It was a great day full of swimming kids and chatting adults .
What stood out most, however, was the food.
I made a few items and my guests brought the rest.
(They are welcome back anytime.)
I decided to make fresh lemonade for the occasion. (Any excuse to use my new drink dispenser.) I wanted to add a label (for no other reason than because I like to label things) so I took this little chalkboard (from Michael's, maybe?) and attached it to the cork lid with a thumbtack.
Which went nicely with the chocolate-stuffed strawberries that I made. (Also Pinterest-inspired.)
 |
| Scoop out the center of the strawberry, fill with melted chocolate (I used a Hershey's Symphony Bar) and refrigerate. |
And if you're going to have strawberries filled with chocolate, you should also have chocolate filled with strawberries. Thanks to my friend Joanne for keeping things balanced ;)
In case we were feeling chocolate-deprived, Joanne also threw in some brownies for good measure. (I'd like to note that there were *none* of these left over after the party. And that made me a little sad.)
Gina brought along an award-winning cherry cheesecake. Seriously, it's won awards. Just ask her Aunt Butchie. And my seven-year-old daughter. (Who might have eaten it for breakfast this morning.)
And my friend Sabine (aka The Tech Foodie) whipped this up. (And by "whipped" I mean anything but. It took her four hours to make.) It's a rice pudding, and while it might not be the most photogenic dessert (although I actually find it quite beautiful), it is insanely delicious. She's not currently giving out the recipe (but maybe if I start an internet campaign she'll change her mind).
My only regret is that I didn't capture Adrianna's beautiful Rainbow Pasta Salad or my Watermelon Feta Salad. (Which met with mixed reviews. Apparently some people don't want Feta in their watermelon. Go figure. ;)
One of the perks of being the hostess is that I will be living off of these leftovers for the rest of the weekend.
Which means I might need to host another pool party come Monday ;)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The joys of summer. Good food and good friends. You have my mouth watering.
ReplyDeleteOh my! That all looks so delicious and I'm intrigued by the rice pudding dish. At first I was thinking those were all really pretty healthy pool party dishes! But then came the chocolate and yummy desserts! Now I'm thinking yummmm and did you need any help with those left overs!
ReplyDeleteAs delicious and healthy as those veggie cups look .. Id be reaching for the chocolate covered strawberrys too :) Makes it so much easier when friends bring some food to share, looks like lots more pool parties to come this summer for you :)
ReplyDeleteYum! I especially like the chocolate-stuffed berries and hummus and veggie cups. I will have to remember those for my next gathering. I found your sweet blog from Couponing & Cooking's hop, now following :)
ReplyDeleteJessica
http://jessica-healthymommyhealthybaby.blogspot.com/
I'm seeing a weekend filled with some serious sugar highs! And then you'll wake up the next morning with a serious sugar hang over ...
ReplyDelete:)
Linda
I am inviting you to come and be part of my blog hop:
ReplyDeletehttp://juliejewels1.blogspot.com/2012/06/show-your-stuff-30-redid-no-fail.html
Just pinned you :)
ReplyDeleteXO
I need an invite to your next party...that looks great!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great way to use those strawberries with big holes in the middle. Everything look great. When does the party start?
ReplyDeleteI am pinning several things and I am a new follower.
Blessings, Ginger
Woo Hoo, I number 100. Ginger:)
ReplyDelete