Love at First Bite: Tomato Caprese Salad Recipe

Photo courtesy of Rob Stathem of foodsnaps.net

Tomato Caprese Salad

4 large ripe tomatoes, sliced ¼ inch thick

1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, washed and dried

Salt and pepper to taste

1 pound of fresh mozzarella, sliced ¼ inch thick

6 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

3 Tablespoons of Balsamic

Directions: On a large platter, alternate and overlap tomato slices, mozzarella cheese slices, and basil leaves. Drizzle olive oil and balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper. May place in the fridge to chill for ½ hour and may eliminate vinegar and add more olive oil if desired.

You can find more recipes at: http://www.ginameyers.com

Question from LA Weekly Magazine: Who has better culinary options, vampires or werewolves?

2. Who do you think has better culinary options, vampires or werewolves?

Well, since vampires don’t eat, werewolves would seem to have better culinary options. In Love at First Bite, I make sure there are plenty of Team Jacob culinary treats, such as Werewolf Chow, Wolf pack Waffles, and Jacob Black’s Grilled Cheese Sandwich. Sprinkled in Love at First Bite, are food quotes from the Twilight Saga books. Edward says, “I wasn’t hunting for food. I was actually trying my hand at, tracking. I’m not very good at it.” For that quote I have an Irritated Grizzly Bear Steak recipe. I also have for the Team Edward fans, I Dare You To Eat Pizza, Edward, Butterscotch Eyes (Bella says Edward’s eyes are the color butterscotch, it is a dessert with butterscotch pudding and little teddy grahams), as well as Vampire Blood Punch, and Edward’s Thirst Quencher.

Apple Cinnamon & Walnut Cookies, Love at First Bite, The Unofficial Twilight Cookbook

Apple Cinnamon and Walnut Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

½ cup shortening

1 1/3 cups packed brown sugar

1 egg

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup chopped California walnuts

1 cup apples – peeled, cored and finely diced

1 cup raisins

¼ cup milk

1 ½ cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

1 tablespoon butter

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

2 ½ tablespoons half-and-half cream

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Beat shortening and brown sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and blend thoroughly.
3. Stir together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.
4. Stir half the dry ingredients into creamed mixture. Stir walnuts, apples, and raisins, then stir in remaining half of dry ingredients and milk. Mix well.
5. Drop from tablespoon 1 ½ inches apart onto lightly greased baking sheet. Bake in the preheated 400 degree oven for 10-12 minuets. Remove cookies from oven, place on racks to cool slightly, and while still warm, spread with glaze.
6. To make glaze: Combine powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, and enough cream to make glaze of spreading consistency. Beat until smooth. Spread on warm cookies.

Question from LA Weekly Magazine: Most Difficult Dish To Prepare?

4. Which is the most difficult dish to prepare?
Harry’s Famous Fish Fry is pretty difficult since it calls for fish, so you have to go fishing. Jokes aside, The Lion and the Lamb Stew is a very complex recipe, quite like the relationship between Bella and Edward …and so the lion fell in love with the lamb.

Question from LA Weekly Magazine: Have Any Vampires bought my Love At First Bite Book?

1. Have any people claiming to be vampires bought your book?

No one claiming to be a vampire, but a tattoo artist did purchase the book. And a lot of Team Edward and Team Jacob fans. A female prison guard by the name of Velma (not to be confused with Scooby Doo’s Velma Dinkley), after seeing my culinary talents as broadcast on the evening news, camped out all night in her car to come to my book signing and drove a total four hours.