Watermelon Basket

• Of the many ways to carve a watermelon, the quickest is to make it into a simple basket. Place a watermelon on its side. Use a pen to trace the shape of a basket brim and handle across the top one-third of the watermelon. Cut the shapes out, leaving the handle intact. Carve out the inside watermelon to form an empty basket. Cut a small section of rind from the bottom of the basket to give it a flat surface on which to sit. Use watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew cubes to fill the basket with lightly flavored fruits. Add red grapes, cherries and blueberries for a burst of strong color and flavor.

Fruit Skewer Flower

• Heat up the grill to create fruit skewers that are sweet enough to be dessert and hearty enough to be a side dish. Cut any stone fruit in half. Stone fruits are those with a large pit, such as peaches and apricots. Remove the pit from the halves. Slide three halves onto a metal or water-soaked wooden skewer. Sprinkle the fruit with whatever you desire, such as brown sugar or cinnamon. Grill the fruits, skin side up, for a few minutes. Remove the fruit from the grill and place it on a round serving tray. Arrange the skewers vertically so they radiate from the center of the tray, like petals on a flower. Place a small handful of bright berries, such as cherries, to the center of the tray to serve as the center of the flower.

Fruit Bouquet

• An edible fruit bouquet is a colorful and tasty party food that doubles as a centerpiece. Fill wooden skewers with alternating pieces of bite-size fruit, such as grapes, cantaloupe balls and honeydew balls. Cut a small flower shape from a slice of pineapple and top each skewer with a pineapple flower. Slide a grape onto each skewer to serve as the flower center. Leave a few skewers without flowers to serve as “filler” material for the bouquet. Arrange the skewers into a round bouquet shape in a large vase or basket with a wide mouth, using the filler as needed. Glue a piece of foam to the bottom of the vase or basket if you need help getting the skewers to stick upright.

Pineapple Faces

• Large, round slices of ripe pineapple provide the perfect canvas to create clownish faces. Place a thin banana slice where each eye should be and gently press your thumb into the middle of the slice. Place a blueberry eyeball into the indent. Rest a half cherry where you would find the nose and use a half slice of a small orange to create a smiling mouth. Arrange several of the faces on a dark colored tray so the bright hues of the fruit stand out.