Insomnia and Rosemary-skewered nibbles

I may have mentioned (perhaps even harped) on the fact that I have been mind-haltingly preoccupied with a home we were all set to buy until an issue of the sellers caused the closing to have to occur in two days and without an inspection by our own person. To add to the fun, there are labrynthine hoops through which I must jump, all while I cannot track down my Husband who is floating around happily ignorant in an oversized grey tunafish can somewhere far west of here. I do not feel comfortable, Friends. with this whole set up. This deal is getting to be like a visit to Crazy Town: Where people have years to a sell house but wait until 70 days before the capital gains date and don't expect us to inspect pivotal things we buy which they have let go in every sense, in the name of escaping sums due to Uncle Sam which are the well-publicized and long standing result of dragging one's shiny patent Ferragamo's.

I know better than to deal with this. Educationally speaking, I know one or two things about contracts and can honestly say about them that I have never read one that was not hopelessly lopsided with benefits to one and clear losses to another. I am not going to be the loss girl here. I am shod in Tod's and prepared to go toe to toe but have decided that is an unnesssecary life-force expenditure and have elected instead to just call and explain (which is the utter truth) that our people are not ready to deal with their people 'til next week. Thus shushing the capital gains chatter once and for all. A house is a house is a house in the end and building attachment to inanimate objects one does not own is inadviseable and not one of the Hostess' flaws.

Time to start sleeping again and generating recipes you can use, the rest of this is nonsense needs to just pass into history.

Just a reminder then, that the plan wherever able, is to advise you the cost of the ingredients as we bought them and an estimate cost per piece in order to assist you in planning, budgeting, and executing your own parties...



Rosemary-skewered Mini Antipasto
Makes 80 pieces
$26 or $.33 per piece
1 hour

2 large bunches fresh rosemary (4.00 for both, I do not recommend Trader Joe's go to the herb bins in produce in a real store)
2 pounds bulk cured sausage (like sopressetta or dry salami), cut into 3/4" chunks ($12.00)
2 pounds bulk provolone cut into 3/4" chunks, or 3 lbs small fresh mozzerella balls in water, whole ($10.00)
1 recipe balsamic vinegarette or your favorite best-quality Italian-inspired vinegarette

If you intend to marinate the salami and provolone, pour the vinegarette into a shallow 8" dish. Place cheese and salami in the dressing, cover and refridgerate for a couple of hours at least.

With kitchen shears, cut the rosemary branches into 4" lengths. Strip the leaves from the lower three inches of the branches by grabbing the branch from the point you want to strip leaves and gently pulling backwards down the branch to free the leaves, leaving only the crown at the top. Save the leaves for another use (dry or freeze). Place the skewers in cool water until ready to use if within an hour or two, otherwise refridgerate in water.

To make the antipasto skewers:
Place a piece of salami on the skewer followed by a piece of cheese. You may resubmerge in the dressing, covered for a couple of hours until serving.