Fresh Strawberry Garden Party Recipes


If you're having a summer garden party, it should be enjoyable for more than just your guests; it should be fun for you too. One way to ensure that is to reduce the time you have to spend in the kitchen. These strawberry recipes will help you do that, by incorporating easy-to-find fresh produce and common store-bought ingredients. They're a perfect accompaniment to grilled chicken, salmon or even hamburgers.
Or if you want to make things even easier, you can pick up some rotisserie chickens from the grocery store. You'll spend less time in the kitchen, while still impressing your guests with your good taste and summer-party-throwing flair!


The three fresh strawberry recipes below will never go out of fashion, so you'll want to keep them in your recipe box for all your summer garden parties to come:
  • Strawberry Spinach Salad
  • Strawberry Lemonade
  • Strawberry Trifle

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Serves 4


Ingredients
  • 1/2 pound baby spinach
  • 1 cup strawberries, thinly sliced
  • 1/3 cup sliced almonds, lightly toasted
  • 2 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
  • Store-bought raspberry vinaigrette
Directions

1. Wash the spinach and strawberries well. Dry the spinach in a salad spinner and the strawberries by hand with paper towels. Make sure to dry them thoroughly, so water won't dilute the dressing.
2. Combine the spinach, strawberries, almonds and goat cheese in a large salad bowl.
3. Toss with dressing and serve immediately.



Old Fashioned Strawberry Lemonade

Serves 4

Ingredients 
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 5 fresh lemons
  • 8 large strawberries, washed with stems removed
  • Ice
Directions
 
1. Combine water and sugar in small saucepan and stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Take off heat and let cool.
2. While the water and sugar mixture is cooling, squeeze the lemons and set the juice aside.
3. Place strawberries in a fine-meshed sieve over a small bowl. Using the back of a spoon, mash the strawberries through the sieve, collecting the juice and pulp in the bowl.
4. Add the strained strawberries to the lemon juice and then add that mixture to the cooled sugar water and stir. If you find the flavor too strong, add more water or soda water (if you'd like sparking strawberry lemonade).
5. Add ice to each glass, and then pour lemonade and serve.



Individual Strawberry Trifles

Serves 4


Ingredients
  • 1 quart fresh strawberries, sliced
  • 1 store-bought pound cake
  • 1 1/2 to 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 3 tbsp. powdered sugar or more to taste
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Directions

1. Wash the strawberries well and dry with paper towels. Make sure to dry them thoroughly.
2. Cut the pound cake into small cubes.
3. Whip cream on high with an electric beater; add sugar and vanilla, adjusting sweetness as necessary.
4. Using highball glasses, layer the cake, strawberries and whip cream, and then repeat. Serve immediately.

So there you have it, three easy-to-make but impressive fresh strawberry recipes. I hope you enjoy using them -- and getting compliments from your guests!

Credits: Thanks to Quentin Nardi of Q-made.Blogspot.com for the recipes and her delicious-looking strawberry recipe photos, to Francois Carstens for the strawberries photo, to Granny of Granny Art for the strawberry plant illustration and Statchoo.com for the raffia bow.

 





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