We’re allliiiive!
The tornado sirens blared on and off all evening last night, but thankfully an actual tornado never made an appearance in our general vicinity. WHEW! 
Despite living in the Midwest my whole life, I’ve never actually witnessed or been in a tornado (knocking furiously on wood) and I have zero desire to change that status anytime in the near future. I hate tornadoes! They’re so freaky, right? Like, clouds should not spin that way…
Its rained on and off today, and is bone-chillingly damp and cold outside, so I made a bright and cheery looking salad for dinner. A cool Caprese Salad!
This took legit 3 minutes to put together and the flavors were so simple, pure and fresh.
I started with these gorgeous, ruby-red grape tomatoes I picked up at the store this weekend. I always get scared buying a carton of tomatoes for fear that the ones in the middle will be mushy, but nearly every single one was taut & crisp!
After a quick rinse under cool water, I sliced them in half and nestled them in baby spinach.
Next, I dotted on fresh mozzarella cheese,
blanketed the top with fresh basil,
chiffonaded like so…
sprinkled on briny capers,
and drenched the whole thing in sweet & syrupy balsamic reduction. 
Finally, the pièce de résistance – a drizzle of the most flavorful extra virgin olive oil I have EVER tasted – Tuscon Herb Olive Oil from Old Town Oil in Chicago. I want to drink this stuff!
After a last minute sprinkling of salt and pepper, it was salad straight-to-the-face.
Flavor explosion!
Eating a salad that tastes like this is an experience. It tastes like something special, know what I mean?
I think it’s the fresh basil. When I pick those first leaves off the stem, and smell that fresh, herby scent, I think of summer. Vacation. Italy. Sono soddisfatta! 
Obviously Big Fork Worthy…
In other news, I’ve had a case of the dizzies today. 
I think too much sugar is the culprit, starting with the Cinnamon Crunch Panera Bagel I picked up for a warm and luscious breakfast on my way into work.
Sugar grams are off the charts – but it was just one meal… Then I went to a workshop for work later in the morning, where there were piles of frooties and other delicious candies at everyone’s spot.
I heart frooties. I cannot control myself around them and ate like 80. Some days I’m very good at controlling my raging sweet tooth but other days, not so much…
If nothing else it’s a great lesson that for me, out of sight = out of mind. I have no problem not eating sugary goodies if they’re not right in front of my face, but unfortunately sweet treats are usually too hard to resist when they’re staring me down. Mental note: next time, remove unnecessary candy to a community table!
In other news, Top Chef All Stars is on tonight and the three remaining contestants get to cook for Masaharu Morimoto – my faaaaaavorite! I’ve loved MM ever since watching him battle in the OG Iron Chef Japan back in the day.
Please tell me someone else was as OBSESSED with Iron Chef Japan as I was??? I discovered it on late-night Food Network when I got back from living in Japan for a summer in college and watched it every night when I was homesick for my adopted country.
I can’t even watch Iron Chef America. Ugh! Blasphemy!
Have a good night!
~~~~~
What’s harder for you to pass up – sweet or salty foods?
I’m 27 weeks pregnant…. I eat it all:)
However, I’m having a boy and CRAVE boy foods like potatoes/wheat/cheese/salt/and meat!
So right now anything salty doesn’t get passed me:)
100% agree about Iron Chef on both fronts! The Japanese version was the best! The voice overs of the female Japanese actress judges??? So freakin’ hilarious!
I have trouble with the sweet tooth more . . . but then when I have a lot of sugar, I crave something salty to balance it out. Makes me feel completely out of whack!
I can’t believe you are having tornado warnings, while my family in MN is having a snowstorm practically. . . . craziness!!
Ah, that salad looks soo good right now! I want to make this so bad.
I literally cannot resist chocolate. It’s like it screams to me! Your salad looks tres refreshing!
That has to be the most beautiful salad I’ve seen in a long time! It looks like summer! I’d love it tonight. Thanks for the inspiration!
(I wasn’t so lucky with my recent purchase of grape tomatoes. They started to go fast, so I roasted them and added them to a quick pasta dish.)
I love thunderstorms. Seeing the clouds and lightning when listening to the thunder is awesome. I’ve seen a couple funnel clouds and my parents and friends saw the twister in Creston last night.
