Summer’s Simple Pleasures

July 18, 2011

Caprese salad

It’s that time of year again! When tomatoes start ripening, and the basil grows big and bushy. Of course, I’ve killed my basil and I only have one ripe San Marzano thus far, but that isn’t holding me back. My CSA was full of Roma tomatoes and basil this week, and what better to make than the classic combo — tomatoes, basil, fresh mozzarella — a Caprese salad.

During summer I eat these every chance I get. Breakfast, snack, lunch, appetizer, between two slices of bread if I need more sustenance. While you could simply throw the three ingredients together and it would taste wonderful, there are a couple of additions that I like to add to take this over the top. Want to know what they are? (more…)

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Courtney’s Peach Tomato Panini

July 14, 2011

Courtney's Peach Tomato Panini

Yesterday I picked up my CSA fruits and veggies, and among other things, there were peaches, a variety of tomatoes, the cutest little red onions, and basil in my box. Last week I remember seeing a panini somewhere that used peaches (not sure what else), which inspired me to make my own peach panini.

One of my favorite Italian restaurants around here has a peach, tomato, and red onion salad on their menu that I love. I know it may sound weird to some, but think of peach salsa – similar ingredients and oh so savory. So I popped by the store to pick up a loaf of French country bread (soft and larger than a baguette) and some fresh mozzarella. (more…)

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Grilled cheese panino

October 27, 2010

Mozzarella Grilled Cheese

Remember the days of Food Network actually having shows with cooking? Ahhh, barely. Thinking of that is almost as nostalgic as the show this recipe came from. Tyler Florence had decided to create an ultimate rainy day menu, which consisted of chicken soup, grilled cheese, and brownies. All with a gourmet twist of course.

With our rainy weekend and cooler days, I decided to make a grilled cheese panino, layering fresh mozzarella, pesto, and tomatoes on Acme’s Herb Slab, then weighting it down to grill until the cheese was nice and oozy. (more…)

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