Blog Email

I want to say hello and thank you to everyone who has read my blog! I now have an email address that you can use to ask me questions or send me recipe ideas. Some of you already get an email when I update my blog, but if you haven't yet, send me an email asking for updates. That way I can add your email address to the list.

someoneinthekitchenwithdinah@yahoo.com

Eat, drink, and be Merry!

~Dinah

Caprese Salad Kabobs

Caprese salad is traditionally tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and basil with a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper. Sometimes they are made into stacks or fanned out alternating on a plate . I decided to make mine into kabobs. This makes them easy to prepare ahead of time for guests, does not require utensils, and they are pretty.

What to use:
wooden skewers
marinated fresh mozzarella cheese
grape tomatoes
fresh basil


What to do:
1. Prep the tomatoes and basil by washing them both. Pat dry the basil leaves with a towel so get the moisture off it it. Pick some of the small leaves and put aside for the kabobs or tear the larger leaves into smaller pieces. I also dumped the cheese into a strainer to drain them of the marinade.
2. Decide on a pattern for your kabobs, or just make them random. But a pattern helps with an assembly line. I started with 2 tomatoes on each one, then basil, cheese, basil, and 2 more tomatoes.

3. I made about 20-22 skewers from the one container of cheese, so I did have basil and tomatoes left over. When I was finished I chopped off the pointy end of the skewer, or you can use kitchen scissors.
4. Arrange them on a platter, and before serving drizzle with a bit of balsamic vinegar if you'd like. It adds a great flavor!

Tips:
*I used the mini mozzarella balls, since they are easy to skewer and less work. You could easily buy a larger piece of fresh mozzarella in water and cut in into cubes.

Birds in a Nest (Eggs in Toast)

This is one of my favorite things to make for dinner. Yes, I said dinner, but breakfast for dinner is quick, easy, and delicious! It also looks cool.

What you need for 2 servings...or one if you are me:

2 eggs
2 pieces of wheat toast
butter
seasoning (I used one with everything in it, but salt and pepper are fine too)

What you do:

1. Heat a pan on medium heat. Add a pat of butter to melt while you are preparing the bread.
2. To prepare the bread, use a round biscuit cutter or a glass to cut a hole out of the center of each piece of bread.
3. Butter the bread on both sides then place inside the pan.
4. Crack one egg into each hole in the bread. Let cook a few minutes on each side, depending how runny you want the yokes. Be careful when you flip them, sometimes they stick to the pan.
5. Season to your liking and enjoy!

Tips:
*If you are cooking bacon or sausage too, use a bit of the grease from that instead of butter in the egg pan. This adds a bit more flavor.
*The circles of bread that are left over make a good small sandwich for little ones, or toast.
*If you are nervous about cracking the egg directly into the middle of the bread, crack the egg into a bowl first then slowly pour it into the middle of the bread.