I have loved the pineapple flowers from the first time I saw them on Pinterest and finally have an occasion and perfect recipe to make them myself. I made Hummingbird Cupcakes two days in advance, including the Pinterest pineapple flower garnish which have been dried and shaping up in muffin tins until the morning of the lunch. No, the cake doesn’t have hummingbirds in it, but a fruity flavor that would attract a hummingbird for sure! I waited to make the frosting until the day of the lunch too. You know your Pinterest recipe is successful when your guest pull out their phones and take pictures! I will add that if you try the pineapple flowers, make them at least 2-3 days in advance to allow enough drying time and slice them super thin. I used an inexpensive Mandolin slicer I found at Wal-Mart but a sharp knife and steady hand will work too.
I prepared a meat and cheese plate so my guests could build their sandwiches on large croissant bakery bread the way they like them. The build your own sandwich choices included deli sliced smoked turkey, baked chicken, honey ham, sliced tomato, sliced red onion, Swiss cheese, cheddar cheese, pepper jack cheese and iceberg lettuce. There’s mayo with olive oil, mustard, salad dressing, pickles, olives and banana peppers on the side too. The hardest part of this task was deciding which dishes to use. FYI I settled on using my white stoneware with light blue accents and clear serving bowls.
On luncheon day I prepared the Creamy Broccoli Soup and let it stand so the flavors would marry and put together a salad. A simple salad becomes even more delightful with some strawberries, blueberries, feta cheese, nuts and berry dressing. You can make your own dressing pretty easily but I purchased a berry flavored dressing I love to go with this salad. One of the guests brought a fabulous broccoli salad that I intend to get the recipe for and another brought some tasty crackers with nuts on top which my husband claimed all the left overs!
The meal was served buffet style so I set the table using the pretty cupcakes as the center piece on a black table cloth with white napkin rosettes and clear tea goblets. I intended to serve hot tea and coffee after lunch but we got so carried away with our talking, laughing and visiting I forgot. They forgave me though.
Berry Romaine Salad
by
Ingredients
- 1 head of Romaine lettuce leaves, rough chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh blueberries, washed and dried
- 1/2 cup fresh strawberries sliced
- 1/4 cup Feta cheese, crumbled
- 1/4 cup nuts, chopped
Instructions
Wash and dry Romaine and fruit
Rough chop Romaine and place in bowl
Add fruit and Feta cheese
If you are using nuts consider toasting them in a 350° F oven for 5-8 minutes. When they are cool, chop and add to salad
Serve with a berry balsamic dressing.
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