Fireworks and Celebrations on Independence Day

Independence Day is one of my most favorite celebrations. Family, fireworks, and good food make for a memorable day. Since I have small children, I refrain from buying fireworks. Instead, we attend one of the many firework celebrations in the Ozarks. My favorite fireworks display is held at McCauley Park in Nixa, Missouri. There's plenty of parking, lots of open space for lawn chairs and blankets, and an absolutely brilliant show of sparkling lights. It's never too crowded and the kids can play at the playground while we wait for the show to begin.

No 4th of July party would be complete without a backyard feast. We fire up the Brinkman and grill all kinds of yummy delights. Aside from the standard fare (hamburgers & hotdogs), we make Hawaiian Pork Shish-kabobs with 1" cubes of pork, pineapple chunks, red bell pepper chunks, and slivers of onion. I marinate these in brown sugar and an equal mix of pineapple and orange juices for about two hours in the refrigerator before placing them on the grill. I always have ice cream and marshmallows on hand for the little ones. My favorite Independence Day dessert is strawberry angel food cake. I take one store bought angel food cake, inject it with juice from fresh strawberries mixed with a little sugar, then mix sliced strawberries with a large tub of dairy topping and frost the whole cake with the creamy mixture. It's always popular and so delicious.