Food on the Fourth can run the gamut, and don’t forget dessert! Here are four festive — and tasty! — options.

American Flag Cake

Ingredients:
4 cups fresh strawberries, divided
1-1/2 cups boiling water
2 packages any red flavored gelatin
Ice cubes
1 cup cold water
1 package prepared pound cake, cut into 10 slices
1-1/3 cups blueberries, divided
1 tub Cool Whip

Directions:
Slice i cup strawberries. Cut remaining berries in half lengthwise.

Add gelatin mixes in a large bow. Stir until completely dissolved. Add enough ice to cold water to measure 2 cups. Add to gelatin and stir until ice is melted. Refrigerate until slightly thickened.

Add sliced strawberries and 1 cup blueberries to gelatin and gently stir.

Cover 13×9 with cake slices, then spoon gelatin/fruit mixture over cake. Refrigerate until firm.

Spread Cool Whip over cake. Use remaining strawberries to create flag stripes and the rest of the blueberries for the stars.

 

Red, White & Blue Cheesecake

Ingredients:
8 sheets phyllo dough
1/4 cup melted
2 (8 ounce) packs cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup strawberry jam
1 cup whipped cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425.

Brush and layer all eight sheets of phyllo. Using kitchen scissors, cut layered dough into a 12-inch circle. Press into a greased 9-inch pie pan and gently fan edges. Bake until edges are just golden. Cool slightly on wire rack. Reduce oven temperature to 350.

Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer until fluffy. Beat in eggs until well combined. Fold in 1 cup of blueberries. Pour filling into crust. Bake until set, about 45 minutes. To prevent crust from over browning, cover pie with foil during the last 20 minutes of baking. Cool completely.

Beat jam until smooth, spread over cheese filling. Arrange 1 cup of blueberries in a star pattern on top of the jam.

 

Watermelon Popsicles

Ingredients:
6 cups cubed watermelon (seeds and rind removed)
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon freshly grated lime zest

Directions:
Blend watermelon in a blender until liquefied. Stir in lime juice and zest. Pour mixture through a sieve into a bowl, then spoon juice into popsicle molds with sticks inserted and freeze.

Gelatin Firecrackers

Ingredients:
1-1/3 cups boiling water, divided
1 package berry blue gelatin
1 package cherry gelatin
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1 cup milk, divided
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
20 maraschino cherries with stems, well drained and patted dry

Directions:
Add 2/3 cup boiling water to berry gelatin; stir until completely dissolved. Repeat with cherry. Let cool.

Sprinkle unflavored gelatin over 1/4 cup milk in a medium bowl and let stand 5 minutes. Bring remaining milk to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in sugar and vanilla. Add to plain gelatin mixture and stir until gelatin is completely dissolved. Cool for 10 minutes.

Lightly spray 20 (1 ounce) plastic shot glasses with cooking spray. Add 2 teaspoons berry gelatin to each cup. Refrigerate 15 minutes.

Add 2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin mixture. Refrigerate 10 minutes. Insert cherry, stem end up, into white layer. Refrigerate two minutes.

Cover with 2 teaspoons cherry gelatin and refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm. Remove from cups before serving.