Summer is coming early in my neck of the woods in the form of 80-degree days and a swarm of carpenter bees outside my door.  When the temperatures rise, all my million or so sweat glands and I want to do is laze in front of the fan and dream of colder climes and less soggy days.  However, there is the matter of eating.  Ovens are out entirely and the stove is my enemy.  Heavy foods are an invitation to nap, and so this year I plan to make appetizer dinners and dinner salads my mainstays.  I’m sure these easy and delicious bites of mozzarella and grape tomatoes will be a recurring favorite as I mop my brow and dream of blustery winds. Mini Caprese Bites Courtesy of Southern Living May 2008 Makes 8 appetizer servings Prep Time: 20 Minutes Ingredients: 1 pt. grape tomatoes, halved 10 to 14 fresh small mozzarella cheese balls, cut into thirds* 32 (4-inch) wooden skewers or toothpicks 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 6 thinly sliced fresh basil leaves Kosher salt and pepper to taste Preparation: 1. Thread 1 tomato half, 1 piece of cheese, and another tomato half onto each skewer. Place skewers in a shallow serving dish. 2. Whisk together oil and next 3 ingredients. Drizzle oil mixture over skewers; sprinkle with basil and salt and pepper to taste. *1 (8-oz.) package fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, may be substituted. If you liked this post, please do us the further boon of Liking the Fierce and Nerdy page on FaceBook. Also, we’re giving great stream on Twitter, so do give us follow. featured image credit:...