marry me

Theo asked Meggie to marry him last night.

Meg and I had spent the morning preparing all sorts of cold salads to serve for dinner. Her grandparents and Sara were coming as well as Christie and the kids. We decided on a menu of caprese salad with pesto, jumbo shrimp and mango salad, coleslaw with fresh pineapple and dried cranberries in a horseradish dressing, steamed green beans, grilled chicken, baguette and homemade vanilla bean ice cream for dessert. Mom topped every thing off with a carrot bread and raspberry cobbler.

Combining fresh fruit and fresh herbs leaves endless possibilities for summer salads.

After dinner everyone found a comfortable spot to relax. A few of us were still sitting around the kitchen table as Meg and Theo came back in from outside. She had tears running down her face but was smiling. Theo was simply smiling. “We’re engaged”

The joy on both of their faces was breathtaking. They were glowing as they made their way from person to person sharing laughter, tears of happiness and much hugging and kissing.

Having the honour of being part of their special moment was magical. Theo will never understand the gift he gave to my family last night unless of course he is lucky enough to have his own daughter fall in love with such a wonderfully thoughtful young man.

Welcome to our family Theo. We love you.

Jumbo Shrimp and Mango Salad

serves 4-6

2 lbs jumbo shrimp, cooked and chilled

3 ripe mangoes, diced

3 green onions, sliced thin

2 jalapeno, seeded and minced

1 clove of garlic, minced

2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

1 large lime, juice and zested

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Place shrimp, mango, garlic, jalapeno, green onions and herbs in a large mixing bowl

Place lime juice, zest, brown sugar, salt and pepper in a small bowl and whisk together.

Toss with shrimp mixture

Cover and refrigerate until needed or 3 hours.

Thanks for reading