My family has a long history of serving our country and as such, I feel a special connection whenever we celebrate patriotic holidays such as the 4th of July! In honor of those who have sacrificed so much, we threw a fun Patriotic Brunch the other day and I am so excited to share my yummy recipes for Coffee-Mate French Vanilla Cinnamon Rolls, Patriotic Yogurt Parfaits and Strawberry Vanilla Smoothies! Plus I am sharing a few fun decorating ideas and even a free patriotic bingo printable too!
Our family has a rich history of serving the country and I am so proud of all those who have served! I have ancestors who fought during the Revolutionary War, relatives who served in World War I, and family that fought on BOTH sides during the Civil War!
I have grandfathers who served in both the Navy and the Army during World War II. One grandfather was even part of General Patton's army that marched across France!
I have an uncle who served in the navy and an uncle who served in the air force, both during the Vietnam War. And my dad was an officer in the Air Force during the Vietnam War too!
We are blessed as a country to have so many people in the past and present who are willing to serve to honor and protect our country and I am so very grateful for it!
This 4th of July we are paying tribute to our family, friends and others who have served our country and we decided to host a fun Patriotic Brunch to celebrate!
We had some good friends over and the kids and adults had a lot of fun playing and eating!
We ate and ate and ate! And I am thrilled to be able to share a few of my favorite recipes with you today that are perfect for any Patriotic Brunch!
Even though we don't drink coffee, I have found so many amazing uses for creamer recently! To create these recipes and to prepare for my brunch, I headed to WalMart to grab a large bottle of Coffee-Mate French Vanilla Creamer in their special patriotic edition!
Nestle Coffee-Mate is a partner with Operation Homefront and they help support military families in many ways. And their special edition bottles are available at WalMart from Memorial Day until Independence Day while supplies last.
I also grabbed the cutest patriotic decorations while I was at WalMart too! Nearly everything I decorated with was from there - even the super cute printed burlap!!
Here are a few of my favorite recipes that we ate at the brunch:
French Vanilla Cinnamon Rolls
You can begin with your favorite Cinnamon Roll base for this recipe! The trick is really in the icing! To create an especially rich and delicious icing, here is what you will need!
French Vanilla Cinnamon Roll Icing
Ingredients:
- 1 stick softened butter
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- Nestle Coffee-Mate French Vanilla Creamer, to consistency
- Red, white and blue sprinkles (optional)
Directions:
Whip the butter in a stand mixer until smooth and creamy. Add sifted powdered sugar to the butter and whip until combined. Add creamer until the correct consistency is reached and whip until the icing is nice and fluffy!
Spread icing on cinnamon rolls while the rolls are slightly hot and then top with sprinkles if desired.
Patriotic Yogurt Parfaits
Ingredients
- Vanilla yogurt
- Granola
- Blueberries
- Strawberries, sliced
Strawberry Vanilla Smoothie
Ingredients:
- 1 cup Nestle Coffee-Mate French Vanilla Creamer
- 1 container of strawberries, hulled
- ¼ cup sugar, to taste
- Ice cubes
Directions
Combine the creamer and strawberries in a blender until smooth. Add approximately ¼ cup sugar and blend until desired sweetness is achieved. Add ice cubes to the blender 1-2 at a time until desired thickness is reached.
The key to make this smoothie a truly rich, delicious vanilla strawberry treat is to skip the milk and use french vanilla creamer instead! It makes the smoothie incredibly creamy and rich and the vanilla flavor compliments the strawberries so perfectly! Yum!
I am always amazed at the delicious flavor that Nestle's French Vanilla creamer adds to nearly any recipe! I substitute it often in my baking for a rich and delicious flavor!
And if you have lots of little ones attending a 4th of July party like we did, be sure to go HERE to grab a copy of my free Patriotic BINGO printable as well!
I'd love to send all of my love and well wishes out to those that have served or currently serve in any branch of our military! As our family celebrates Independence Day this year we will be thinking of you and your families!
Happy 4th of July!
You Might Also Like:
Patriotic Pedestal Candy Dish
Star and Chevron Stripe Patriotic Sign
Patriotic Chocolate Bark
TheKimSix Fix
Those look AMAZING! I am a coffee-mate addict so I will definitely have to give this a try!
Ashley Phipps
Thank you so much! And thanks for stopping by!
reFresh reStyle
Those recipes are awesome! I can't wait to try some! I know you are proud of your family! Several of my family members have served and currently I have a nephew in the Marines!<br />Debbie
Ashley Phipps
Oh thank you so much Debbie! I am so grateful for wonderful people who serve like your nephew! All my thoughts and prayers are with him and your whole family.
Samantha
How fun! I love the brunch idea and all the patriotic recipes, perfect for July 4th! #client