Sweet smell of celebration: Spicing up your Flag Day spread

By Tory Altman, NMAH
Red, white, and blue food (puddings, candies, lollipops) displayed on a table

A friend of mine is getting married this year on June 14. When she told me, I got really excited. "You're getting married on Flag Day?! That's brilliant!" Unfortunately for my high spirits, all I got in return was a quizzical look. "Flag Day? Uh…my colors are pink and yellow…" My heart fell. In the average American's yearly calendar, Flag Day has often been overshadowed by the Fourth of July; easy to understand since one holiday seems to come ready-made with fantastic fireworks displays and the other does not.

But Flag Day is meant to celebrate many of the same ideals that lie at the center of the Fourth of July, just as our American Flag has come to embody many of those values. So as our museum's celebration of Flag Day nears, we gave some thought to a few ways we can all jazz up our future Flag Days in all the years to come. Today I'm sharing starry sweets, but I've also blogged about savory snacks for Flag Day.

The museum's Chef William Bednar prepared these treats, which survived briefly before being devoured
The museum's Chef William Bednar prepared these treats, which survived briefly before being devoured

Star-Spangled Cupcakes:
No matter what kind of cupcakes you like best, it's easy to turn them into a patriotic centerpiece with a little creative frosting. Lay your un-frosted cupcakes out on a cookie sheet or other rectangular serving piece and get ready to frost.

Divide your frosting into three bowls. Using food coloring, dye one bowl red, another blue, and leave the last one white. This may require a lot of food coloring so make sure to stock up! Next, transfer your frosting into three different sealable sandwich bags, one for each color of frosting. Cut off one bottom corner of your blue frosting bag. Squeeze the bag over the few cupcakes in the top left corner of your rectangle and frost them all blue! Next, cut a bottom corner off both your red and white bags and frost out stripes on the rest of your cupcakes. Use any leftover white frosting to frost stars onto your blue field.

Rocket Pudding:

Rocket Pudding is especially popular with the kiddos
Rocket Pudding is especially popular with the kiddos

Prepare three cups of vanilla pudding (or coconut, or pineapple, or any flavor that produces white pudding) in three individual bowls. Use red food coloring to dye one bowl red and use blue food coloring to dye another bowl. Use four glass cups or bowls to layer your pudding. First, divide the red pudding into the bottom of each cup, next the white pudding, and then the blue!

Patriot Parfait:

Simple recipe, fancy glass
Simple recipe, fancy glass

Looking for a quick dessert? Buy a pound cake and some red and blue fruit—strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries. Mix up about two cups of vanilla pudding. Cut the pound cake into cubes and layer it into five cups or bowls, alternating layers with pudding. Sprinkle your berries over each parfait and top with a tower of whipped cream!

Flag Layer Cake:
Use your favorite cake recipe or boxed mix to prepare your cake batter (this cake will probably take two boxed mixes). Select a lightly colored cake, such as vanilla. Divide your batter into three parts. Using red and blue food dye, dye one bowl red and another blue and leave the last plain. Pour your cake batter into three different round cake pans and bake according to your directions.

Once the cakes are cool, layer them on top of each other with white frosting in between each layer, or cut the cakes in half hamburger-bun style and layer them in alternating colors with white frosting in between. Once the layer cake is constructed, frost the whole thing with white frosting. Decorate with red and blue sprinkles, fruit, or little flags!

Starry Sugar Cookies:

They won't last long on your Flag Day spread!
They won't last long on your Flag Day spread!

Use your favorite sugar cookie recipe or boxed mix. Prepare your dough according to your directions, but use a star-shaped cookie cutter to cut out your cookies. Bake according to your directions as well. Use red, blue, and white frosting to frost your cookies once they are cool and consider using patriotic sprinkles to jazz them up!

Make sure to take a break in noshing at 2:30 PM EDT to tune in to the concert here at the museum. We're singing the anthem at 4 PM sharp and hope you join us

Victoria "Tory" Altman is an Education Specialist in the Office of Education Outreach. She has also blogged about fun and delicious starry, savory snacks for Flag Day and seven Star-Spangled Banner facts that might surprise you.