Caprese Skewers

Last weekend, I went up to Chico to help my lovely friend Charise get ready for her housewarming party. She and her husband had just purchased their home about a month before, and she was requested backup for preparing for the event (read: shopping at Costco). After our journey to Costco and the resulting wine-o’clock recovery, we started prepping some of the food for the next day’s party. Because I’m unconditionally and irrevocably in love with cheese, I was thrilled when I saw a huge bag of mozzarella cheese packs in the fridge.  Charise was making caprese salad skewers and I was so excited!

I’d been dying to share this quick and easy appetizer with you all since I threw it together at my housewarming party. You know, the one I never posted anything about despite promising I would… And guys, these are the easiest fancy looking hors d’oeuvres ever. We made way, way more than what this recipe will make, but I did a ton of math and hard work for you guys to pare it down a bit and make it more manageable. I’m just kidding– I’m actually really bad at math.

Ingredients

• 32 cherry tomatoes
• 8 bocconcini mozzarella (medium-sized mozzarella balls) quartered, or 32  ciliegi mozzarella (the minis)
• 32 fresh basil leaves
• olive oil
• sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
• 32 toothpicks

Directions

1.  Skewer a tomato, a basil leaf, and a quarter piece of mozzarella onto a toothpick. Place on a tray or plate.
2. Once all of the ingredients are gone, drizzle olive oil over the skewers. Lightly dust with salt and pepper.

Seriously, that’s it. 

Makes 32 skewers.

You can get all fancy with frilly toothpicks or flavored olive oils, if you’d like. So now chow down, or have a glass of champers while you wait for your guests to arrive.

So. Much. Cheese.

I quartered a massive amount of cheese. A few were tested for deliciousness.

Please ignore my chipped nail polish. So embarrassing..

..but in case you were wondering, it’s OPI’s Miami Beet.

1 finished skewer.

We made two of these platters.

These little skewers are so tasty and light, you don’t feel like you’re overdoing it. Overdoing it happens when you have 7 meatballs, countless glasses of wine, 3 meatball and cheddar subs on mini croissants, and a gazillion strawberries dipped in yogurt dip, not that I would know.. The party was a complete success and I can’t wait to visit my old haunts soon!

P.S. Here’s a snapshot of the spread for the housewarming party Shaylyn & I threw forever ago. The spinach dip recipe has to make an appearance one of these days..

I may have gone a little overboard. Photo courtesy of Ms. Shaylyn.