Hiya BetterMost friends!!!!
Welcome to the holiday weekend!
Things at work on Friday were stressful. I'm in the middle of what I refer to as "The Monster Report", and part of that report needs to be done by EOD Friday. However, I rely on other people getting their parts done, and they were all busy on Friday as well (trying to get done before the weekend) sooooooo I had to spend most of the day following up with them all reminding them the needed to do what they do so I could do what I needed to do.
Thankfully, everything was done by about 4:30 on Friday afternoon, so I had 30 minutes to spare.
Today (Saturday) has been a quiet day at home. I've gotten some small things done around the apartment, but other than that, nothing major going on.
Sunday I have my usual visit to mom and dad's, and doing laundry.
Monday afternoon I'm invited to a BBQ at 4:00, and I'm making an anitpasto salad. However, the weather may be crappy, so I'll have to see whether or not the event actually happens. I hope it does, as I picked up all the makings for the salad already, so I want to use them.
For those who don't know what an antipasto salad is, here's a description and pic.
Antipasto salad is known to be from Italy. It is a traditional Italian salad that is served as the first course during a meal. Most often an antipasto salads ingredients are slices of meat, various vegetables, olives, mushrooms tossed in a light oil or vinegar dressing. This antipasto salad is very similar to a traditional Italian salad that had all the flavor you are wanting.
An antipasto salad generally has some (or all) of the following ingredients:
Romaine: Chopped and made as the base to this Italian salad.
Green Olives: These typically come from a can and are halved leaving a tangy and zesty flavor to the salad.
Black Olives: Medium sized olives are best and taste amazing in this salad. They are soft in the salad with a hint of flavor.
Cherry Tomatoes: Slice in half and add fresh tomatoes and brighten this salad up.
Mini Pepperoni: Slice up and add into the salad for a sweet and spicy combination.
Pepperoncini: This mild pepper (barely above a bell pepper on the Scoville scale) has a sweet flavor when fresh. But it’s not fresh where its made its mark. In pickled form is where it shines. Pickled pepperoncini are common in (or on) many meals, including some American favorites like pizzas, salads, sub sandwiches, and Italian antipasto. It’s mild, tasty, and quite easy to find!
Genoa Salami: Thinly slice salami that is chewable and ready to eat once served.
Mozzarella Cheese Balls: These mozzarella cheese balls are one of my favorites for texture and adding to the salad.
Artichoke Hearts: Canned and comes perfectly cut for you. Just drain and add right to the salad without the work.
Provolone Cheese: Squared and squishy just the right amount of texture in between all the crunchy.
For my salad, I'm leaving out the roasted red peppers and artichoke hearts. Also, everyone is not fond of pepperoncini or olives, so I'm bringing them, and keeping them in separate contains, so people can add them to their portions, if they choose.