10 Things You Should Bring To Your Fourth Of July Party That Aren’t Fireworks Or Beer

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The Fourth of July means fun, fireworks, booze, barbecues, and usually, lots of food. Unless you are a complete asshole, this means you need to bring something to the parties you’ve been invited to, because our mothers taught us we can never EVER show up empty handed.

Remember, you’re supposed to be an adult now, so store-bought crap isn’t going to cut it. But neither is slaving away in the kitchen for hours. Unless you can convince your mama do to your cooking for you, we have some easy options for you that are tried and true for us. And always remember to bring your own booze.

Guacamole And Salsa

Chips and salsa are a party staple, but how about taking it a step further by making your own salsa and then upping the game by making your own guacamole, too? There’s something sort of hot about someone who can make his or her own guacamole. Plus, everyone should just know how to make killer guac.

Kielbasa

This is one that we never eat anywhere but at a barbecue–but when we have it, we love it. You need a crockpot for this one. If you don’t have one, we’re sure your grandma does.

Pasta Salad

If you can boil water, you can make pasta salad. If you can’t boil water, you’ve got bigger problems than what to bring to a barbecue, my friend.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

A fancy dessert that’s actually super easy to make, you can instantly class up any event when you have these on hand. If you want to be super festive, go with white chocolate and then dip the strawberries in blue sugar crystals for a red, white, and blue theme, because nothing says “America” like taking something that’s ordinarily healthy and making it give you diabetes.

Grilled Pineapple Or Watermelon

You literally just need to cut it up and put it on the grill. That’s it.

Red, White, And Blue Skewers

Cooking ain’t your thing? Okay, we get that. Luckily, we’re pretty sure most anyone is capable of cutting up blueberries, strawberries, and bananas (or marshmallows, if you prefer), sticking them on a skewer, and arranging them in a flag shape–you can use the American flag tank you are wearing to the party for reference.

Caprese Bites

This is another no-cook option with some assembly required. Grab your toothpicks, the ingredients, and put one of everything together. “But it’s ITALIAN,” you might say. It has cheese in it. WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?

Red, White, And Blue Kettle Corn

Okay, so maybe cooking and assembling aren’t your thing. But you can make popcorn, right? RIGHT? Throw some food coloring on it and call it a day.

Sangria

Nothing makes a party better than good sangria. We prefer red, but there are plenty of white or pink options out there, too.

Red, White, And Blue Shots

One of us was a bartender in a former life who used to spend hours making (and drinking) these on the Fourth of July, so we know firsthand that they are delicious and will get your buzz off to a good start.

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Jenna Crowley

Jenna used to be known as 2NOTBrokeGirls, but then one of the girls actually went broke, so she's struck out on her own. Jenna spends her free time saving the world, one sorority girl at a time (usually while wearing yoga pants), questioning why she decided to get a doctorate, documenting her love of all things cheese related, and hosting the new PGP podcast Don't Take It From Us. You can ask her anything you want about football, using your boobs to get what you want, and pizza at @JennaLCrowley on Twitter or via email at JennaLCrowley@gmail.com.

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