A friend was taking a trip to Ireland and asked if A friend was taking a trip to Ireland and asked if I wanted her to bring me back anything. Would you believe me if I told you I asked for salt? I love picking up different varieties, whether we’re traveling or I’m just visiting a new shop. Maddie grabbed me a super cute one from her trip to Paris last year, and the Magic Unicorn Salt I get locally is another favorite. What’s yours?
One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a serious case of FOMO on the daily, gets hiccups more than anyone we know and has perpetual bed head. She’s quite the unique roommate but may be exactly what our home needed. 💛
I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw th I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw that @njdotcom had picked six bagel shops at the “best in the state,” and one was reasonably local, all the sudden I needed one. I was never one to fall prey to peer pressure, but I’m very definitely a marketer’s dream. 😂 Alfa Bagels is on Route 10 in Randolph and has a good assortment of bagels, including all the usual suspects, but with a few others like rainbow, Asiago and French Toast throw in for good measure. Their bagels always seem to have a nice chew, which I appreciate and I love their sesame one. My go-to order lately is a double toasted flagel with lox spread and tomato. Their lox spread is a little ho hum, but the bagel is delish. Check them out next time you’ve got a craving (or get motivated by a local news story 😝). What’s your bagel order?
✌🏻 ✌🏻
When you really really really want to be best frie When you really really really want to be best friends. 💛
When a stressful week with deadlines ends with Nat When a stressful week with deadlines ends with National Cheese Lovers Day, how could I not partake? Tbh, I wasn’t especially hungry, and the appetizers are always the best section of any menu, so the queso blanco from El Mejicano in town wasn’t too hard a choice. It’s smoky and cheesy and I could have licked the bowl clean, but a girl’s gotta have some boundaries. Happy weekend, friends! ✨
A friend saw this placard and said it reminded her A friend saw this placard and said it reminded her of me and dropped it off in our mailbox, which really touched me. 💛 Life is too freaking short not to make conscious decisions to do more of what makes you happy, and to cut out the things that don’t. Rainbow Rowell said it best, “So, what if, instead of thinking about solving you whole life, you just think about adding additional good things. One at a time. Just let your pile of good things grow.”
The face and the daily hiccups… 😍 The face and the daily hiccups… 😍
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Food and Life

Marinated Mozzarella

March 8, 2009 · Narrative

Marinated MozzarellaThe day after Madeline‘s trip to the hospital last week, my mom watched her for a bit so I could escape to the store and shore up on a few much needed groceries.  By that time it had been a few days since I had left the house, and rations (milk! medicine!) were getting low.  While I was there, I wanted to pick up something simple for an easy dinner that night and poked around the pre-made stuff that they make in-store.  We haven’t had stuffed shells in ages, so I grabbed a package, and added garlic bread and fresh mozzarella.

The shells?  Well, suffice it to say they were the blandest thing I have eaten since the hospital food I had when I had Madeline a year ago.  No amount of doctoring could have saved them, and I’ll know to skip them the next time I want a shortcut.  Some shortcuts just ain’t worth it.  Now for the fresh mozzarella, I took a page, literally and figuratively, from Sandra Lee, the Queen of Semi-Homemade.  Normally I don’t gravitate towards her recipes, but this one didn’t use as much in the way of processed items as her usual fare does.

You know those marinated balls of mozzarella you can buy at the store?  Well this recipe is to basically make those, saving you a little bit of extra money, because if you buy them already done at the store, they tend to get a little bit pricey.  And these days, quite frankly, every penny counts.  Really.  When I bought the mozzarella, I also grabbed a chunk of soppressatta, since I know the boys love the stuff, and I thought it would plate nicely with the marinated cheese.

Marinated Mozzarella by NickThe mozzarella took just a few minutes to pull together and was a nice, simple starter to our throw-together Italian dinner, and perhaps the saving grace given the stuffed shells disaster.  It would make a great starter for a dinner party … add a few fancy little mini-skewers or toothpicks for spearing the balls, and you’re on your way to easy appetizer prep.  The only change I would make next time is to use a smidge less lemon juice, otherwise, perfect.  Sandra Lee, who knew?

Nick gets credit for the second picture.  Now any time he sees me taking a picture of food, he asks for a turn too.  He thinks carefully about how to arrange the background and the plate and takes different shots at different angles.  He’s getting quite good at it actually, and it’s only fair he gets his due.

Marinated Mozzarella Balls
Recipe courtesy of Sandra Lee’s Semi-Homemade magazine
Makes about 12 servings

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (halve next time)
2 teaspoons parsley herb blend, Gourmet Garden (I used regular dried parsley)
2 teaspoons basil herb blend, Gourmet Garden (I used regular dried basil, although fresh would be great too)
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 (8 oz) container fresh small mozzarella balls, drained

In a medium bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, parsley blend, basil blend, and red pepper.  Add mozzarella, and stir gently to combine.

Cate’s Note:  There is a recipe note that says that you can store this in the refrigerator for up to a week.  Um, have you ever put olive oil in the fridge?  Yuck.  It gets all congealed.  No thank you.  If you have some leftover, try draining the olive oil as best as you can.

