Good morning!
Yeah, I know. I said in a previous newsletter, “every Tuesday!” with sincere enthusiasm, and then I did that for a whopping two Tuesdays in a row.
That’s okay. Y’all probably needed a little breakie from the fried toast anyway.
Weird, summerish temperatures have been making frequent appearances here in April — it’s 81ºF as I’m typing this — and I’m already veering towards summer salads and icy cold beverages even though I should know better (we often get random snow in April).
So, while I’m not finished with the fried toasts yet, you can expect an intermingling of summer eats — salads and pasta and the like. A bit early in the season (especially for fresh ingredient availability) but these days, I go where my cravings lead me, because life is short and all that stuff.
But in the meantime, I have a new fried toast on tap, plus a summer-worthy appetizer, and a newsletter-only dessert-y snack.
Mediterranean Burrata Fried Toast with Creamy Pesto
I think this baby is going to be my go-to summer side for salads and pastas. I basically grew up on cottage cheese and homegrown tomatoes on fried toast (my mom was obsessed with cottage cheese, and passed down the love to her daughters), and this new version is a turbocharged upgrade.
Creamy pesto made with whipped cottage cheese (it’s good, I pinkie-swear!), topped with prosciutto, tomatoes, olives, herbs. And, of course, an irresistible burrata ball. Oh, burrata. You are a magical thing.
I love the cornucopia of flavors and textures on this fried toast. More fillings, less bread!
Somehow, I’m still not done with my holiday cravings for appetizers. I wanted to include this recipe with my Christmas batch of apps, but it just didn’t happen. So, better late than never, is my motto.
But the more I stalk around these one-bite pizza appetizers, the more I’m convinced that they will fit in quite nicely with summer parties. You know where they’re the perfect match? Game night. As in, board games and card games.
Party-pick appetizers are great for such gatherings because there’s no mess: It’s one bite directly off the pick, and then you set the pick down. No getting smears of dips and spreads on your fingers … then on the cards and game pieces. No cracker crumbs. No Cheetos or Doritos dust. Just pizza meatball goodness, straight into the ole gob.
Don’t run away. I know that this is a bit like doing a post on how to boil water (although to be honest, my WWII vet dad could drive tanks but did not know how to boil water on the stove: the one time he tried, he earnestly set the heat to … low. Womp-womp).
ANYWAY. By now, I have this process down pat, with minimum time and oil. So if you’re stove-shy, it might be worth a quick review. Once you learn it, you’ll never need to refer to a recipe again.
I’m always a little skeptical about social media recipes. They’re fun to watch, for sure. But that’s the thing: The videos are created for entertainment, for views and likes. Not so much instruction.
Like the creator who video’d his recipe for pizza pull-aparts, assembled in a springform pan with a generous helping of butter sauce. He didn’t include a written recipe and failed to mention in the video that the springform pan should be placed on a rimmed baking sheet in the oven.
Anyone who’s worked with springform pans knew exactly what was going to happen next: Who-knows-how-many dozens of people tried his delicious-looking dish … and had their ovens catch on fire or billow with smoke when the butter sauce leaked out all over the very hot oven floor. The situation is still ongoing, despite copious warnings in the comments. 🫠🍿👀
But, when I saw fellow blogger Belly Full make this quick little dessert snack, it’s really the first social media thing I’ve been moved to try in a long time.
You take a single-serving cup of vanilla Greek yogurt (your preference re: sugar levels). Mix in a heaping tablespoon of peanut butter, and pour melted dark chocolate over the top. Add a sprinkling of flaky salt and chopped peanuts.
A high-protein Snickers bar in a bowl — it’s delicious!
This is going to be my summer dessert 🍨
Going forward, I’m going to make some small tweaks: I’ll use chunky peanut butter. And instead of tediously melting dark chocolate in the microwave, I’m just going to buy some dark chocolate fudge topping to pour over it, after letting the yogurt freeze up in the freezer a bit.
For anyone who’s kindly curious, my scan results were as expected, but there are things that need investigation. It’s always something!
Until next time, friends, stay kind 🫶🏻, wear sunscreen 🧴, and just use a Bundt pan for your pull-apart recipes 😂
Prayers are sent for your recovery and strength through this time.
Hahaha! My mom was deeply dedicated to cottage cheese, also! We had a Hood milk man deliver all kinds of dairy, and the wax paper carton of cottage cheese was always in the order! How I miss those old days in New England! I am still a lover of it. Always in my fridge, along with ricotta! This will be lunch tomorrow! You are a genius! Sorry to hear that you need further poking! My prayers are with you! And may the sun keep shining on you!