I love having fun with food. My husband and I were having a conversation the other night about the fun foods I try to make for holidays, and I was mentioning how my mom used to do so many cheesy and fun foods to celebrate things like April Fool’s and St. Patrick’s Day. Why have a typical boring day when you can spice things up a little with some food? Life is too short to not have a little fun in the kitchen!

With that said, who said President’s Day should be any exception? It’s coming up soon, and you don’t have to be super creative or gourmet to find some fun ways to make food a part of the celebration!

*Think Red White and Blue. When in doubt- think of the flag! It’s so easy to incorporate red, white and blue in your food! Serve red velvet pancakes with blueberries and whipped cream, a berry salad with raspberries, blueberries and strawberries, blue tortilla chips with white queso and salsa- there are no rules ;). If it’s red, white and blue, it’s automatically patriotic!

*Serve the President’s favorite food. This would be such a fun way to make the day educational as well! Maybe you have a favorite president you want to focus on, or maybe you want to incorporate a little of all of them! Whatever you decide, research some of the foods that were served in that particular era, as well as any specific foods that were a favorite to any particular president. Just a few ideas to get you started: George Washington loved fish, nuts and cherries. Andrew Jackson loved fresh milk so much he kept a cow at the white house so he’d always have some! Abraham Lincoln loved apples, and his wife often hosted “Strawberry Parties”. John F. Kennedy had soup for lunch everyday- and chowder was a particular favorite. Ronald Reagan was a huge fan of jellybeans- in fact the Jelly Belly factory in California has a huge portrait of Ronald Reagan completely made of jelly beans!

*Shoot for the stars! If you’re not feeling the red, white and blue, stars is a sure way to go! Cheese slices, cucumber slices, mini peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, quesadillas- many foods could be included in your menu if you have a star-shaped cookie cutter! (Especially great for picky eaters!)

*Think American! You can also just serve food to celebrate America all-around! Serve fondue in honor of the great American melting pot we live in. Wings could represent the left and/or right wings. Serve onion rings, bagel slices, donuts or any “ringed” food in pairs of 3 for the 3 rings of government. Chicago pizza, New England Clam Chowder, California burritos- if you have a favorite “regional” food go for it! Celebrate America! Even if it’s just a hot dog ;).

I love any excuse to party, especially when it comes to celebrating America! What ideas do you have to incorporate some fun into this holiday? Tell us below!