Creative Summer Salads

Caprese Salad Skewers
• 1 pint cherry/grape tomatoes

• 1 bunch basil leaves (need a leaf for every piece)

• 8 oz tub of bocconcini (little mozzarella balls)

• extra virgin olive oil

• balsamic glaze

• skewers to assemble the caprese

• coarse sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste

· Skewer a tomato, followed by a folded basil leaf, then a bocconcini ball… repeat if desired.

· Place each skewer in stand (I use foam to secure each stick – hide it in a cute container!) or arranged on a platter.

· Drizzle with balsamic glaze and season with coarse sea salt and cracked black pepper.

Parmesan Cheese Cups

· Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place oven rack in the middle of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

· Spoon level mounds of freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano cheese and spread mounds into approximately 3 inch circles in an even thickness with your fingers. (*If you make them too thick they will be chewy rather than crispy, and if you brown them too much they will taste bitter. Aim for batches of 6 to 8 per baking sheet so they will be easy to work with while still warm.)

· Bake about 5-6 minutes or until cheese is melted and any bubbles that form turn into a light golden crust. They should be golden in color and lacy in appearance.

· Remove from oven and allow crisps to cool slightly (1-2 minutes).

· Gently transfer the crisps to a muffin tin.

· Place a small drinking glass on top of each one to mold it into the shape of each muffin cup. Let cool until firm, about 5 minutes.

· Transfer to paper towels to “degrease” slightly. Fill with your favorite Caesar salad recipe. Top each salad with a cherry tomato.
Chicken Salad in Tomato Cups
· Several large tomatoes

· 1 bottle Brianna’s Poppy seed Dressing

· 1-2 cans Costco canned chicken

· Cut the top off of each tomato at an angle and hollow them out.

· Mix the poppy seed dressing into the canned chicken.

· Fill each tomato with the poppy seed chicken mixture and top with the tomato top!

“Take out” Chinese Chicken Salad with chopsticks

· Make your favorite Chinese chicken salad recipe (or cheat and buy the mix at Costco – it’s yummy!)

· Divide salad in several take out boxes.

· Close each box, attach chopsticks with cute ribbon and begin your deliveries!