Cherry, Pistachio, and Mint Salad

A few weeks ago I received a review copy of The Picnic: Recipes and Inspiration from Basket to Blanket and was super excited, since picnics are a regular thing around here and we are always looking for new ways to liven them up. The book turned out to be a treasure trove of tips for making outdoor meals more convenient and picturesque and recipes for putting together the perfect array of food and drink for a well-balanced meal.

This fruit salad recipe was our favorite recipe we found. We've already tested it on a recent playground lunch and we made it again over the holiday weekend to take to one of the many BBQs we attended. It was a hit! Everybody in the world seems to love cherries, pistachios, and mint separately and when you put them together they seem exotic and extra-special. The tartness of the cherries matches well with the mint and the pistachios are a perfect added crunch.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb Bing or Ranier cherries (stemmed, pitted, and halved)
• 1/2 cup shelled, roasted and salted pistachios
• 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, thinly sliced

Toss together ingredients and serve in your prettiest bowl. Pro tip: use a chopstick to easily pit the cherries. I read that in The Picnic, too! I told you this book was handy.

Happy Monday!