Strawberry Party

I haven't gotten around to having a strawberry party in years. June gets so busy so fast.

Here is my menu:

• Strawberry soup, recipe from Victoria Magazine july 2009
• Prosciutto, manchego, & strawberry crostini, recipe here.
• Spring greens, chicken, strawberries, Marcona almonds, & chevre salad.
• Strawberry lemonade
• Strawberry shortcake with whipped cream

I set the table with a vintage strawberry table cloth; being able to use this cute thing is half the motivation to have a party! The weather has been hit or miss this week, mostly rainy and I've been putting it off until we get some clear skies. Tomorrow is supposed to be 90 though and i know that will be far too hot for us to be outside. I think this is our first official outdoor meal of the summer.

The cold strawberry soup is so nice and refreshing, the mint and vinegar helps to cut the sweetness. Our Little Helper loved it and said this was his favorite soup I've ever made for him. He's so sweet, I know that's what he said about the St. Joseph''s Day soup, my carrot soup, and pumpkin soup. It is nice to cook for someone who appreciates what you are making.
 
 This crostini is a new recipe to me, but I'm not a girl to turn down prosciutto. Mr. W had recently taken the boys on a walk and stopped at Cheese Bar for a treat; of course he had to bring home goodies too. One of the cheeses was a smoked Gouda which we substituted for the Manchego. This was a big hit with everyone.


Baby Boy had been sneaking strawberries the whole time I was preparing dinner and was full by the time we sat down. He was only interested in the pink lemonade. He wanted no part at all of the strawberry soup.
 
The next course was the salad. I added chicken so it would have a nice mix of savory and sweet. I got so full by this point that we ended up skipping the strawberry shortcake for dessert. we'll do it tomorrow for sure.