Sharing a meal....

Is there anything better then sitting around a table with a group of people you love, eating good food and talking about anything and everything? I don't think so.

Is there anything that helps old friends re-connect like devouring hot party pies and sausage rolls, buckets of tea and fresh from the oven apple and blueberry muffins? Nope.

To me, there is just something about having a table full of fresh hot food, a group of loved ones and the digging in and story telling and laughter and understanding that follows. It just can't be beaten.

Last Tuesday when Mum and Dad came for dinner, I decided to put my thinking hat on, and came up with Tapas...Balmer style....(which roughly translates to Tapas....with lots of cheese!)

Our 'humble' platter was made up of

- a loaf of thick white vienna bread which I sliced, fried and topped with mozarella cheese

- mushrooms stuffed with a mix of fetta, spinach and lemon juice;

- baked haloumi

- peppers stuffed with cream cheese

- risotto balls stuffed with mozarella

- polenta coated fried tomatoes

- roasted rosemary and sea salt potato bites

Now the surprise of the evening was the polenta coated fried tomatoes for me. I was a bit worried about how they would turn out, but when paired with a piece of fried bread and some gooey mozarella, they were the stand out of the night for me. And they were so easy....slice a tomato, dip the slices into egg and then coat in polenta, fry in hot oil and season with salt and pepper...couldn't be easier!

And you know, you could make all of this, park yourself on the couch with something alcoholic and the latest season of Game of Thrones or True Blood or whatever floats your boat, but to be honest, the secret ingredient in this dish, is sharing it with people who make you laugh, people who make you happy, people who will listen to the stories of your crappy day and make you forget all about it! And if those people are extra super duper special...you might make them a creme brulee too!

 

Hope you are all having a fantastic weekend!

Mrs B xx