I cannot resist sweets if they are out in front of me. Usually if I crave something for days I’ll go get it. That is usually steak or the combination of peanut butter and chocolate.
Iron Chef Japan was AWESOME!!! I used to watch it all of the time! Iron Chef American doesn’t even come close to the real deal!
Your salad looks amazing! And I can’t say no to frooties either….strawberry banana were my favorite in high school. I’m not sure if they make them anymore.
At teacher professional developments, they always pass around big ole baskets of candy…so tempting!
I do not mind whatsover though when they have a coffee cart at professional development sessions, sometimes they go on and on and on!
I adore your big fork!
My husband is from Ohio and tells me about the tornado sirens that apparently sound just like our fire whistles and freaked him out the first 2 years he lived in NY, lol.
That caprese salad looks GORGEOUS! A hunk of bread and I’d be in heaven.
I love that huge fork!!! Want
Is it weird that I’ve never heard of frooties??
and that salad.. YUM.. is there anything better than fresh mozzarella? I think not!
I’ve never heard of them either! But i’d like to try some!
I love panara’s cinnamon crunch bagels!!! I havent had one in forever… now I am craving it!! I crave sweet foods… I just cant pass up brownies, cake, and icecream yummy
seriously? Caprese has my heart. I kid you not. Feed me this and I will be in love with you forever. My ultimate comfort food.
The salad looks amazing! I can’t pass up salt–it owns me.
Omggggg Iron Chef Japan! I wish I could watch it right now! How funny was the Japanese actress that was always a judge on there?! And she always giggled soooo awkwardly. Ugh love.
I loved Iron Chef, my best friend’s Dad could immitate the announcers voice exactly, It was hilarious. I’ve always wondered what it was like to take a bite out of a red pepper. I love thunderstorms as long as the clouds don’t rotate!!
have you ever tried vanilla tootsie rolls?? so so SOOOOO good!!!!!
mm i agree with stacy, vanilla tootsie rolls are the BEST! but ive never seen, frooties.
I grew up in OH & never witnessed a tornado or even so much as a funnel cloud–Until 2 years ago. There was a funnel cloud that passed south of my tiny town (I remember b/c I was in the middle of blogging & had to quick shut off the computer & run upstairs to get my son, then run down to the basement), and while I didn’t get to see it, I did see the sky turn green for the first time in my life! And last summer, I was on a bus trip back from MN, & we got stuck in a storm. I saw funnel clouds for the first time ever (I thought they were kind of cool, although if one had developed into a tornado, I probably would’ve freaked out!).
And as for sweet/salty…It depends. A couple days ago, I couldn’t get enough sugar. This evening, though, I polished off half a bag of kettle chips–Before my dinner, which was pizza!
Great post! It’s wwaayyyyy harder for me to pass up sweet foods rather than salty. I could care less about a pretzel, but I CANNOT put down my spoon around a carton of ice cream
.
I used to watch Iron Chef all the time! Morimoto is so hardcore!
I love this post.
So cute.
I will give into sweets and a coffee any day!
I love frooties too! The bank in the small town I grew up in always gave them away – mm!
I started reading your blog a few months ago and almost had to stop right away because you posted about the awesome food you made with items bought from Trader Joe’s.
I just recently moved from California to Colorado…where there aren’t any TJ’s. Seeing all those wonderful made me so homesick! But I’m glad I didn’t run away from your blog because, on a trip to El Paso, I stopped at Santa Fe, NM and THEY have a TJ’s. I picked up arancini bites because I’d seen them here on your blog and they looked fantastic. Too bad they tasted fantastic, I only got one box…
Anyway. Sweet foods are my downfall, especially if it’s in carb form!
Oh my gosh, I haven’t seen frooties since I was a kid! I definitely have a harder time with sweet foods, and don’t keep them around the house because it’s impossible for me to resist them! I’m not much better with salty food either, though!
Crazy tornado warnings! They never made it to my part of the state, but we did get a nasty storm. Pretty ironic that we are supposed to get snow this weekend, right?!
Tomatoes + balsamic + basil = my absolute favorite flavor combination! (Oh…you can’t forget the garlic!)
