Catch up day

Where have the last few days gone?!

Well, work and the Super Bowl mostly.

Even on my day off of work, I went to work. Though it was for purely selfish reasons. I needed rubber stamps for some cards I'm working on (they were on sale for 40% off, I couldn't pass that up!) And I needed a shadow box for the sand dollars we found on our last beach trip. (Those were on sale for 40% off too! The shadow box, not the sand dollars) And since we were there... I got a cute little spring welcome sign with three little bunnies (I had an awesome 45% off coupon for that) What can I say, I love a good craft sale!

How cute is this?


Then there was the super bowl. Jon calls it "Man Day" because it's filled with manly sports and lots of food. If his Vikings don't make it to the big game, we automatically become "fans" for the NFC team who did make it. This year was rough, the rivalry between the Vikings and Packers runs deep. But, we set that aside and cheered on Green Bay.

So what did we eat? Little smokies, spinach & artichoke dip, pizza, and caprese salad. It's not our usual spread, but it was just Jon and I so I didn't want to make a ton of stuff to have sitting around the house for days.

Our typical game day eats in the past have included little smokies, crackers with cheese and meat, raw veggies and dip, sloppy joes or pulled pork sammies, chips, BTS cake,pickle roll-ups, and various other treats that friends would bring over for our pot luck.

We ate well and enjoyed the game. It was a lovely night in together.

My favorite item was the caprese salad I made. Usually a caprese salad is made with thick slices of fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil leaves. Seasoned up and served chilled. It's very refreshing, especially in the summer.

I went a different route this time and made a chopped caprese salad. It was awesome. I let the leftovers sit in the fridge over night and then tossed them with some fresh pasta. It made a killer lunch. :)

The recipe for my salad is more of a guideline than an actual recipe. Adjust things to your taste and enjoy!

Well kiddos, the sun is finally showing its face after about a week of rain. I think that means it's time to go soak up some rays and recharge my batteries.

Here's to you and your culinary adventures, friends. Cheers!

Chopped Caprese Salad

2 large vine ripe fresh tomatoes (these need to be fairly firm, but have a deep tomato smell to them)
1 ball of fresh mozzarella pearls (check the deli case)*
fresh basil
olive oil
red wine vinegar
salt and pepper

Core and dice tomatoes. Place in a large bowl.

Pull the mozzarella pearls apart and toss into the tomatoes.

Stack 5-7 basil leaves on top of each other. Roll up tightly. Thinly slice (this is called a chiffonade). Toss into the tomato and mozzarella mixture.

Drizzle with a little olive oil and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to coat. Check the seasoning. Adjust as needed.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.

* If you can't find mozzarella pearls, you can use mini mozzarella balls or a regular mozzarella ball. Just dice the cheese to about the size of the tomatoes.

DO NOT use aged mozzarella (the shredded stuff or the hard block for shredding). It isn't even remotely the same flavor or texture.