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! 

....this is the summer of the strawberry panty wetter!

Let's simplify this explanation.... I have a garden,with an abundance of basil.... I decided to come up with a cocktail to use some of it... okay most of it!  To explain the rest.... My favorite local band, The Swamp Tigers, are the headliners in my summer, maybe my year.  I'm not sure yet, but I can't seem to get enough of them lately!  That doesn't exactly explain things for you, though... the guys have mentioned that Blake's bass has been referred to as "the panty wetter".

Anywho, I made a delicious summer drink, THE drink of my summer.  ... so, the first night that I made this delicious concoction for myself, I was rocking a pretty sweet buzz!  Somehow, despite my intoxication, I managed to pull together a Swamp Tiger's inspired name for this strawberry-basil deliciousness in a glass - The Swamp Tigers and the drink are the only items necessary to explain my summer!  So, perhaps you should mix up a pitcher of strawberry panty wetters for yourself the next time you want the perfect summer night drink (not that PBR isn't the perfect summer night drink!  maybe you just need/want something other than beer - and I promise, this is NOT just a girly drink!  My family is full of hardcore beer dudes - most of them have tried it, and agree it is delish!) ... and DEFINITELY go catch the Swamp Tigers!

So, I think I am done with the pre-recipe ramblings, on with it!

What you will need

• A pitcher or two (2 Quarts will probably be a good size)
• Some strawberries
• A measuring cup (metric measurement is kinda necessary)
• A bunch of fresh basil  (if you want to forgo the cost at the grocery, I'm happy to share - come by the house, I have more than enough to share!  Honestly - I will give you a start of your own if you want!)
• Some sugar
• A potato masher, or a muddler
• A sharp knife
• A cutting board
• A sink with running water [(soap, and towel too... you will want to wash your hands, this gets sticky!) That's what he said!]
• Some prepared lemonade of your choice - we will say a quart (I use Country Time Pink Lemonade mix)
• Some gin
• Something to stir with

Alright, I think that is everything you need, other than some ice and glasses - and straws if your intentions include getting trashed!

Let's do this!

1. Rinse the strawberries and give them a slice.  Put the sliced strawberries in the bottom of the pitcher, and top them with a healthy dose of sugar.  (I add the sugar to ensure that the strawberries will be sweet - just guess on the amount of sugar by tasting the berries after smashing.)
2. Smash the berries with the potato masher or muddler.  Taste them to make sure that they are sweet enough, then set the pitcher aside. (Don't be gross, make sure you use a clean spoon, or clean hands - and don't double dip, sicko!)
3. Rinse the basil leaves, slice them in thin ribbons (that's a chiffonade for you fancy chefs out there) and stir the basil into the strawberries.
4. Add  200mL of gin to the berries and basil.  Then, stir in a quart of lemonade.
5. Let the flavors marry together for about an hour before serving.  Longer won't hurt!  **Disclaimer, beware of the strawberries the next day, they soak up the gin, and they WILL get you jacked up!**
6. When you are ready to serve, keep a stirring utensil handy. The strawberries sink, and the basil floats - just give it a stir before pouring so every glass will have gets some goodies!

I hope you enjoy!  Be sure to share your sausage links - and you'll have access to this recipe and other past recipes through the phoodos page!  And don't forget to check out The Swamp Tigers!! (Perhaps you'll be sharing your own ST-inspired recipe, too!)  Also, be on the lookout for Tequila Lime Wings and Carolina-style Slaw!  Happy Summer!