Say what you will, no one sings it like Whitney:

While the writers of the b5media Lifestyles Channel may be scattered about globally, one thing we all have in common is a celebration of fireworks.  Whether it’s the U.S. and our Fourth of July – or a very different kind of holiday in Perth – we all know the unique smell that penetrates the air and the sense of freedom the mere sound of them instill.  There is truly something so divine about a celebration of fireworks – they do create some of the most treasured memories.
Chloe of Tangled Thread shares a few festive fireworks and needlework …read more

July 4th is approaching and bloggers all over b5media are talking about what to see, wear, taste, and do on July 4th. Here’s just a sampling:
Marye at “Baking Delights” shares a variety of recipes for deviled eggs. Yum!
Linette at “Mother Earth’s Garden” talks about corn being “knee high by the fourth of July.” Is yours?
At “Busy Family Meals,” Cyndi shares her recipe for Cajun-Style Spiced Pork Chops, a good idea for the 4th
“The London Traveler” talks about July 4th at the British Museum.
Linette talks about July 4th party decorations at “She Knows Parties.
(photo © Newscom)

Every midwest mom has a different variation of this patriotic dessert. I like the one pictured, using chocolate cake and white icing. The constant in all of the recipes is that a flag is created on the top of the cake using blueberries for the stars and strawberries for the stripes. For some other Flag Cake ideas, see:

Breyer’s Ice Cream Flag Cake
Flag Cake with whipped cream from Cooks.com
The Barefoot Contessa’s Flag Cake from the Food Network
Flag Cake with Jello and marshmellows from Glenda’s Attic Blog
(photo © Newscom)

It’s time to start planning for that Fourth of July cook-out. MonkeySee gives a few hints about grilling hot dogs. Think you know all about grilling ‘dogs? I did too, but grillmaster, Mike Hedrick’s suggestion of scoring the hot dogs for maximum flavor is a good one. Check it out: