I’m pretty sure I have some of the very best aunts in the whole world. They are hilarious and brave and strong and have weathered so many trials and crazy things and emerged as these fabulous women that I admire so much.

This week I got to hang out with my Mums and her two sisters and tonight they left the menfolk at home and came to my place for dinner.

I had every intention of making vegetarian spring rolls with peanut sauce and a good salad (one of my aunts is vegetarian), but for some reason not a single grocery store in my oh-so-Dutch town carry spring roll wrappers. They know not what they’re missing!!

So I had to get creative and decided to do a spring roll salad instead.

I started with a layer of Napa cabbage followed by cucumber, cilantro, basil, and mint sprinkled with juicy chunks of Champagne Mango. I piled silvery cold mung bean noodles in the center and drizzled them with a citrus champagne vinaigrette, then topped everything with lime shrimp, spicy peanut sauce, and toasted almonds.

Mmm, mmm! It turned out even better than spring rolls and we were happy girls.

We sipped Sweet Orange iced tea while we ate dinner, then dug our spoons into glasses of frothy Limoncello Syllabub – heavy whipped cream beaten with homemade limoncello, lemon juice, and lemon zest.

Delish! The zingy lemon balanced the cream beautifully and the limoncello warmed our bones and mellowed our spirits as the evening grew cool.

It was a lovely evening. We had such a jolly time talking about their kids, laughing over memory lapses and mixed up stories. Suddenly there was a knock at the door. One of my Dad’s sisters had heard there was a party and she popped over to join in! So fun!

We ended our Girl’s Night with a stroll to the creek as the sun set, and giggled our way through multiple attempts at a self-portrait. This is as good as it gets.

Sure love those girls!

Limoncello Syllabub

Ingredients:

2 cups heavy whipping cream, cold
1/2 cup limoncello, cold
juice of one lemon
zest of one lemon

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients and beat until soft peaks form.
2. Spoon into glasses and refrigerate until ready to serve.
3. Garnish with berries and mint leaves if desired.

Spicy Peanut Sauce

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups creamy natural peanut butter
1 can coconut milk
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp fish sauce
3 Tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tsp hot sauce
3 gloves garlic, minced

Directions:

1. Blend all ingredients in food processor until smooth. Taste. Add more hoisin sauce if not sweet enough.

Citrus Champagne Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

1/4 cup citrus champagne vinegar
1/4 olive oil
1 Tbsp chopped fresh mint leaves
1/8 tsp salt

Directions:
Whisk all ingredients together until emulsified.