Patio Party: Italian Twist

Mr. 3 and I decided to throw a Patio Party this pasty weekend for our two friends AnnaMarie and Max.  We've been out of town a lot of over the last month and we've missed out on seeing them!  I didn't want to spend a ton of time cooking, so I followed our easy formula for throwing a Patio Party that we outlined in our last Patio Party post: 

Posh Purpose Patio Party Formula

1 Cocktail

2 Savory Appetizers

1 Sweet Treat

I decided to do an Italian theme with a twist.  My menu included peach and mozzarella bruschetta, antipasti platter (consisting of kalamata olives, brie, and grape leaves all from Whole Foods), and mini cannolis and cookies (also from Whole Foods).  For the cocktail, I mixed tequila, limoncello, and blood orange soda together which were all items I had on hand.  While we were sitting around I went back to the fridge and grabbed some ranier cherries that I were afraid would go bad before I got a chance to eat them all.  While the cherries weren't in the original plan, they were a great addition that I needed to use up anyways.  Here are a few pics from our party:

Arthur Court Tray for $2!  Napkin from World Market

Yummmmm crostini!

Serving up the cherries in the berry colander

Notice my Georges Briard Cheese Tray - only $2!

The patio party was super easy to execute.  I used a french baguette to make crostini for the peach and mozzarella bruschetta (which just involved cutting and dousing with olive oil and vinegar).  I also made enough to have leftovers to take for lunch at work.  Everything else was purchased from Whole Foods  (leftover grape leaves also made a tasty work lunch this week!).  Soooo, I spent next to no time slaving in the kitchen, BUT I made a really interesting dish that probably hadn't been served before and I bought prepared foods from a tasty source.  Our friends came over around 2:30 and stayed for a few hours.  It was nice to catch up!  If you want to check out our first patio party, feel free to read up here.  Anyone else throwing a fun and small get together?  Share below!