Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Following Bloggers Out of the Box

Summer savory, summer sweet. I saw this on Stacey's blog of Stacey's Snacks and instantly coveted it. I was kicking myself for not thinking "outside the box."

I adore this - sweet, ripe, juices-dripping-down-the-sides-melon paired with salty, savory prosciutto. It's my "go-to," my "classic," my instant transportation to Italy. I never thought of it on skewers. I never thought about it as ka-bobs. As I hunker down into my theatre life, I am proposing: "What about 12th Night by Shakespeare set in the 1960's? A tale of a young girl building a bonfire to beckon the fairies to come to her and help cure her ailing mother?" What if? And while the "what-ifs" rattle my brain theatrically, they have closed off the food portion of my brain. Apparently my brain only permits me think outside the box on one subject at a time.


So, I turn to bloggers for inspiration, recipes and new journeys. Stacey had the grandest dressing - shallots and basil and please do visit her. Her melon-prosciutto- mozzarella/basil skewers are a string quartet of color and taste. A dance in the summer sun. Find the recipe here.
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Having been fortunate enough to have won a giveaway of Saporoso Balsamic Vinegar from Gera at Sweet Foods, I was like a little kid hopping around deciding how I should christen the bottle. The small cherry-tomato size mozzarella balls were rolled in a simple marinade of a touch of olive oil and a touch of my new Saporoso Balsamic with a whole bunch of basil cut into it. This special balsamic was so thickly rich, in deep-hued sweet-purple-red that just a few drops flavored eighteen mozzarella balls. Thank-you, Gera!


I could barely keep them on the plate long enough to photograph them. All right, Kirsten did give her prosciutto to Matthew (we sometimes do wonder where she came from) before she realized I had made her up her own skewers of melon and mozzarella balls without the prosciutto! (Ancient proverb: "do not waste prosciutto!") Gone in sixty seconds.
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And then there was this goat cheese tart from Ciao Chow Linda. Savory, tangy, creamy and offset with tender spring asparagus and sweet baby tomatoes. Her delectable recipe is here.

I browned it too much. I hurried, I rushed as is my design in the busy summer.


But in the end, no one cared. All was eaten. My mother and sister left with the recipe. I intend to do this again when the zucchini is in. And again in the fall with mushrooms....
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In these elfin days of exhaustion, I love going to blogs. I love not having to think of something new when I am dancing as fast as I can with my elves at work - mending, amending, editing and doing this aerobics thing I do when I direct children. (Or so my daughter says - methinks I embarrased her just a a tad in her elfin days).
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My worker-bee elves perform Friday. And then the elf life fades away to teen thespians and lesser-known stories from the Village of the Brothers Grimm. Who knows what cooking avenues will be unleashed when I come home from working with the teens? And if I remain in my box, I know there are bloggers who will drag me out. And between you and me, after Friday - I will miss the elves. All 33 of them.

29 comments:

Ciao Chow Linda said...

Thanks for the shout-out. You spend so much creative energy on your work with kids and that is more than fantastic. Hope the performance goes well.

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

Such a fabulous post of the best food bloggers have to offer, Claudia!
I agree on the "no prosciutto goes to waste" rule, as it is much too precious to waste.

Congratulations on winning that delectable balsamic vinegar!

Good luck with the final elf production on Friday ..I know you've given them both skills and memories they will always cherish!

Monet said...

Isn't the food blogging community amazing? I so enjoy finding all these wonderful recipes and people.

Anonymous said...

These are wonderful delicious dishes! I love the skewers, so summery!

Jen_from_NJ said...

I also get inspiration from Stacey and Linda - and of course you too! Good luck with the elves!

Sutapa said...

These are excellent dish for summer!

Whats Cookin Italian Style Cuisine said...

great choice for those skewers, colorful, light and perfect for beach outings. We always worry about things going bad in the hot sun, but these are easy to carry in a cooler as well. Great idea here! Good luck with your performance~

Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...

Both of these are winners in my book. Goat cheese is one of my favorites and will tend to favor recipes with it. I don't know how I missed these skewers of Stacey's. She comes up with very clever dishes. Thanks for pointing out both of these great dishes.
Sam

Wanda..... said...

You inspire me, Claudia, so I will visit Stacey's blog!

♥...Wanda

Anne said...

Oh! I just love your blog!
Have a wonderful day!

Wanda..... said...

Didn't mean to leave out Ciao Chow Linda...will go there too!!!

Angie's Recipes said...

I want to have your goat cheese tart with asparagus!! (Can't believe that 500 grams of green asparagus cost 4,99Euro here!!! ) But maybe I can try the recipe with zucchini. :-)) Thanks, Claudia!

Angie

OysterCulture said...

You are always a source of inspiration for all the yummy dishes you come up with.

I cannot wait to see all the amazing things you develop with Gera's balsamic vinegar.

Gera@SweetsFoodsBlog said...

Oh so wonderful to see your prize well used!! Happy to taste it at least virtually :)
Wow with mozzarella love it!! prosciutto and melon mmm impossible to resist too!!

(First link to my blog doesn’t work ;) there's an extra http..)

Glad to see the Saporoso Balsamic Vinegar in good hands :)

Cheers,

Gera

chow and chatter said...

oh wow its perfect that you won the balsamic vinegar and I learn so many cool recipes from fellow bloggers its wonderful

have a great weekend

Lazaro Cooks said...

Fantastic post. The blogland is ripe with incredible inspiration.

Be well...

Reeni said...

Those skewers look positively delicious! And I have been craving something baked and cheesy all week. The tart looks divine! Be sure to let us know how it goes with the elves!

Magic of Spice said...

What a great post...Everything looks wonderful:)

theUngourmet said...

I love these skewers! I thought the ones I found in BHG magazine were yummy but, oh boy, these look even better! Can't wait to give them a try. The goat cheese tart looks amazing as well. ;)

tasteofbeirut said...

That balsamic vinegar sounds wonderful! I would get inspired just with this, and would jump and get me some strawberries.
Love all the blogs you mentioned too.

fromBAtoParis said...

Some years ago, I spent a summer in Provence...for 15 days running, lunch and dinner? I ate melon and Italian ham....every day... I never got tired of it...the melons were the sweetest I had ever eaten (I think they were Italian....) and then the skewers...delicious post!

sweetlife said...

great eats and the skewers are perfect, love looking to bloggers for recipes

sweetlife

FOODESSA said...

Claudia...with your busy life and all, I'm certainly impressed with the fact that you not only put one meal together but two!
I do love pairing prosciutto di Parma with sweet cantaloupe. I can only wonder how that mozzarella held together?
The goat cheese tart looks wonderful...especially with the Claudia touch;o)
Thanks for sharing your discoveries.
Have a great weekend.

Ciao for now and flavourful wishes,
Claudia

Barbara GF said...

I must try that balsamic vinegar, Claudia. It sounds divine.
And I think that tart is a perfect hue.
Good luck with the show!

Sook said...

Thanks for sharing such great recipes! They all look so amazing.

Juliana said...

Oh! The skewers are such a ice treat for the Summer...beautiful :-)

My Little Space said...

Claudia, I hope everything went well in the play!
Kristy

My Little Space said...

Btw, that cheese tart sounds wonderful!

Stacey Snacks said...

How come I am just seeing these now?
and your zucchini blossoms look fabulous too!
Glad you liked the skewers, they were a big hit again this weekend!
Stacey