Quick and Light Appetizer - and many photographs

Wow - what a week it has been - 7 baseball events in 5 days... some hail, some rain outs, some sunshine. As much of a commitment as all this baseball is for our family, it is fun social time for us! Brooke has settled in nicely in her role as little sis at the baseball field. She snacks her way through the games and loves the freedom to roam (I'm always watching her) and explore.

Here are some pictures that I snapped this weekend. I've had my camera with me for days - snapping what I can - she's the easiest at the baseball games because I don't have to worry about photographing through the fence.

I had fun playing with black and white. Turning a picture black and white is like muting the television. It takes all the noise away and leaves you with nothing but your thoughts - it adds a level of drama to the shot. I just love it!

But then without color, you miss out on blue eyes......

I love this one. Matthew and friends took her up to the playground to play - which I loved because not only did she have a blast, but it allowed me to watch Champ's game without having to keep one eyeball on Brooke! Here they are walking back down from the playground - it appears that Brooke is leading the pack...

I continued playing with pictures last night. Here are my best shots...

I find that I get the best shots when they are kind of doing their own thing - I follow them with my camera and say, "Hey, Champ!" - He quickly turns, I shoot the shot and BAM- there it is! It also works well with animals! That's our yellow lab, Sandy, up there - she's the best dog in the whole world! (don't we all feel that way?)

Matthew's team had a pre-game tailgate yesterday and I took a little appetizer. I wanted something light and low carb - so I decided to make some little skewers with grape tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella cheese - all drizzled with a little homemade balsamic dressing.

I looked everywhere in my kitchen for my wooden skewers. My sweet mom unpacked my kitchen for me the day we moved in, so every day, I'm on the hunt for something - it's such an adventure! I couldn't find the skewers - nor could I find any toothpicks - BUT, I did find these cute little party picks in my pantry and decided to use those. These little party picks are an example of holding onto something and waiting for the BEST time to use them - well, they have been sitting in my kitchen for 5 years. I used to hang on to stuff waiting for the perfect time - holding onto a gift card for that perfect occasion for which I have to buy something - saving a great, expensive bottle of wine for something ultra special - and occasions come and go and there I am still holding onto this stuff. So, over the past few years, I've adopted the philosophy that the every day is something to be celebrated! Who knows WHEN or IF that PERFECT occasion will come along, right? I'm all about celebrating the every day - because the every day is pretty darn awesome!

Okay, back on track I go....First, I made the balsamic dressing. My friend, Irmela, taught me how to make this years and years ago, and it's my go-to homemade dressing because it's easy and oh, so good!

Here is what you need:

What I forgot to picture here is my fresh lemon and pinch of sugar.

Here's the recipe:

Balsamic Vinaigrette ala Irmela

3 parts Oil (I use 2 parts Olive Oil and 1 part Canola Oil)
1 part Balsamic Vinegar
Salt and Pepper
Pinch of Sugar
Dollop of Sour Cream
Squeeze of Lemon

That's it! Now, as far as "parts" go - if you're making a huge salad and need to serve a TON of people, you can use 1/2 cup for each "part." That would make A LOT of dressing. For one family size salad, I use a spoonful - probably a little larger than a tablespoon (so it would be 3 TBS oil to 1 TBS Balsamic Vinegar). Mix all together and taste - then add anything if you think it needs it. It's delicious! The Sour Cream gives it that slight creaminess that it needs. It tastes so good! I put it into a container with a lid and shake vigorously before pouring.

After that was made, I chopped some grape tomatoes in half, cubed mozzarella cheese and tore off little pieces of basil. Seriously, this is one of the easiest appetizers I've ever made - with the exception of something store bought that's ready made. I first threaded some basil, then tomato, then basil and lastly cheese.  That's it!  Simple and really pretty...

 I then put the little skewers on my dish. If I had the little mini Triscuits, I would have put those on the sides, but I didn't - so I broke normal size Triscuits in half.

I wrapped it up with aluminum foil and took it to the tailgate. When I got there, I drizzled my Balsamic Vinaigrette all over the toothpicks and served! Super easy - light, healthy and delicious! And what a pretty presentation!

It's a gorgeous day so I'm off join my man outside in the yard.  Baby is asleep... boys are being boys outside and Matt is hard at work in the yard... I may try to sneak in a few pages of The Hunger Games before heading out....

Oh - one more thing.  I've got some spicy stewed beef cooking on my stove right now - compliments of The Pioneer Woman.  Mmmm... my house smells amazing!  Hopefully it'll be as good as she says it is and I'll blog all about it!