The Long Summer Caprese Bites

Tomato, Mozzarella, and Fresh Basil Bites with Balsalmic Vinegar

The Long Summer is finally drawing to a close, and that means that winter is coming. Hear at Cook's Landing, the long lunch seems to be winding up as well. And we all know what that means, dinner is coming. We're about to enter fall, or what we like to call "that awkward phase before dinner when you fill up on appetizers". 

So today we bring you Caprese Bites - the perfect, light appetizer for your pre-dinner treat.

You'll need:

Fresh basil leaves

Cherry tomatoes

Mozzarella cheese

Salt

Pepper

Balsamic vinegar

Toothpicks

Step 1: Cut the cheese into cubes. Put one cherry tomato, half a basil leaf, and one cube of cheese on each toothpick. I like to heat mine up in the oven so the cheese is warm. If you like it warm, preheat the oven to broil and place your bites on a pan. Let them sit in the oven for no longer than 1 minute so the cheese isn't too melted. 

Step 2: Sprinkle salt and pepper over your bites and then drizzle balsamic vinegar on top. I like to keep extra vinegar in a bowl with salt and pepper in it to dip the bites in.

And that's the whole process. An easy and delicious appetizer that anyone can make. Enjoy!

A Feast of Chickens

Dinner is coming...so get out those skillets, and let's get cooking!

Last week we showed you what to do with a dragon egg when things don't turn out as planned. I know, you sat in fire all night, and that egg just didn't want to hatch into a baby dragon. Oh well... at least there's guacamole! 

But with dinner coming, you'll need something to do with that guacamole that's more than just an appetizer. For that we have delicious chicken breast marinated in lime, jalapeño, and cilantro and topped with guacamole. This delicious meal will make you forget that dragon egg ever failed to hatch.

Chicken Breast with Guacamole Topping Recipe

Prep time: 10 minutes, Marinade time: 2-4 hours, Cook time: 15 minutes
Serves: 2-4

Ingredients:

2 Boneless chicken breasts

1/2 Cup of lime juice or juice from 3 to 4 fresh limes

20 Cilantro leaves 

1 Medium sized jalapeño finely chopped

1 tsp olive oil

Step 1: Thaw the chicken and place it in a ziploc bag. Add in olive oil, lime juice, cilantro leaves, and chopped jalapeño. Close the bag and shakes it so that the marinade fully covers the chicken. Then open the bag and reseal it so that the air is out of the bag. Place bag in the fridge for at least 2-4 hours. I find it's best if you let the chicken marinade over night, or if you put it in the fridge first thing in the morning and let it marinade until dinner time.

Step 2: Heat a skillet on medium heat. Remove chicken breasts from the ziploc bag and place them in the skillet. Cook each side of the chicken breast for five minutes. Remove from heat and slice the breast into strips. Place the strips back in the skillet and cook until brown on both sides. Cooking the strips won't take longer than five minutes.

Step 3: Prepare our delicious guacamole recipe, which you can find here. Serve with guacamole on top of the chicken. Make sure you have your favorite chips around for the leftover guacamole!

After the long lunch...