I know that football season is over, but in my household, college basketball has just begun.  March Madness is exactly that, Madness.  My husband and daughter absolutely love college basketball.  And not just the Badgers.  They watch and keep up with all teams.  It's crazy!

Here's a great appetizer for any game day.  Or any time you want.

This family loves proscuitto.  Are you familar with it?  I just Googled it for you.  It is an "Italian ham cured by drying and typically served in very thin slices."  We love it in recipes, wrapped around string cheese or mostly just by itself.  It is a little expensive, so we don't share it with others too much.

Mix proscuitto with fresh mozzarella cheese and you get a recipe for awesomeness!  Here's the recipe I found on Pinterest.

Proscuitto & Fresh Mozaarella on Grilled Garlic Toasts

makes 24 toasts
1 baguette
2 cloves of garlic, peeled
3 tablespoons of olive oil
8 ounces of fresh mozzarella, sliced
6 slices of prosciutto, thinly sliced
sea salt & cracked pepper
fresh basil, chopped

Prepare the bread by slicing it into thin slices.  Grill bread just before serving.  You can do it under the broiler in your oven, or on the grill.  Brush the bread with olive oil on one side.  If broiling, place them on a sheet oiled side up and place them under the broiler for 1-2 minutes.  Be careful not to burn!  If grilling, also grill the bread for 1-2 minutes.  When you remove them from the grill or oven, let them cool slightly, then rub the raw clove of garlic on each piece.

If grilling, brush the other side of the bread with oil, the put that side down on the baking sheet or tray.  If you are broiling in the oven, just keep the toasts on the sheet with their toasted side up. Top each piece of bread with small, thin slices of prosciutto.  Then, top each with a slice of fresh mozzarella.  Grill or broil the toasts for 2 minutes, or just until the mozzarella begins to melt.  Remove from the grill or broiler and top with salt, pepper and fresh basil.

 

As for the grilling part, we didn't make it that way.  When we had this, it was for a Packer Football game and it was a little too chilly to grill outside.  I did toast the bread in the oven and it did make a difference.  

This was a relatively easy appetizer to make.  The bread could be cut ahead of time and stored in an air tight container.  Definately don't grill it ahead of time.  It does have to be warm when served.  

I found the recipe here: http://jennysteffens.blogspot.com/2012/05/grilled-prosciutto-fresh-mozzarella.html

Until next time...Stampin' Always,

Cheryl, HomeStyle Stamper