Garden Party

so good

I made so much food! The best, by far, was the strawberry bruschetta, from a recipe in Grid magazine. I also made rotini pasta with stir fried veggies (zucchini, broccoli, carrots and a red pepper) and pesto. My favorite salad ever: tomato with fresh mozzarella and basil. Blueberry mint cupcakes with blueberry vanilla frosting (from coconut and lime). Fruit salad. Angie brought over fresh lemonade, Kahlua brownies and roasted veggies with garlic. Also had cheese and crackers, and chocolate….

cupcakes

Ended the night playing with sparklers in the backyard. Lovely gathering. And I have tons of leftovers for lunch this week, as well as fresh fruit for smoothies… mmmmmm….

I don’t think I’d make the cupcakes again. As tasty as they are, I don’t think they are amazing enough for the effort. That could be partly my fault. I filled the cups too high, and they kind of exploded. Also I think I added too many blueberries, so they didn’t puff up as nicely as I think they were supposed to. The icing was very sticky and messy. Good, but a little too sweet for me.

Also, while getting supplies for the party, I picked up an amazing hippo planter. A woman was selling things on her stoop with the help of her adorable daughter. He immediately caught my eye, and I knew I’d be walking away with him. And when I found out he was 50 cents- sold! I walked away laughing, he’s just so silly! He sits on the window staring at me. I love it. I bought a plant for him while picking up cut flowers from the guy who sells plants in Passyunk square. It fits the hippo perfectly.

amazing hippo