Pear and Prosciutto Bites w/ Gorgonzola

With fall quickly approaching, some of my favorite flavors are coming back into season, such as pears and arugula. Prosciutto, on the other hand, is always in season at my house.

You know that moment where you have random ingredients in your fridge and need to find a way to effectively combine them? Yeah, this is basically the child of that moment, but it's also a healthy and fantastic little appetizer when you're in a pinch. 

There is a basic set of ingredients that can also be changed up, depending entirely on what is in your fridge. Instead of blue cheese, a goat cheese can be substituted for a creamier texture. You can also use apples, instead of pears, so on and so forth until this recipe is far from your mind and you've created something new. I encourage it. 

Let's get into the actual "recipe" (I use the word lightly here).

What You Will Need for 16 Pieces: 

- 7-9 slices of Prosciutto, you'll cut each in half

- A handful or two of of washed Arugula

- 2 pears

- Gorgonzola or Stilton, about 4 oz

- 2 oz Balsamic glaze

For the Balsamic Glaze:

- Bring 4 oz (or more) of Balsamic vinegar to a boil and simmer on low heat until it thickens and reduces by half. 

- That's how to make balsamic glaze. Yes, seriously. 

What To Do:

- Wash and dry your pears. 

- Slice each pear into 8 pieces and core (no one likes to eat seeds). 

- Cut your cheese into bite size pieces and wash/dry the arugula. 

- Slice down the middle of each piece of prosciutto. 

- Wrap each piece of prosciutto around the pear, cheese and arugula.

- Drizzle with your cooled balsamic glaze and enjoy! 

Click Here for Printable Recipe!

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Strawberry Basil Mojito

With Labor Day weekend behind us, the end of summer is quickly approaching and there are only a few more hot and humid nights left before sweater and pumpkin spice season begins. This cocktail is my last ditch effort to enjoy the hot summer days before I wrap up in layers and hibernate until next summer. 

What You Will Need: 

- 2 oz white rum 

- 1/2 oz simple syrup

- Approximately 5 Mint Leaves 

- 1 Strawberry, sliced 

- soda water 

- 2-3 leaves of Basil 

- Ice 

What To Do: 

- Muddle the mint leaves, basil, strawberry, Simple Syrup and lime juice together. 

- Add ice and rum, shake and pour into serving glass. 

- Top with cold Soda Water and garnish with leftover mint.

- (Optional) strain after shaking to remove the muddled mint and basil leaves. 

- Serve immediately and enjoy! 

Printable Recipe Here!

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Quick Tip: Simple Syrup

Simple syrup is mostly used for cocktails and to sweeten tea, it's incredibly simple to make and lasts approximately a month in the fridge. Below are the steps to create this concoction and perfect your next drink.

Simple Syrup is a ratio recipe, 1:1, meaning the amounts of each ingredient depend entirely on your needs.

What You Will Need :

- 1 cup of granulated sugar
- 1 cup of water

Optional Ingredients :

- Sprig of Lavender
- Vanilla Pod, sliced down the middle.
- Handful of Mint

Use the above separately to make flavored simple syrups.

What To Do:

- Combine water and sugar in a sauce pan over medium high heat.
- Heat until the sugar dissolves and water turns clear. Avoid allowing the water to come to a boil, this will crystalize your sugar.
- If you are adding any flavoring, add it with the sugar and allow to sit in the mixture for a few minutes after taking it off the heat. Remove the mint/lavender/vanilla and allow to cool.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to one month.

Printable Recipe Here!

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