Andrew and I hosted our 2nd annual “Welcome Summer” party last Friday…complete with some homemade “summer” fare and a bounce house for, um, the kids… :)
In this post I just wanted to share with y’all our menu, which was pretty basic: a chicken and shrimp taco bar {YUM}.

I’ll share recipes where applicable {just look for the “♥”, below}..here are the items for the menu:

• Small tortilla shells*
• Shredded lettuce*
• Pulled/Shredded chicken {I ordered 2 rotisserie – Mojo – chickens from Publix}
• 4 lbs of Shrimp♥
• Sour cream*
• Cheese – feta and sharp cheddar
• Salsas:
  • Fresh Peach Salsa♥
  • Mango Salsa♥
  • Corn, Avocado and Black Bean Salsa♥
• Queso with Chips*
• Dessert:
  • Homemade Pound cake {my Grandmother’s recipe and no, I’m not giving this one out!}
  • Duncan Hines Decadent brownies
  • Cut Strawberries* and blueberries
  • Ice Cream*
• White Sangria♥
• BYOB

*Friend(s) volunteered to bring these items and I let them! :)  This should be a blog post in itself…letting others HELP.

Recipes – Get out your pen and paper (or just print!!):

♥ Cilantro Lime Shrimp – My husband is amazing in the kitchen.  Let me just say that.  When I asked him about the shrimp, he thought for a moment and told me what ingredients he needed and just went to town.

Butter (Southern Fare!)

Garlic

Onion

Fresh Lime Juice

Fresh Chopped Cilantro

Fresh Lemon Juice

Lemon Zest

Salt and Pepper

I have no idea how much of anything he used…the man just chopped, squeezed and tossed his way to deliciousness!

 

♥ Fresh Peach Salsa {from My Recipes-click here for the link!} – This was fun to make, smelled amazing on the stove top and to me, was absolutely delicious!  {The photo for this blog post is of this salsa while it marinated on the stove}

1 Large Sweet Onion

1 Jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced

1/4 Cup Sugar

2 Tablespoons Fresh Ginger {this was more complicated than I expected it to be…}

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

6 Large, Firm Peaches, Peeled {I didn’t peel mine…I was running out of time, quickly} and Chopped

1/4 Cup Fresh Lemon Juice

1/4 Teaspoon Salt

2 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Cilantro

Sauté the first 4 ingredients in hot oil in a large skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes, or until the onion is tender.  Stir in peaches and remaining ingredients and cook, stirring gently, 5 minutes.  Serve warm or at room temperature.  Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge up to 2 days.

 

♥ Mango Salsa – I don’t remember where I saw the idea for this one, but it was EASY, peasy.

5 Mangos, Peeled and Chopped

2 Containers of Tomato Salsa {I use La Mexicana Mild Salsa because it is the best fresh tomato salsa that isn’t homemade!}

Stir the mangos into the tomato salsa and, Voilá!

 

♥ Corn, Avocado and Black Bean Salsa {also from My Recipes-click here for the link!} – This one had a little heat in my opinion with the jalapeño pepper, but I ate more of it than any of the others!

2 Medium Sized, Ripe Avocados, Cubed

1 (15.5oz) Can Black Beans, Rinsed and Drained

1 (15 1/4oz) Can Whole Kernel Corn, Rinsed and Drained

1 Fresh Jalapño Pepper, Seeded and Diced

1/3 Cup Chopped Red Onion

3 Tablespoons Fresh Lime Juice

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cumin

1/4 Teaspoon Ground Red Pepper

Gently stir together all ingredients in a large bowl. **I doubled this recipe because I felt like it would probably go the fastest.

 

♥ White Sangria {I borrowed from a friend a large beverage dispenser in which to serve this delicious concoction}

1 Liter of Canada Dry Ginger Ale

1 Large (1.5 Liter) Bottle of Pinot Grigio

2 Cups Fresh Blueberries (frozen to keep it cold)

2-3 Cups Fresh Raspberries (frozen to keep it cold)

2 Oranges, Sliced, Squeezed and Dropped In

2 Limes, Sliced, Squeezed and Dropped In

2 Lemons, Sliced, Squeezed and Dropped In

About a Cup of Sugar

Stir all ingredients together (watch for the fizz!!) and enjoy!!  I’ve also served the berries, instead of frozen, on decorative tooth picks that you could just add into your drink, and then eat!

 

While all the food and drink was delectable, we decided that next year we will cater!  With all the chopping and mixing I quickly ran out of time and was barely dressed when our first guests showed up to the house.  And they were quickly put to work helping pull together tables and chairs, not to mention baby-sitting our crazy kids!!  There is very little a mother OR father can do when a toddler is running around like a maniac and a baby is screaming her head off!

Even so, it was a fantastic party with lots of friends talking, laughing {even playing Scattegories!} and enjoying one another greatly.

I only wish I had lots of pictures to share with you!!

Here’s to next year’s Welcome Summer party!

Are you hosting a party soon? If so, what will you be serving to your guests?