Now that summer’s here and the garden is bursting with life, I’m excited to start hosting get-togethers again. To keep things easygoing, I put together a simple and refreshing menu, all cool, delicious and easy as everything could be made ahead so there was no stress on the day. I prepped all the ingredients, chopping, slicing, dicing and stashed them in the fridge until it was time to throw everything together. The only thing I left for the morning of our dinner was baking the dessert.
Here’s what we had for our summer dinner:
Small Bites
We kicked off the night with a mix of cold, hot, and spicy snacks. They looked great, were perfect for eating outside, and paired really well with Rosé wine that we had served. It set a fun tone for catching up and enjoying each other’s company.
Appetizer
Next up was a cool watermelon salad, which is always a crowd-pleaser. While everyone chatted in the garden, I quickly put the salad together in the kitchen, thanks to prepping everything the day before. Once the table was ready, we moved right into the first course.
Main Course
For the main course, I served grilled pork tenderloin over a Spanish-style white bean and bell pepper salad. I’d grilled the pork earlier in the day and let it rest at room temp, so all I needed to do after the salad was slice it up and plate it.
Dessert
We wrapped things up with pineapple upside-down cake, super moist and full of summer flavour, with a scoop of coconut ice cream on the side.
