Party Time
In our lives, we will attend many celebrations. (I know…such amazing insight!) There will be birthdays, holidays, and graduations. There will be happy celebrations and sad. What is interesting to me is the type of celebrations you attend in a lot of ways depends on your age and where you are in your life. Let me explain…

Not too long ago my husband and I were sitting around talking about how we really wanted to go to a wedding. It had been years since we attended a wedding and the two of us were kind of in the mood for a good party. The only problem is, at this point in our time on earth, all our friends are married and their kids as well as ours aren’t even close to thinking about marriage let alone doing it. So, alas, no party.

Same thing is true with bachelorette parties, wedding showers, and baby showers, though I’m pretty sure I couldn’t survive a bachelorette party at this point (It hurts just thinking about it.), I haven’t been to a shower other than the wet and soapy kind for almost 20 years. This is nuts because for about a five-year period of time it seemed like I was hosting or attending a shower of some variety at least once a month.

It got to the point that my sister and I became masters of the baby/bridal shower—mostly because my sister is just good that way. But, we got it down to a science. And, as long as the guest list was different, you just went with the same process, menu, and setup. Different colors of course. We were a well-oiled machine.

Our menu of choice included this Curry Chicken Salad that we served in a fresh papaya boat. But, you could also do it with half an avocado if you wanted to go smaller. The recipe came from a Junior League Cookbook of my mother’s that has given us several family favorites. The recipe below is the original. But, if I had to make this recipe today, 20 years later, I would make a few changes as my personal tastes and eating habits have changed significantly. I’ve noted them in parentheses in case you feel the same.

Curry Chicken Salad
Adapted from the Private Collection: The Junior League of Palo Alto Cookbook
Yields 8 servings

Ingredients
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 to 1/2 cup Major Grey chutney (Mango Chutney)
1 teaspoon curry powder (Garam Masala)
2 teaspoons lime zest
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
4 cups cooked chicken breast, diced
1/2 fresh pineapple (1/4 pineapple & 1/4 fresh mango), cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1/2 cup slivered almonds, lightly toasted (cashews would work well too)
4 fresh papayas, cut in half and seeds removed (Avocados, but you will have quite a bit of salad left over)
Lime, for serving

Directions
Make the chicken salad
Combine the first six ingredients. Fold in the chicken, fruit, and onions. Check for salt and add more if needed.

Place the salad in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

To serve
A few minutes before serving, prepare the papayas, rubbing a little lime on the flesh to keep it from browning. Scoop the salad into the prepared papaya, and sprinkle with the almonds.