Stars and Stripes special dinner

This year, on Independence Day my family is celebrating by being independent -- we're going our separate ways for about a week.  I'll get to spend the rest of the week alone, doing math. How's that for Independence Day?

Here's how I made dinner for the Third of July (since we won't get to dine together tonight). I began by cutting a star at the end of a carrot . . . 

. . . thusly.

 I used this end to continue the cuts all the way down the carrots.

Then I chopped the carrots into slices to make these carrot shaped stars, for our Stars-and-Stripes Casserole (rice and bacon played huge supporting roles, too).

 The leftover carrot pieces were, um, fireworks?

For dessert, there was a Flag-themed cheese cake with fresh-picked cherries, plus blueberries gifted to us by a neighbor.

We decorated the table with this Tank Piñata, made for my husband by one of his co-workers, in celebration of his retirement.  (Another kind of independence celebration, right there!)

Although I prefer social InTERdependence as a philosophy, I'm looking forward to a week mostly to myself. I wish everyone a happy Fourth of July!