Quick and Easy Garden Party Ideas

Spring is always ideal for outdoor get togethers. Visions of Easter egg hunts and lazy afternoons spent lounging with a glass of iced tea on the porch inspire relaxation. If you're planning a small get-together and you're searching for a few ideas to make planning your party stress-free and memorable, keep reading.

When it comes to food, keep it simple. When possible, look to your garden for inspiration. Plants make beautiful garnishes, and some, such as dandelion flowers and their leaves are edible and make great additions to salads. A few others include carnations, rose petals and chamomile.

A great way to find recipes is to experiment yourself. A few tried and true recipes I've come up with that use items from my own garden are:

Entree

Artichoke and spinach chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 small container of cream cheese
1 medium size container of sour cream
1 jar of marinated artichoke hearts
1 bunch of fresh spinach
1 small container of half & half, whole milk or cream (your preference)
olive oil or butter (your preference)
cayenne pepper
2 cloves garlic
1/2 onion

Heat butter or olive oil in skillet, add onion and saute until onion is transparent. Cut chicken into strips. Add chicken and cayenne pepper. De-stem spinach leaves. Cook chicken until it turns light brown and turn off heat. Melt cream cheese in a pot, then add sour cream, chopped garlic, cream/milk and artichoke hearts with 2 T of the juice and saute on low for 5 minutes, then add spinach and turn off. Place chicken in a baking pan then pour spinach mixture on top and bake on 325 degrees for 20 minutes.

Hors D'oeuvre

Sweet potato crisps

3 large Sweet potatos
cinnamon, clove or nutmeg (preference)
butter or olive oil (preference)

Peel and thinly slice sweet potatos and dip in a mixture of butter/olive oil and your chosen sweet spice. Bake on 350 for 20 minutes. Keep an eye on the sweet potatos the first time you make, as time and temperature will differ depending on your region and oven.

Drinks

Fizzy kid's Cosmo

1 can Sprite
1 t grenadine
fresh berries
ice

Kids can help with this by choosing which types of berries to use. You can also use frozen berries, they'll keep your drinks cooler a little longer.

Iced tea with rose hips

Handful of rose hips per gallon of water
tea leaves or instant
lemon or honey to taste

Heat water and mix rose hips in. Cover and let cool. If using instant tea mix take out rose hips and add powder, ice and put in fridge. If you brew your tea, use the water to brew as usual. It adds a vitamin boost and a sweet taste to your tea.