Sweet Potato says... potluck!

Like so many parts of my pre-baby life, dinner parties used to be something I had a lot of time for. Pouring over cook books looking for interesting new dishes, going to a farmer’s market to shop for ingredients and flowers, setting the table, prepping the food — all of it took hours. Hours that are, in this chapter of my life, unthinkable to spend on entertaining. But it doesn’t mean we don’t still want to get together with friends —  just that it has to look very different now.

Dinner parties are served with a little less planning and a lot more chaos. And we end up pooling our resources with friends, who often have young families, too. Yep, these are the potluck years. In the summer, potlucks are particularly genius. If you’re grilling something and making a salad and your pals are bringing dessert, you may get away without turning an element, let alone the stove, on.

Whether you’re the host or the guest, it’s good to have a few good potluck tricks up your sleeve for the season. We like classics with a twist. This salad is the perfect example — it’s a cool but zesty combination that’s a bit more special than a typical green salad.

Strawberry and Watermelon Salad 6 cup of  seedless watermelon, chopped in bite size chunks? 4 cups of strawberries, hulled and chopped? 1/4 cup of olive oil? 2 tablespoons lime juice? 2 tablespoons of finely chopped red onion? 2 tablespoons of fresh chopped cilantro? salt and pepper to taste

Method 1. In a large bowl, whisk oil, lemon juice, onion and cilantro. Add watermelon and strawberry and mix. Allow to sit in the refrigerator for 1 hour, or not if you’re in a rush.

Want some more great potluck ideas? More recipes from sweetpotatochronicles.com:

Asparagus Potato Salad The classic potato salad gets an update with crisp asparagus.

Blueberry Buckle Buckles are some of the easiest cakes in the world to make and the buttery cake combined with juicy fruit is pure heaven.