4th of July Party Ideas

This is the easiest red sangria you can make because it contains just five ingredients and comes together right in the pitcher. Sangria, especially red sangria, is one of our favorite pitcher drinks because it's colorful, festive and comes together incredibly fast. Although Spaniards and Portuguese have been drinking sangria for centuries, the brandy-spiked drink didn't make an official appearance in the United States until 1964, at the World's Fair in New York City.

The Fourth-of-July tomato plant produces smallish fruit (about 3 inches) with a nice tartness--perfect for salsa. And, yes, they really do ripen early: in time for Independence Day. That holiday is also a good time to have incendiary firecracker chiles, which are ornamental as well as delicious and grow well in pots.

Celebrate the Fourth of July with this fun and festive creamy fruit salad.

This quick and easy margarita recipe is made with muddled blueberries and bitters.

This simple, deliciously moist cake from baker and cookbook author Kamran Siddiqi is the perfect all-purpose cake that can be adorned in almost any way.

Chef Jeremy Nolen updates German classics at Brauhaus Schmitz in Philadelphia, including this intense mustard for sausages.

This smoky, salty guacamole is a great game-day dip--but you might want to double it if you're having friends over. Anything with bacon tends to disappear quickly.