Caprese Salad and The Town Parade


Today was the fourth of July parade. Our seats were at the unofficial official judges house who by the way really knows how to throw a party. The streets were lined with wall to wall people. The sun was out, the wind was blowing and you could feel the excitement in the air.


The parade started out with the umbrella marchers and ended with the towns’ fire truck. My favorite is the jellyfish. Every year there is something new. This year it was a wedding cake, not sure if the bride and groom were real or not as there was a big wedding in town 2 days ago.


For one of the get-togethers I made this caprese salad. I used four different kinds of tomatoes as you can see in the picture above. Cherokee purple are the two in the front. Not sure about the others, but what I can say is that there is nothing like a summer tomato. Fresh basil and mozzarella were added along with the romaine and red sail lettuces from my garden. I finished the salad with a balsamic fig vinaigrette and it was delicious. Check out this fresh and seasonal showstopper.


Ingredients:

1 small head romaine lettuce (cut into large ribbons)
1 head red sail lettuce (cut into large ribbons)
2 pounds tomatoes (slice different ways, depending on the size and shape)
8 ounces fresh mozzarella (little rounds balls) (cut in half)
¼ cup fresh basil (cut into small ribbons)
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
¼ teaspoon dried mustard
1 teaspoon honey
Salt and pepper to taste

To prepare:

Combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, mustard, honey and salt and pepper, mix well. Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary. ***I mixed mine in a small ball jar, easy to shake and serve***

Place lettuce into serving bowl, add tomatoes, mozzarella and basil. ***I served this dressing on the side so everyone could add their own***

Comments

  1. wow those tomatoes are so beautiful!

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  2. Those ingredients look amazing, I love caprese salad.

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  3. Cheri: Sounds like a fun celebration. And your salad looks both beautiful and delicious. Dena

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  4. What beautiful tomatoes to put in your salad, Cheri! They must have tasted so delicious. I love those little mozzarella balls, too. Thanks for sharing the pictures of the parade. It looks like it was a lot of fun!

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  5. This is such a lovely summer salad full of really pretty tomatoes.

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  6. The parade sounds like fun. Love this salad and the vinaigrette Cheri 😀

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    1. Thanks Tandy, you can't go wrong with seasonal fruits and veggies.

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  7. what a beautiful place for a parade! Beautiful salad. Such gorgeous tomatoes!

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  8. Those jelly fish are really creative! Sounds like a fun parade -- love the pictures. And I'd definitely build up an appetite watching it, and your Caprese salad would be just the thing. Fun post -- thanks.

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    1. Thanks John, I thought so too. Hope you are having a great week.

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  9. It is nearly lunchtime on a lightly sunny afternoon here and you have my mouth watering for those fresh tomatoes. Ours are not nearly ready yet. Your salad looks amazing and what a fun parade!

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    1. Thanks Mindy, I've noticed that people sure love their fireworks here.

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  10. Happy 4th of July. I'm glad you had good weather for your celebration. I love the wedding cake float! And what a beautiful and summary salad xx

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    1. Thanks Charlie, this was the second year in a row for good weather, sometimes it can be quite foggy.

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  11. This salad looks so beautiful and delicious!

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    1. Thanks Kushi, there is nothing like sweet summer tomatoes.

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  12. Classic...Americana and Italian...Delicious and delightful and undoubtedly enjoyed by all..What a treat to have 4 types of gorgeous tomatoes to use!

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    1. Hi Kim, some of the farmers go to the coast on the week-ends, that is why we are able to get our hands on them. I can only grow cherry tomatoes sometimes....where we are. Take care!

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  14. Dear Cheri, what a fun parade and what an utterly beautiful tomato salad!

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    1. Thanks Andrea, tomatoes are some of my favorite summer veggies!!

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  15. the caprese combination is one of my all-time favorites! we had a town parade where i grew up, and i loved it! the big city of charlotte's parades are far less enjoyable... :o

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    1. It's one of my favorite to Grace, you can't be the taste of fresh summer tomatoes.

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  16. Looks fantastic, Cheri! Small town parades like yours are so special. Wherever we are - the U.S. or abroad - we always love to see local celebrations. Yours sounds incredibly fun!

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    1. Thanks David, it's quirky and fun, we love the locals.

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  17. I also fell over when I opened your page this morning, Cheri! Everything looks so beautiful - wow. Your photos really shine, the page is easy to navigate and your words seem to have so much power on the page! I don't know if that last piece makes sense but I'm guessing you know what I mean. Linda really outdid herself - absolutely love it!

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    1. I know she is amazing, my old site looked so drab and dreary but I did not even realize it until now.

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  18. What a fun parade - I love a small town life! I love these tomatoes too - and we have some fig balsamic in the cabinet! Once again - your site redesign is beautiful. I love everything about it! Congratulations.

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    1. Thanks Tricia, I finally got up enough nerve. Appreciate it!

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  19. I am one of the veg foodie that like to try every recipe i come to know. I just stumble by this great recipe and sure i am gonna give this a try.

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  20. I am very fond of eating salad recipe and i will really make this very soon. Thanks for sharing!

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  21. I really like this recipe and you have explain it so nicely. I will surely cook this very soon.

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  22. Well, seriously I have made this recipe last night and it worked like charm for me. This jaw widening dish liked by all my guests and I really appreciate you to provide such a great recipes.
    It really helped my son to celebrate his birthday and enjoy everyone who came.
    Thank you!

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