Thanks for stopping by! Help yourself to some appetizers and have a look around…
You’ve probably noticed that things around here have been looking a bit different lately! I have spent the past week redesigning the site (now powered by the Headway Theme, as recommended by John Haydon) and adding lots of new pages and information (all of which are also available from the new navigation bar across the top):
- Recipe Index – Find what you’re looking for quickly with the new recipe index. All of my recipes are organized by course (main dish, side dish, beverage, etc…) so that they are easier to browse.
- Blogging Groups – The Blogging Groups section highlights the groups that I participate in. You can find information on how to participate and an archive of related posts!
- Husband’s Picks – My husband has been asking me to add this section for a while… If you’re looking for some husband-approved recipes, this is the place to look! Each recipe was hand-picked by my hubby.
- Photography – I’m still working on the photography area of the site. I plan to have photo galleries of some of my favorite photos (both food and non-food). For now, you will find links to my photos on some of my favorite photo sites!
- Press and Mentions – It still blows me away every time I see someone mention my site or my recipes on their site. I am honored to have been featured or mentioned on all of these sites… Be sure to pay them all a visit!
Now… Let’s talk about those appetizers! For this month’s Gourmet, unbound recipe, I picked out this Winter Caprese Salad from the January 2009 issue of Gourmet. I have been on a roasting kick and am currently in love with roasted tomatoes, so it seemed like the perfect recipe! Instead of making a layered Caprese salad, I decided to cut the mozzarella into chunks and make little Caprese bites to serve as appetizers instead. We enjoyed these last night as we celebrated New Year’s Eve with friends!
Caprese Bites
(adapted from Gourmet, January 2009)
- 1 pound plum tomatoes, cut into bite-sized chunks
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus additional for drizzling
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound fresh mozzarella, cut into bite-sized chunks
- Handful basil leaves
- Balsamic vinegar for drizzling
- Toothpicks
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with a thin layer of cooking spray.
Combine the tomatoes and olive oil in a mixing bowl. Season generously with salt and pepper, and toss to evenly coat the tomatoes. Spread the tomatoes on the prepared baking sheet and roast for approximately 45 minutes. Allow the tomatoes to cool before assembling the Caprese bites.
Once the tomatoes are cooled, assemble each bite by placing one piece of tomato and one piece of mozzarella on each toothpick. Arrange the bites on a platter and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and Balsamic vinegar.
Cut the basil in a chiffonade, rolling the basil lengthwise and cutting very thing strips. Sprinkle the basil over all of the bites, and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Oooh, these look wonderful. Beautiful photos! I wonder if they could be made with grape tomatoes (which I have a bunch of in the fridge), or if they would get too soft? Hm, that might work better for a salad than on a toothpick.
Katie – I’d give the grape tomatoes a try… If they get soft, just make a salad (or toss with some pasta!). The grape tomatoes would be super sweet and delicious!
WOW WOW WOW The site looks amazing Jen!!! Congratulations!
I just love your new layout it’s very clean and pretty! those Caprese bites look delish too I just want to grab a few of those and just nibble on them
Love the new look!!!
Jen, I love the new layout. A great change for a new year.
Happy New Year!!
Love the new look…. fresh and clean and very easy to navigate. Roasted tomatoes are just divine and this recipe looks great. I serve a similar one on toasted crostini substituting goat cheese for the mozzarella and arugula or watercress for the basil leaves. The balsamic vinegar really brings the whole dish to life. I am going to give yours a try really soon. Thanks for sharing.
I am in love with the new layout for real Jen, looks fabulous. Great job and those caprese bites look good enough to eat!
Yummy!
-Natasha
Great redesign! Congrats and Happy New Year!
I love roasted tomatoes. Great appetizers!
Love the site.
Caprese salad is my favorite! I love how you made it into a bite sized finger food. Your new site looks great!
Yum! Anything with balsamic vinegar sounds good to me, and using roasted tomatoes sounds divine.
This is my first visit (via Tastespotting) so I don’t know what the site was before, but I love the idea of your husband’s picks! I was thinking about something similar for my site so I will keep percolating on it.
These look delicious! Can’t wait to make them with fresh garden tomatoes this summer. Such a healthy snack too.
Those look fabulous. I love to add a little crushed red pepper when I roast tomatoes. But truly nothing beats the combo of tomato and fresh mozzarella!
Great design! Everything is so accessible, and so awesomelicious! Keep up the great work !:)
The redesign looks great! I’ve been wanting to redesign for months, but since I haven’t had time to even post, it’ll have to be put on the backburner. I especially like the “Husband’s Picks” section!
Clever idea. This is a perfect for a party or get together.