Mandy's Meals & More

This weekend LMP NYC and Toronto had a bbq in our backyard for some of our favorite ladies. A super easy menu was concocted and a very successful trip to ikea made for a perfect tablescape. For dinner we wanted delicious seasonal food that wasn't too high maintenance. For that, I had the easiest salad, a real go-to around here. To drink we had the most refreshing fruit infused lemonade Sangria. We combined lemonade, sliced fruit, couple spoons of sugar and a crisp, white wine. So delish. While grocery shopping for the menu, we found baby eggplants that were just too perfect for the palette here. We wrote everyone's name in gold to make for the table place cards. Lanterns are the prettiest way to keep the backyard table lit when the sun goes down and you're still enjoying the sangria and dessert. Oh yeah and here is the recipe for my go to Kale salad as adapted from this recipe found here. Kale Salad Recipe with Pecorino, Strawberries, Pine NutsYIELD: 6 servings PREP TIME: 15 minutes (active time) Ingredients: 1 bunch tuscan kale 3 tablespoons bread crumbs 3 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon honey 1 1/2 cup fresh sliced strawberries 2 ounces toasted pine nuts (about 1/3 cup) 1 ounce shaved pecorino cheese Salt and pepper

Directions: Wash and dry the kale leaves. Fold each leaf in half, lengthwise, and cut out the stem. Then slice the kale into thin ribbons. Place in a large salad bowl. Sprinkle the kale with bread crumbs, lemon juice, olive oil, and honey. Toss well, then salt and pepper to taste. Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Once the kale has wilted a little, toss in the sliced strawberries and toasted pine nuts. Use a veggie peeler to shave bands of nutty pecorino cheese over the top. Enjoy!  xx -M

These photos were taken together with our Aunt Debi who is known for her beautiful photography and food art that can be found on her site Simply Beautiful Eating.