The Fourth of July is one of those holidays that I hold close to my heart. It may not have the magic of Christmas or the table spread of Thanksgiving, but it has its own charm. Laughter, love, hot plates of grilled food, the boom of a good firecracker, and the glow of a flickering bonfire—these are things that define the holiday for me. During the long days of summer, taking a break, even for a day, to start up the grill or enjoy the warm sun with friends and family feels like a blessing.

This year I can't wait to lay beneath the stars and watch the fireworks explode brilliantly above.

For celebrations and get-togethers, I like to challenge myself to come up with a new dessert to serve my loved ones. In the case of the Fourth of July, when potlucks and picnics are plentiful, the dessert should be portable and require no special dishes so they can be quickly snatched from the table and enjoyed on the run. While I debated between popsicles and pies, ultimately the decision made itself when I spied the red and blue berries at the market.

Though these do need to be kept chilled, these festive no-bake cheesecakes fit the holiday just right. The cheesecakes can be whipped up in less than an hour, making them an easy dessert to prepare (and an even easier dessert to devour).

A note to those of you who subscribe through Google Reader: I know this is not the first time you've heard this (nor will it be the last), but Google Reader is shutting down on July 1st. I would hate for the 5,000 of you that subscribe to Pastry Affair through Google Reader to lose touch! Fortunately, there are several great alternatives you can use to resubscribe:

• Bloglovin'
• Feedly (they make it very easy to transfer all of your subscriptions from Google Reader)
• The Old Reader (it has a nearly identical layout to Google Reader, which can make for an easy transition)
• Email (click on the link, type in your email address, confirm, and you're done!)
• Or, if you already have a new RSS reader picked out, you can resubscribe by finding your reader on Pastry Affair's RSS page or manually adding a subscription to your reader by typing in /.

And remember, you can always catch up with Pastry Affair through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest.

Berry No-Bake Cheesecake Tarts are a fantastic way to celebrate summer. A soft sugar cookie crust is filled with a heaping helping of vanilla cheesecake filling. The filling is whipped, which gives the tarts a light quality. Topped with fresh raspberries and blueberries, the tarts play between sweet and tart, never swaying too far in one direction. These tarts make for a lovely end to a vibrant summer meal.