cup servings)
• 1 quart strawberries, cut up
• 1 pint blueberries
• Whipped cream (optional)

Put a layer of chopped strawberries in the bottom of a parfait cup (or in my case, a plastic Chinet tumbler!). Put a dollop of pudding over that, and then a layer of blueberries on the pudding. Put a last layer of pudding over the blueberries, and then add a few chopped strawberries for garnish. Top with whipped cream right before serving.

My other creation was inspired by the All-American summer food: hamburgers! It’s a super simple sweet take on the best cookout food around.

Ingredients:

• Reduced-fat Nilla wafers
• York Peppermint Patties

All you do is take two Nilla wafers, and put a Peppermint Patty between the cookies to make a cookie sandwich. The resemblance to a burger is uncanny.

Confession: I tried making these little sandwiches with bacon on top, just to see if bacon really goes with anything. Let me tell you, it doesn’t. My adventurous boyfriend and I gave it a try, and while it didn’t really gross us out, you couldn’t even taste the bacon, and it gave the sandwiches a weird flavor.

Here we are trying it with bacon:

I guess it turns out bacon doesn’t quite go with everything. It just goes with everything but these little burgers!

These sweet treats are so easy and yummy! Definitely give them a try, because they’re so simple that they only take about a minute each to make.

And for your viewing pleasure, here are some pictures of the Boston fireworks:

I hope you all enjoyed your Fourth as much as I did, and I hope you continue to enjoy your summers! Just remember, it doesn’t need to be a holiday weekend for you to spend time with friends and family. Make it as often as possible!