Fancy 4th of July

Since I've yet to make 4th of July plans, I figured I'd aggregate a few of my favorite Independence Day tablescapes, recipes and settings right here, right now, for your viewing pleasure.

To begin, I love any dessert that involves fruit.  I think it's my way of convincing myself that it's okay to be indulgent because the dessert is healthy since it contains fruit. Am I right or am I right people? Try this Red, White and Blue Berry Trifle courtesy of Martha Stewart.

Modern Americana meets rustic on this Barcelona-inspired tabletop from Camille Styles. P.S. Camille Styles does no wrong. Add her to your RSS feed, now.

There's no excuse like celebrating your country's freedom to indulge in the most American of all desserts - the s'more. Take a cue from 'Can you stay for dinner?' and spice up this childhood favorite by  turning it into a S'Mores Brownie.

And really, you can't let July 4th pass without 2 or 20 ribs.  Who better to turn to than the Neelys (or anyone on Food Network for that matter) for a barbecue ribs recipe?

Top it all off with a fireworks show, a failproof plan for groups of all ages.

Although I don't have plans for this year buttoned down quite yet, I'm sure it will resemble last year's celebration.  We stuck to the 3 B's: beer, brisket and beer pong - a true Texas shindig.

P.S. July 4th is Ross' favorite all-time holiday.  I'm sad we won't be spending it together since he's in Destin. Have I mentioned we're moving there? Oh, whoops :) More on that later...

Cheers!