Summertime Aperitvo

One thing that we picked up in Italy was the tradition of "aperitivo" which is that wonderful/fun/relaxing time of day when everyone stops working and meets friends or family for a drink. The drinks are always accompanied with snacks, which, in Italy, are usually things like olives, potato chips, peanuts, mortadella wrapped around bread sticks...

We haven't let go of the aperitivo tradition even though we're in Colorado for the summer - here are three aperitivo snacks we're loving this summer:

Kale chips! Recipe here.

Sweet potato fries with dipping sauce: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and peel one or two sweet potatoes and cut them into a French fry shape. Spread out over a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil (we like to add some truffle oil too!) and sprinkle with sea salt and a bit of paprika. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring once after 15 minutes. If you need to crisp them up further, you can stick them under the broiler for a few minutes at the end. For the dipping sauce, mix a bit of mayonnaise with a teaspoon of Sriracha.

Roasted Cashews with Rosemary: Mix unsalted, raw cashews with olive oil, fresh rosemary and salt and spread out on a baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until the cashews become crunchy.

 And - our favorite summer drink, the Paloma!