Leftover Watermelon Strawberry Smoothie

One of my favorite things to make in culinary school was fruit platters. Learning to slice cantaloupe, honeydew melon and watermelon into identical slices to create the perfect Crayola crayon box affect of cascading colors was more than knife skills, it was art. It was sculpture.

I distinctly remember one night while working at Macina Bakery, and I was filling catering orders for the next day. Part of the order was to make several fruit platters and I got carried away. A fruit platter for 8-10 people turned into a platter for a small wedding party! The owner, Leslie came in the next morning and said, "We've had two different clients say there was just too much for their party, how big are you making these?" You can imagine how embarrassed I was.

So yes, when it comes to making fruit platters, I tend to get a little too creative. Which means, I am bound to have leftover fruit after the party is over. That's when I break out the blender.

My husband isn't overly interested in leftovers. He's spoiled. But I think that is where true culinary creativity comes in. Have you ever heard those radio shows when a chef has to come up with a dinner out of leftover ingredients a caller will say is in their fridge? It's hard! But deliciously fun.

At one glance in my fridge, this is what I was looking at: 1 pint of week old strawberries, sliced watermelon and almond milk. One blender, 30 seconds. delicious.

Talk about the opposite of sculpture.

Leftover Watermelon Strawberry Smoothie
2 cups fresh watermelon, seeds removed (sub any leftover fruit- pineapple, blueberries, raspberries, etc.)
1-2 cups fresh strawberries, de-stemmed
1 cup almond milk

Combine ingredients in a blender, blend until pureed.
Delicious.