Well folks, I went back to my Italian roots last night. The recent blog post about my dear ol' Italian dad must've stirred something up inside of me! As you may know, I've been doing a lot of experimenting creating in the kitchen the past week or two... which has been really FUN! I want you to know, I have officially outdone myself. This really was pure perfection... in the form of Honeydew Caprese Salad. The flavors were exquisite, each bite juicy and mouth-watering: a perfect blend of sweet and tangy and savory. It was light, refreshing, and spring-y. The honeydew melon was such a wonderful and surprising addition. (I originally bought it to use in a juice recipe for this weekend). Seriously, honeydew melon has found its calling in life. As my dad would often say (and still does!) ~ "It was my best batch!!!!!!!!" (Note the plethora of exclamation points :) )
Introducing Honeydew Caprese Salad!
Here is a close-up of the fresh minced garlic:
Everything tossed in a big serving bowl:
And voila, the best caprese salad you'll ever eat:
I served it along with some open-faced sandwiches - leftover chicken from the Italian Polenta earlier in the week, on top of a piece of garlic parmesean bread, with melted provolone on top. I had one, dear hubby had two. I love getting multiple uses out of leftovers! I feel so frugal and creative :)
My dad has a "famous" bruschetta recipe with a lot of the ingredients above, but it also includes sugar. (And you know how I feel about sugar in general, added sugar, etc..!) I sooooooooo want to try his bruschetta recipe, but substitute minced honeydew melon instead of the sugar!!! I think it would be delicious AND healthier!
My cute little watermelon:
And while we're on the subject of "melon", I have to share this cute pic of Babycakes from last weekend in her ADORABLE watermelon dress. I love that cute squished up face :) And she actually let me put a barrette in her hair for more than 2.3 seconds. It was amazing and definitely picture-worthy!!!
PS. Running is still going really well! I'm in the middle of week 2 (out of 12 for this particular Pooch to 5K program). My running days are Wed, Fri, & Sun. And today I'm going to attempt (focus on the word attempt) to do my run with the jogging stroller AND 2 doggies. Yes, I know I'm crazy!!
Do ever use honeydew melon or another fruit as a sweetener?
Are you good at eating/using leftovers or repurposing food into new meals?
Any exciting plans for the weekend?
{Honeydew Caprese Salad}
Description
Honeydew Caprese Salad // @noshandnourish
Ingredients
10 ounces Grape Tomatoes (halved)
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1⁄4 cup WHITE Balsamic Vinegar
5 cloves Garlic (minced)
16 ounces Fresh Mozzarella (cut up into 1 inch cubes)
1 cup Honeydew Melon (diced)
10 Fresh Basil Leaves (diced, or 1/2 Tbsp minced basil)
Instructions
Cut everything up. Then, mix all ingredients together and enjoy!
Well folks, I went back to my Italian roots last night. The recent blog post about my dear ol' Italian dad must've stirred something up inside of me! As you may know, I've been doing a lot of experimenting creating in the kitchen the past week or two... which has been really FUN! I want you to know, I have officially outdone myself. This really was pure perfection... in the form of Honeydew Caprese Salad. The flavors were exquisite, each bite juicy and mouth-watering: a perfect blend of sweet and tangy and savory. It was light, refreshing, and spring-y. The honeydew melon was such a wonderful and surprising addition. (I originally bought it to use in a juice recipe for this weekend). Seriously, honeydew melon has found its calling in life. As my dad would often say (and still does!) ~ "It was my best batch!!!!!!!!" (Note the plethora of exclamation points :) )
Introducing Honeydew Caprese Salad!
Here is a close-up of the fresh minced garlic:
Everything tossed in a big serving bowl:
And voila, the best caprese salad you'll ever eat:
I served it along with some open-faced sandwiches - leftover chicken from the Italian Polenta earlier in the week, on top of a piece of garlic parmesean bread, with melted provolone on top. I had one, dear hubby had two. I love getting multiple uses out of leftovers! I feel so frugal and creative :)
My dad has a "famous" bruschetta recipe with a lot of the ingredients above, but it also includes sugar. (And you know how I feel about sugar in general, added sugar, etc..!) I sooooooooo want to try his bruschetta recipe, but substitute minced honeydew melon instead of the sugar!!! I think it would be delicious AND healthier!
My cute little watermelon:
And while we're on the subject of "melon", I have to share this cute pic of Babycakes from last weekend in her ADORABLE watermelon dress. I love that cute squished up face :) And she actually let me put a barrette in her hair for more than 2.3 seconds. It was amazing and definitely picture-worthy!!!
PS. Running is still going really well! I'm in the middle of week 2 (out of 12 for this particular Pooch to 5K program). My running days are Wed, Fri, & Sun. And today I'm going to attempt (focus on the word attempt) to do my run with the jogging stroller AND 2 doggies. Yes, I know I'm crazy!!
Do ever use honeydew melon or another fruit as a sweetener?
Are you good at eating/using leftovers or repurposing food into new meals?
Any exciting plans for the weekend?
{Honeydew Caprese Salad}
Description
Honeydew Caprese Salad // @noshandnourish
Ingredients
Instructions
Cut everything up. Then, mix all ingredients together and enjoy!
Yields 6 Servings
Nosh and Nourish