Eat Me! ...I'm easy!

Okay, I know this is late.. might as well consider it early!  I did give you an entire menu last week!  Here's a quick, easy, and rather healthy dish.  Serve it as a side, or make it the star of lunch!  Honestly, this would be delish as a sandwich.  Get some good crusty bread, take a stance on including the basil or not.... I can GUARANTEE it will be delicious, because I ate it every day when I went to Italy!

Sooooo, hit the farmer's market, or your garden, or any other place you can get some tomatoes.... and get ready for this!

What you'll need

• Tomatoes
• Mozzarella (not the tiny balls, and not the super hard block)
• Olive Oil (the good stuff)
• Salt (I use sea salt in a grinder - FANCY)
• Pepper (freshly cracked is better on this one)
• Fresh Basil
• A knife (pretty sharp one)
• A cutting board
• A decent size plate/platter
• Tongs
• Sink, running water, soap, kitchen towels (yes, the s is there for a reason)

I'm fairly sure that is all you'll need to get this one together.  I'll stop dragging my feet, and get a move on!

Let's do this!

1. Wash your dirty hands! (I don't want to know where those paws have been, I imagine it isn't good...wallet, grocery store aisle, garden dirt, seeeeeee!) Yes: water, soap, ABCs, water, towel.
2. After your hands are clean, give your tomatoes and basil a shower.  When you're comfortable with the level of cleanliness your produce has achieved, let it rest on a kitchen towel to drip dry a bit.
3. Gather your remaining items in a central location, bring the produce over to the party, and let's get chopping!
4. (Cutting board + knife + careful use......) Slice your tomatoes, grind some S&P over them, then let them rest on the platter while you slice the mozzarella.  (Yep.  Cross-contaminate to your heart's desire.  Honestly, I don't think you're cross-contaminating jack in the situation!  The stuff is all going together in a raw presentation, no big freakin' deal!  Obviously, if something is wrong with your board or tomatoes, you'll already be getting sick when you eat the tomatoes!  Don't be ridiculous!  Use a clean board when you start, and I already told you to wash off your produce.)
5. Once you have your tomatoes and cheese sliced, arrange in the fashion you prefer.  I do lines, alternating tomato and cheese.... 
6. Once arranged, drizzle some good olive oil over the top, add a bit more S&P if needed, and give it a rest while you quickly chop the basil.
7. Once chopped, sprinkle the basil over the top, garnish with a few leaves if desired.

Done and done!  Simple, quick, and delicious!  Notice, I didn't give you any idea of how much tomato or cheese to use.  I feed about six, side-dish style... with two big tomatoes and an equivalent amount of cheese.  You know I don't actually measure stuff when it isn't necessary!  Leftovers are great on a sandwich: hot or cold... yep!  make it a panini!  If you don't make enough, it should be easy enough to make another round!  Do enjoy!  Share your stuff with us via sausage links, and despite the simple instructions that I expect you'll have memorized... this will be indexed in phoodos for your convenience!  Happy cheffery!