a happy day...

This photo belongs to how sweet it is!

This morning I more than enjoyed my almost four mile run.  It's funny how when you run you have really fun runs, runs where you just do it, runs where you are aware of every stride you are taking and very hard runs.  Nick is a real advocate of walking when you are having a hard time as he says, "At least your moving."  Anyway, the weather was perfect this morning for a long run and when I came home, I just felt good.  Today, my team is coming over for lunch.  I'm serving Hot Caprese Dip, vegetables with a dill sauce, roast beef sandwiches, macaroni salad and mini-cup cakes.  After some chatting, I'll share much necessary school "nuts and bolts" so we're all on the same page.  I like to start our year off together at my home where I can treat them special.  (Shhh, I even bought a bottle of champagne to toast to a great year!)  Then, my day will end seeing my guys which has been more than fun this summer as both are happy these days!

Hot Caprese Dip via how sweet it is

serves 2-4

Ingredients

10 ounces fresh mozzarella, chopped into cubes
2 roma tomatoes, seeded and juiced
3 tablespoons freshly chopped basil (or about 1 tablespoon dried) + more for garnish

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375.
• Make sure tomatoes have as much juiced squeezed out of them as possible – this will prevent the dip from becoming soupy.
• In a small baking dish, combine chopped cheese, tomatoes and basil and mix. Bake for 15 minutes, then broil for 2 minutes so cheese becomes bubbly and golden.
• Serve immediately with crackers or melba toasts.

Note: dip may appear “watery” which is why it is VERY important to get as much moisture out of the tomatoes as possible. Also make sure dip is consumed immediately, as the longer it sits, the more juice that develops. Don’t worry if there is a little bit of juice – it is still delicious!