Fruit Punch Recipe

We had a Memorial Day barbecue. The idea was that we Kountanis' could all be off from work and all in one place at the same time. Papou' was preparing to return to Greece, so we wanted to give him a good send off. The three Kountanis kids had celebrated birthdays in the last few weeks. We wanted to cut cake for them with Yia Yia since she wasn't at either of the girls birthday parties, and Steven has decided to use his birthday party money to go to Space Camp this year instead of having a party. Also, it was Memorial Day and we have the utmost respect for our Veterans and Military members. My Dad would be attending, so we could celebrate in honor of his service in the Air Force.

The plan was a pool party, but Tropical Storm Baryl put a BIG damper on our plans. We ended up keeping the party inside the house. I was a bit disappointed because the kids couldn't enjoy all of the red, white, and blue pool toys I had bought for the party. But, I knew this scorched earth needed the rain.

I snapped this photo of hubs and papou' manning the grill about 2 mins before this....

Tropical Storm Baryl rain bands

On a funner note, I made a yummy fruit punch for the party. It was easy, and made for a nice presentation.

SUMMER FRUIT PUNCH

1/2 quart strawberries, cleaned and sliced
1 bunch fresh mint leaves (I smash them a bit to release flavors)
4 peaches, sliced
2 9 oz cans of pineapple juice
2 liter lemon/lime soda
1 can thawed frozen OJ concentrate
4 cups peach juice (Dole and Tropicana both make versions)

Layer strawberries, peaches, and mint into a bunt cake pan. Repeat layers at least 3 times. Add pineapple juice until it covers the layers completely. Freeze overnight.

Put frozen base from bunt into punch bowl.
Add lemon/lime soda, OJ, and peach juice.
Add in any fresh fruit of your choice. Honeydew, Watermelon, Cantaloupe, and Pineapple make great additions.

For adults, you can serve this punch with white wine to make a great white sangria. Or, serve with a splash of champagne.

Layers of fruit

Covered with pineapple juice

Popped out of bunt into punch bowl

Finished product. Sooooo yummy with white wine.