Caprese Salad Skewers

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Last week I was sending all my guys out the door at dinner time with the makings of a tailgate party for a high school football game. I admit I was a little nervous sending all this food with my husband -- he's not much for creating an attractive spread. Frankly, I was afraid he would forget to get most of the food out and it would go untouched. He did a good job, however, and said all the food was gobbled up -- no leftovers at all.

These skewers were sort of a last-minute thought I had while strolling (or racing) through the grocery store. I had bought fried chicken, and made a potato salad, but felt they needed something bright-tasting, but not too heavy. I grabbed a pint of grape tomatoes (actually they were called "cherry," but shaped like grape), 12 oz of fresh mozzarella cheese and a package of fresh basil leaves. I had the rest of the ingredients in the pantry. There is a huge difference between fresh mozzarella and low-moisture mozzarella. Fresh mozzarella has a really great texture, slightly firm but not hard. It has almost a meaty texture.

This salad would be just as good tossed in a bowl, but for a tailgate party the skewers were fun and convenient. Just use some bamboo skewers cut to a desired length -- I just used a few tomatoes and a few chunks of cheese each.

Caprese Salad Skewers

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
12 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup finely snipped basil leaves (or you can roll them and slice them thinly)
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
1/4 c. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 t. salt
1 t. lemon juice
1 t. Dijon mustard
1/8 t. pepper

Rinse tomatoes.
Cut mozzarella cheese in cubes -- about the size of the tomatoes.
Skewer tomatoes and cheese alternately on skewers or toss in a bowl to serve with a spoon.
Mix together vinegar, oil, garlic, salt, pepper, lemon juice and mustard in a container with a lid. Shake thoroughly to combine. Add basil and mix gently.
Pour dressing over skewers, or ingredients in bowl, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

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