Insalata caprese

Super fancy name eh?  But don't let it fool you into thinking fancy-must-have-a-million-ingredients-bugger-that - it needs 5 ingredients, total.  And that includes dressing it!  I hadn't made, or eaten, a capri salad for years, then about a week or so ago Harry came back from staying at his Grandad's full of enthusiasm for a salad they'd eaten - "And it had whole slices of mozzarella!!".  So, we got the necessities and threw one together.  

For a traditional capri salad you need: 

mozzarella di buffala (fresh mozzarella)

fresh basil leaves

tomatoes, sliced

olive oil and balsamic , to drizzle 

1. Slice mozzarella into well, slices.  Do the same with tomatoes.  Arrange on plate/platter with basil.  
2. Drizzle with oil and vinegar, or with a baslsamic glaze if you prefer.  A little freshly ground salt and pepper is nice too.  

For our insalata we added a few more bits and bobs in - chunks of cucumber and capsicum, we used halved cherry toms too, rather than slices of a larger tomato.  In the photo the whole lot has been mixed with the balsamic and oil too, which is why the mozzarella is no longer the lovely while it had been.  Tasted the same, just doesn't look quite as impressive on the plate.  

Gonna party like it's 1999

Finn went to a birthday party last weekend -his first at a mate's house.  Tammy had made a plethora of nibbles and party food (you can NEVER have too much party food, especially kids' party food!), and amongst the cheerios, asparagus rolls, fruit kebabs and mini pies were something I'd never seen before, but as soon as I saw them I recognised Tammy's work as being genius - mini american hotdogs!!  If you've seen/made these before, then bear with me, but I was like 'whoa, best idea EVER!'.  

So...  par-cooked dinner rolls (the pack had 12, so as many packs as you need hotdogs)

cheerios (enough for one per roll, plus a few extra, 'cause they're great solo)

tomato sauce

mustard (american style in squeezey bottle will work best)

I don't think you really need me to give you a step-by-step methodology, so will leave it here, except to say don't cook the rolls as much as you would if using as dinner rolls - you want them to be soft rather than golden crusty.  See also the following link, for some more cool ideas - fairy bread V2.0!!  

Rainbow Birthday Ideas

salsa salsa salsa!!

I've waxed lyrical about salsa before.  It's just one of the tastiest, most versatile accompaniments around.  We're all pretty used to having salsa with mexican dishes, but it's not necessarily something you would think of otherwise.  KB loves salsa, so throws one together fairly often.  Last night it was the crowning glory on a tasty piece of salmon.  We've also had some recently with chops, and I love salsa on top of curry.  Last nights was a combo of capsicum, cherry toms, cucumber, apple, green chili, red onion and gherkin.  So, enliven your dinner, salsa it up!  

Tornado potatoes

I saw a video on facebook the other day, for these really cool-looking potatoes, so when we had some family over for Sunday-night dinner we gave them a try.  They were YUM!!  We did them largely as directed by the video, but next time I think I'll try some with garlic too (and maybe a little less parmesan).  Harry suggested trying them using mozzarella and bacon too, which could be awesome!!!!  

So, if you're looking for a fun alternative to the humble roast potato...  

potatoes (one per person)

BBQ skewers 

butter 

herbs/spices/grated parmesan 

1. Spear potatoes on skewers.  Carefully cut on angle, into middle, to form a spiral (see video if you'd like a visual description). 
2. Spread spirals, so there's space between rings. 
3. Brush with butter.  Coat with spices and cheese.
4. Bake until golden and crispy.