Fun with Fruit...

It's hard to believe that summer is over... really. We look forward to it all year long ~ days at the lake, soaking up the sun, sunblock & sprinklers, vacations, sleeping in late, camping, sleepovers... Then, as soon as we get into the swing of things, it's over!
Our friends had an end-of-summer BBQ last weekend and my thinking was "might as well go out big". My friends know that I don't typically do things the ordinary way; I like to spice it up a bit and make things fun, creative.
Fruit salad was sounding good, especially as I'm trying to trim down before the holidays (we won't discuss the Milky Way Midnight Dark I just wolfed down!). So we went to the store, picked up some fresh fruit, and headed home to throw it all together. Oh, but that would be too easy....... =)

First, gather your fruit together.



Don't forget the watermelon!
The first thing you'll want to do with it is cut just a little bit off the bottom so that it's flat and doesn't roll around. Then slice the top off.

Next, you need to "gut it" - basically scoop out all the watermelon so it's hollow like a bowl. This was fun and geared me up for pumpkin carving season, which is right around the corner...

I thought that still looked a little "plain Jane", so I also cut a zigzag along the edge.

Then, just toss in all your fruit, and VOILA!! Fruit salad in a totally decomposable bowl! So if you happen to leave it at your friends house by accident (either because you're trying to herd your wild screaming kids to the car or because you've had just a little too much to drink), you're not out any dishes!

If you're really feeling creative, you can carve a spoon out of the top of the watermelon. Less waste, right? Hey, it worked! Just wrap the handle with plastic wrap so peoples hands don't get sticky.


Overall, it was success ~ the salad AND the BBQ. Thank you, Amber & Eric, for having us over for once last get together before summer is over. :D