Watermelon and Cheese Bites

Once a year, we gather with some of our very best friends at their beautiful lake house. We go to the state fair, we play badminton, we watch movies, we sit around the campfire and we lounge around and talk and laugh and sing and dance.

And we eat. Oh, do we eat. A couple of weeks beforehand, we plan out the weekend menu, which is a conglomeration of traditional items that we have every year without fail (grilled pizza!) along with some new recipes that we are trying out. That's one of the great things about hanging out with old friends - you can test out brand-new things with nothing to fear...they are always up for adventure.

That is where these scrumptious little nibbles come from. You skewer mozzarella, watermelon chunks, a little bit of prosciutto and a mint leaf (do not even THINK about skipping the mint leaf. It is the part that makes this baby just perfect.) Drizzle the cheese with a little balsamic vinegar mixed with olive oil, and that's it! Until you start debating the order of ingredients on the toothpick.

And then have to go outside and photograph the dang thing all over again. Just remember, as long as the mint leaf still ends up on the top, you're golden!

Watermelon and Cheese Bites, adapted from one of my favorite blogs, Cook Eat Love

• Cubed watermelon
• Mozzarella - either the small round variety, or regular fresh mozzarella cut into cubes
• Very thin sliced prosciutto
• Small fresh mint leaves
• Olive oil
• Balsamic vinegar
• Toothpicks

1. Mix equal parts oil and vinegar - about 1/8 cup of each to start and increase depending on how many you are making.  Mix cheese and vinegar mixture until cheese is lightly coated.

2. Assemble watermelon, cheese, small folded pieces of prosciutto and mint leaves in whatever order you like.  Serve at once. 

and a mint leaf!

Click here for printable recipe