Carrabba's Scotty Thompson Appetizer Recipe

I love places that have an incredible history. I love the Italian way of life. I love the food. I love the people. I love the attitudes of Italians.

Elton John

Cinque Terre, Italy

The above quote is exactly how I feel about Italy.  I went to Italy about 3 years ago and I think I fell in love.  I too love the way of life, attitudes and people, but most of all I love the food.  I loved the way they used really fresh ingredients to make really high quality meals.  Ever since I went I've been in love with a freshly baked bread dipped in great olive oil, a caprese salad drizzled with a balsamic glaze and most of all a really good tomato sauce. Since then, I love to try these basic flavors in any kind of recipe.  Along with loving to make Italian food, I also love to eat Italian food.  My current favorite restaurant is Carrabba's and whenever the husband and I get a chance to go we always order the "Scotty Thompson" appetizer.  You won't find it on the menu but any Carrabba's will make it if you ask for it.  It is basically a fresh tomato sauce with slices of goat cheese on top of it served with grilled garlic bread....mmmmm  Recently I decided to use my tried and true tomato sauce recipe to attempt to make this appetizer and it turned out so simple and great I had to share!  Buon appetito!

Tuesday's Tip...Eating good in the big apple!

 Not only is New York the nation's melting pot, it is also the casserole, the chafing dish and the charcoal grill.

Mayor John V. Lindsay

From left: Amanda, Me, Caitlin

As you may know I recently traveled to New York to visit with some of my closest friends.  Three of us had been trying to plan a girls trip for a while and with two of us getting married recently, one of us becoming pregnant (NOT ME!) and one of us preparing to move overseas we felt the pressure of now or never.  So we joined forces, saved our money and prepared to have a blast in New York City.  One of the highlights of the trip was my sister in law taking us on a food tour and I swore I would share the food and locations when I got back.  So in keeping good with my promise I have included a TON of pictures below along with the names and locations (included in the links) of each place we visited.  So next time you're headed to NYC print out this list and stop by a few.  I'm sure you'll enjoy them as much as I did!