Your questions are always so dang difficult!!!!
Do I have to pick just one?
NO!
Love the salad! I can just taste it!
The weather has been nuts here in Wisconsin too, this front coming over the Midwest is all goofed up! I think sweets are harder to resist and give up… darn sweet tooth!
I just had a friend recommend this website to me on facebook and wowza! Your website made my mouth salivate just looking at the pictures of the delicious food! I’m a full-time college student who also works full-time during the evenings. My fridge is bare and I’m so busy that McDonalds employees have started calling me by name
. Do you have any suggestions on how to stock up a fridge or pantry? And how to prepare meals beforehand so I can stop relying on fast food. My skinny jeans are starting to dislike me.
Your Caprese looks so much better than the ones in the crappy neon lighted bars right here in Milano….
)
but it’s ‘sono soddisfattA’ as you are a womaaaaan… right? in italian they must always distinguish whether you’re a man or a woman – so annoying – but true!
a presto bella! (see ya soon beautiful
Baci
Tornado warning! That is really scary! I’m glad that you didn’t have to deal with that! We have been having snow showers and sleet here in PA for the past two days. It’s been annoying! Not very springlike!
The Caprese Salad looks beautiful! That is my favorite type of salad! I am totally going to have to make this one night!
You are not alone, I used to be obsessed with that show toooooooooooo!!
I cannot pass up sweets, but just like you, if they aren’t readily available or sitting in front of my face, I’m in the clear. Although, now I want a cinnamon crunch bagel…
that salad looks fabulous!
No contest. Salty.
When i was in France, my friend made me an ‘Italian Flag Salad” it was fresh mozzarella, tomato, and avacado. He sliced them about a 1/2 inch thick and layed them out in an arch. Drizzled with balsamic, it was not only beautiful but delish.. This is a good summer salad when the beef stake tomato’s are in season. When i make this at home i add Basil because i love the combination so much.
Sweets don’t tempt me at all but salt……..oh boy!!! Help me!!
Haha!! I was obsessed with Iron Chef Japan too, I watched it all the time!! The voice overs were hilarious
Sweets don’t tempt me, but salty tostitos and some salsa…oh yeah!! That salad looks amazing.
I definitely have a sweet tooth!!!
Frooties rock, but so do Panera cinnamon crunch bagels! I can’t resist sweet things. I have a bag with mini boxes of nerds at my desk. I usually have to have 1 a day!
oh sweet for sure!
I have never been in a tornado either, but my parents have. I have no desire either!
i’m so glad to know i’m not the only one who loses complete control around sweets. Sometimes I think, oh, i’ll just have one, but I’ve found that once the sugar touches my lips, it’s OVAH. If I just don’t start, I’m usually fine.
I live in St. Louis and we would go out and play during tornado sirens – the tornadoes never actually came and I always thought it’d be SO COOL to actually see one! Turns out a bad one tore up a street near me a few months ago…no bueno:(
And for me it’s hard to pass up sweets! Jars of M&Ms? I’m a goner. I made my mom hide the jar in our house!
It’s easier for me to pass up on salty, I always go for sweet!
You’ve helped me rekindle my love w/ balsalmic vinegar. The bruschetta pasta w/ balsalmic reduction is literally my favorite thing to eat now. I wrote about how much I <3 your blog on my blog!
Gosh that looks so fresh and tasty! I need something colorful like that to freshen up this cold day soon to be rainy day.
Sweet or salty? Can I combine both? Hehe okay I’ll pick salty cause for some reason i’ve been craving salty and vinegar foods lately.
I can’t pass up sweets to save my life. And they are my favorite thing to make so it seems like they are almost around. Since I gave up nut butters for lent, I have been really wanting sweets. I used to be able to curb my sweet tooth with a dip in the peanut butter. Now I’m trying to calm it down with blackberry applesauce… it sort of works.
Ugh. I LOVE both! I probably crave salty more, though. Even in the morning! But nut butter on anything is something I could eat any and every day.
Hi personally, bread items are my weakness like your bagel. And your donut recipe!
I had the old Chicago oil once. Do you have an easier assess suggestion. Vs going across interstate 80?
Salad is yummy looking.
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