garden party

Cocktails in the garden- what fun! But for a midweek party do you simply serve a nibble and a drink or do you offer up something a little more substantial? When you’re having a larger group for cocktails it’s sometimes hard to navigate how much food to serve.

The answer came to me on a recent trip to a party supply store. As I was looking for summery napkins I stumbled upon these rather classy-looking plastic shot glasses, adorable square cups and little silver forks.

I figured I would expand my appetizer menu with a sip of cold soup and bite-sized portions pasta. This way those who wanted to make a light supper of the evening could.

Cold curried zucchini soup is one of my all time favorites.

Make the recipe as directed.

When when cool pour into a large pitcher and refrigerate for up to two days.

For the garnish mix together one quarter cup of sour cream with two to three tablespoons of half and half, until it is thin but not watery. This can be made a day ahead of time.

Before your guests arrive carefully pour the soup into the shot glasses.

Cut off the corner of the Ziploc bag.

Garnish each with a small squiggle.

Pistachio pesto is a summer staple.

I often quadruple the recipe, portion it out and freeze it.

Earlier in the day cook some fusilli pasta until al dente, toss with the thawed pesto and store in the refrigerator in large Ziploc bag.

Portion into the small cups and serve the petite plastic forks. The great thing about this recipe is that it is best served room temperature.

Many times you’ll find it’s the small things that make the biggest impression.