Make the most of fresh, seasonal produce, warmer weather and all the spring green and blooms with an easy strawberry lunch with friends! To help you make these memories, I’ve got 5 dreamy recipes, a stress-free timeline (a total of only 3 hours, 45 minutes scheduled over 3 days) and shoppable links to create a beautiful table. Everything but the inviting’s been done for you!
Spring is the perfect time to start the habit of hospitality. It is, after all, a time of new beginnings! It’s also the perfect time to take a fresh look around and spot those new folks in your life who could use a place to fit in. There is always room for one more at your table!
And there’s no better way to ease into a new season or new relationships than getting around the table and enjoying a deliciously simple soup, salad and sandwich lunch- a strawberry lunch. In-season produce, like strawberries, asparagus and baby spinach, bring the height of flavor and color, feeling (and tasting) really special without a lot of effort.
How We’re Setting The Table
The table sets the stage for spring and all things light and scrumptious! It also underlines the value you place on this time together, so make sure to do it right even if you’re doing paper.
To keep our strawberry-themed lunch simple, I reused the white chargers from a previous get-together and layered on white, cream and pink dishes to keep the look soft and delicate. A simple pitcher full of tulips works as centerpiece, and, as usual, we let the food be the star of the show!
Simple Strawberry Lunch Menu
Speaking of the stars, your guests (and you) are going to love this sweet and savory soup, salad and sandwich meal! It starts with a
- refreshing strawberry iced tea and a chilled strawberry soup,
- followed by a strawberry asparagus salad
- and delightful little strawberry cream cheese sandwiches.
- The grand finale is a dreamy homemade strawberry cake that’s impossible to resist! (recipes below)
Other than the cake, this is a completely no-cook menu to make preparing for this dinner party as simple as possible!
The timeline at the end of the post walks you through:
- how to make each dish ahead of time,
- how long each task
- should take,
- how to organize the tasks if you need to do just a few things in the evenings after work in the days leading up to your strawberry lunch party.
The strawberry cake recipe is a special one. Not only is it a showstopper, (it makes a great centerpiece on its own), it packs in loads of strawberry flavor using only berries! A combination of real berries and our secret strawberry ingredient make sure you get all of the berry flavor you crave with no artificial ingredients or gelatins.
At the heart of it, getting together is about making room in your life for those God has placed around you (and being on the lookout for that new person He’s bringing your way)! So make a point to spend beautiful time together this spring and have a great time doing it!
Everything You Need For This Spring Dinner Party
Table Links
Easy Strawberry Party Menu
Timeline (Total Time 3 Hrs. 45 minutes)
3 Days Before– 15-30 minutes (excluding grocery shopping)
- Do your grocery shopping. Get small take home boxes for slices of cake.
- Have tablecloth & chairs delivered. (From, Ep. 1, I do this so I don’t have to own, store or clean these items.)
- Get out items needed to set the table + serve & make sure they are ready. (15 minutes)
- Set up table & chairs if eating outside (15 minutes)
2 Days Before- 1 hour, 10 minutes
- Make strawberry soup using make ahead instructions. Cover and refrigerate. (10 minutes)
- Bake cakes for strawberry cakes. Let cool. Cover and refrigerate. (1 hour)
1 Day Before– 1 hour, 20 minutes
- Make the strawberry buttercream and frost cake. Cover and refrigerate. (30 minutes)
- Chop fruit and veggies for salad and for sandwiches. Store it all separately in air tight containers or zip top bags and refrigerate. (30 minutes)
- Make the strawberry tea,. Cover and refrigerate. (20 minutes)
Day Of– 45 minutes
- Set the table. (15 minutes)
- Toss salad together. (5 minutes)
- Assemble sandwiches. (15 minutes)
- Garnish the cake. (5 minutes)
- Don’t forget to send everyone home with an extra slice of cake in your take home boxes as thank you for coming!
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