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Posted In: Narrative

Comments

  1. Elaine - The Gourmet Girl says

    March 9, 2009 at 8:35 am

    Take the leftover olive oil, after draining, and combine to make a delightful dressing for your dinner salad.
    I agree, why would you refrigerate it, yellow/green sludge is anything but appealing.
    Thank you for sharing this quick and easy ‘recipe.’
    Sorry, forgot to add great post! Can’t wait to see your next post!

    Reply
    • Paul says

      April 29, 2012 at 8:38 am

      Nothing actually happens to olive oil in the fridge except that id solidifies. Leave it out on the counter top for an hour or so (or run the jar under warm water) and it will melt out and you will be right back where you started. It’s a bit like water in the freezer really!!!

      Reply
  2. melissa says

    March 9, 2009 at 1:40 pm

    cheese should be eaten at room temperature for maximum flavor enjoyment. by the time the cheese hits the right temperature, your olive oil should be drizzly thin – worth keeping in fridge and definitely worth saving for a few days…

    Reply
  3. Sarah says

    March 9, 2009 at 11:17 pm

    I have never, ever, ever made a Sandra Lee recipe … But I might have to try this one with fresh herbs. Cause that cheese looks absolutely delish …

    Tell Nick that I am really, really impressed with his photo! And great idea with the two plates! He has a great eye.

    Sarahs last blog post..Don’t Call Me a Foodie

    Reply
  4. Emily Z says

    December 4, 2010 at 3:27 pm

    I am having a holiday party tonight and bought some mozz balls stored in water… I wanted to make my own marinade for them and googled it and found yours. It is exactly what I was looking for. I am going to re-post this on my own blog, but I will link back to yours! Nice to stumble upon you!

    Reply

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A friend was taking a trip to Ireland and asked if A friend was taking a trip to Ireland and asked if I wanted her to bring me back anything. Would you believe me if I told you I asked for salt? I love picking up different varieties, whether we’re traveling or I’m just visiting a new shop. Maddie grabbed me a super cute one from her trip to Paris last year, and the Magic Unicorn Salt I get locally is another favorite. What’s yours?
One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a serious case of FOMO on the daily, gets hiccups more than anyone we know and has perpetual bed head. She’s quite the unique roommate but may be exactly what our home needed. 💛
I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw th I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw that @njdotcom had picked six bagel shops at the “best in the state,” and one was reasonably local, all the sudden I needed one. I was never one to fall prey to peer pressure, but I’m very definitely a marketer’s dream. 😂 Alfa Bagels is on Route 10 in Randolph and has a good assortment of bagels, including all the usual suspects, but with a few others like rainbow, Asiago and French Toast throw in for good measure. Their bagels always seem to have a nice chew, which I appreciate and I love their sesame one. My go-to order lately is a double toasted flagel with lox spread and tomato. Their lox spread is a little ho hum, but the bagel is delish. Check them out next time you’ve got a craving (or get motivated by a local news story 😝). What’s your bagel order?
✌🏻 ✌🏻

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A friend was taking a trip to Ireland and asked if A friend was taking a trip to Ireland and asked if I wanted her to bring me back anything. Would you believe me if I told you I asked for salt? I love picking up different varieties, whether we’re traveling or I’m just visiting a new shop. Maddie grabbed me a super cute one from her trip to Paris last year, and the Magic Unicorn Salt I get locally is another favorite. What’s yours?
One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a serious case of FOMO on the daily, gets hiccups more than anyone we know and has perpetual bed head. She’s quite the unique roommate but may be exactly what our home needed. 💛
I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw th I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw that @njdotcom had picked six bagel shops at the “best in the state,” and one was reasonably local, all the sudden I needed one. I was never one to fall prey to peer pressure, but I’m very definitely a marketer’s dream. 😂 Alfa Bagels is on Route 10 in Randolph and has a good assortment of bagels, including all the usual suspects, but with a few others like rainbow, Asiago and French Toast throw in for good measure. Their bagels always seem to have a nice chew, which I appreciate and I love their sesame one. My go-to order lately is a double toasted flagel with lox spread and tomato. Their lox spread is a little ho hum, but the bagel is delish. Check them out next time you’ve got a craving (or get motivated by a local news story 😝). What’s your bagel order?
✌🏻 ✌🏻
When you really really really want to be best frie When you really really really want to be best friends. 💛
When a stressful week with deadlines ends with Nat When a stressful week with deadlines ends with National Cheese Lovers Day, how could I not partake? Tbh, I wasn’t especially hungry, and the appetizers are always the best section of any menu, so the queso blanco from El Mejicano in town wasn’t too hard a choice. It’s smoky and cheesy and I could have licked the bowl clean, but a girl’s gotta have some boundaries. Happy weekend, friends! ✨
A friend saw this placard and said it reminded her A friend saw this placard and said it reminded her of me and dropped it off in our mailbox, which really touched me. 💛 Life is too freaking short not to make conscious decisions to do more of what makes you happy, and to cut out the things that don’t. Rainbow Rowell said it best, “So, what if, instead of thinking about solving you whole life, you just think about adding additional good things. One at a time. Just let your pile of good things grow.”
The face and the daily hiccups… 😍 The face and the daily hiccups… 😍

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