Red, white & chew

In a small bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl with mixer on medium speed, beat butter, brown sugar, and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Add flour mixture (beating slowly at first) until just combined. With a spatula, fold in chocolate chips.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 10-inch round springform pan; evenly press dough to the edges. Sprinkle with M&Ms, lightly pressing them into dough. Bake 18 to 20 minutes, until golden brown. Cool to room temperature on a rack. Meanwhile, make the frosting: Beat butter until fluffy, then mix in powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Add a bit of milk or cream for ease of piping.

Run a butter knife along the inside edge of the springform pan to loosen. Unlock springform and remove the side of the pan. Pipe frosting around the edges. Place cookie in an airtight container in the fridge. Chilled cookie should be easy to remove from springform base. Slice into wedges to serve.

Rinse and pat dry the blueberries, strawberries, and cherry tomatoes. Fill a square or rectangular dish with blueberries and place in the top left corner of a large rectangular platter. With mini cookie cutter stencils and paring knife, cut some provolone into star shapes and place on top of the blueberries. On the board next to the blueberry dish, arrange alternating rows (stripes) of red foods (cured meats, cherry tomatoes, strawberries) and white foods (cheese and crackers) until the board is full.

Place chickpeas in a large food processor along with half of the roasted red peppers. Finely dice remaining peppers and set aside. Hold onto any remaining liquid in the jar. Add tahini, vinegar, garlic, and cumin to food processor. Process ingredients together, slowly drizzling in the liquid from the jar of red peppers until hummus is smooth and creamy. Adjust to taste with salt or vinegar. Transfer hummus to a serving bowl, sprinkle with paprika, and cover with finely diced red peppers. Serve with blue and white tortilla chips.

In a medium heat-safe bowl or large measuring cup, add 1 envelope of unflavored gelatin and ¼ cup cold water. Stir to moisten, let soak for 3 minutes, then add the blue Jell-O powder and immediately pour in 2½ cups boiling water. Stir until completely dissolved, then cool to room temperature. Coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray and place flat/level in the fridge. Stir Jell-O mixture once more, scraping bottom, then pour it into the dish.

In a medium heat-safe bowl or large measuring cup, add 2 envelopes of unflavored gelatin and ½ cup cold water, stirring to moisten. Let soak 5 minutes, then stir in 1 cup boiling water until fully dissolved. In a separate bowl, mix condensed milk with 1 cup boiling water, then mix into unflavored gelatin. Stir to combine, then cool to room temperature, stirring once more. When the blue layer is set, stir the milk mixture once more and pour it on top of the blue layer.

In a medium heat-safe bowl or large measuring cup, add 1 envelope of unflavored gelatin and ¼ cup cold water. Stir to moisten; let soak for 3 minutes. Add the red Jell-O powder and immediately pour in 2½ cups boiling water. Stir until completely dissolved, then cool to room temperature. When the milk layer is set, stir the red mixture once more, then pour it over the top of the white layer. Chill 4 hours until fully set. With a long, thin knife, slice into squares (5 cuts on 13-inch side, 3 cuts on 9-inch side for 24 pieces) and arrange on a serving platter.