How the EI staff plans to celebrate the 4th of July this year

Celebrating America’s Independence

By / Photography By | July 01, 2017
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beet salad

Need a great red, white and blue dish to take to a neighbor’s 4th of July party? Or maybe a new suggestion for where to watch fireworks this year? Here’s how EI’s Editorial Intern Brogan Dearinger, Photojournalist Intern Sarah Longenecker,  Digital Content Manager and Editor Rachel Russell, Publisher Jennifer Rubenstein, and myself (Managing Editor Shauna Nosler) plan to spend the holiday. And if you have a favorite red, white and blue dish or place to watch fireworks, let us know—tag us @edibleindy and #edibleindy on social media. We’d love to hear from you.

Favorite red, white and blue dish?

BD: This is such a simple thing, but I can't get enough of homegrown tomatoes with feta. I thickly slice the tomato, cover it in crumbled feta, then drizzle it with olive oil and add salt and pepper. 

SL: Definitely parfaits. My mom's concoction is my favorite. She layers Greek yogurt with fresh strawberries, blueberries, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and coconut, and then tops it with a drizzle of honey. 

RR: I love Tyler Florence’s Lemon Curd Trifle with Fresh Berries. It’s got strawberries, blueberries, and whipped cream, so it’s layered to look patriotic and fits the summery taste bill. I’ve made this for years—my version has some modifications, of course—and it’s always a hit.

JR: I am a sucker for beet salad with blue cheese. (Pictured above.)

SN: I don’t really have one … but I’m planning on trying the beet salad (and I usually don’t even like beets).

Favorite thing about the 4th of July?

BD: Fireworks, by far!

SL: Having an excuse to wear sparkles and being in big crowds—4th of July festivals … parades … firework shows are great places for people watching.

RR: Fireworks!

JR: We head to Brownsburg with our two young girls so they can experience a small-town parade. They dress up in red, white and blue, have their flags and of course love grabbing up the candy that’s thrown at them! This year however we will have to miss out as we will be celebrating the 4th on an Alaskan cruise—a once in a lifetime event for our family! 

SN: Watching the various coverage come in from around the globe of our men and women in uniform … seeing them celebrating our freedom and our country from so far away always gets me—especially when the photos and video are set to Lee Greenwood’s Proud to Be an American. To say I’m patriotic would be an understatement : )

Favorite place (drivable) to watch fireworks?

BD: My front yard. We always buy a ton (figuratively, not literally) of fireworks and set them off in the driveway. We have a big front yard (a couple acres) and a long driveway, so it's safe. 

SL: I've never watched a public firework show in Indiana, but my brother-in-law worked at a firework stand here in college and it was always fun to set off the fireworks he brought home in the back yard. Especially because the regulations are much more lenient here in Indiana than they are in Pennsylvania where I'm from ; )

RR: We usually have our own at my parents’ lake place up north.

JR: In our yard—we invite the neighbors over and do a kid- friendly fireworks show! 

SN: Anywhere over Lake Michigan … LOVE Chicago’s show … this year we’ll go to Westfield’s fireworks at Grand Park.