Caprese

Heirloom tomatoes are so pretty. Seriously, have you ever seen a prettier tomato?

Sadly for this particular tomato (but joyously for me), it soon became this:

(Yes, that's dried basil. I did not plan well. Don't judge me.)

I have a serious addiction to Caprese in all forms - salads, stacks, pizzas, pastas, you name it. If it's on a menu, I'll order it. If I have the stuff to make it, I'll make it. If tomatoes are in season...well, you get the idea.

Speaking of tomatoes in season...

My mother has a green thumb. Oddly, I inherited a black thumb from who-knows-where and I can't keep a plant (or a fish, for that matter) alive even if I try really, really hard.

So, my green-thumbed mother decided to grow a garden this year. In one of the hottest summers in Texas in a long time. 

It's thriving. Over-producing, even.

I think she's come to visit us simply to pawn off produce. Which I have no problem with.

She's grown cucumbers, jalepenos, beautiful red tomatoes, and the most delicious green tiger tomatoes in the history of the world.

So what did I do when she dumped the fruits of her labor off on me?

I'm telling you - OB. SESS. ION. Add in the love and sunshine from a homegrown tomato and there's no comparison.

A better summer meal than what is shown above does not exist. Period.

Unless you plan well enough to have fresh basil around.

My Big Fat Italian-Food-Filled Weekend

Weekends are heavenly.

This weekend consisted mostly of a reading marathon. 

{Pause to push glasses up on nose.} 

After weeks of not being able to get into The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, I got finally got sucked into the story and couldn't put it down. Couple that with multiple glasses of wine, afternoon naps, an action movie at an air-conditioned theatre (holy crap it's hot), and a short trip to the pool, and you have one lazy, relaxing weekend.

Saturday night we engaged in one of our most favorite pastimes - eating pizza. Luckily, there's a great local-ish place about 10 minutes from our house that has gluten-free pizza is BYOB...AND we just happened to have a previously purchased Groupon for. Score! 

We each got a pizza, not because we each needed a whole pizza, but because I'm stingy and like to have leftovers to eat later. Hey - it's not very often I get gluten-free pizza made FOR me! My pizza was topped with pesto, artichoke hearts, roasted chicken, tomatoes and mushrooms.

Yeah. It was good.

I pretty much had to go straight to bed when we got home. I ate entirely too much of it. I don't care - it was worth it.

This morning, after a cup of coffee and a small breakfast, The Hubby and I went to the grocery store to beat the crowds (and the heat). There is nothing I love more than looking into my refrigerator after a trip to the grocery store (especially during the summer) and seeing a drawer full of fresh produce and protein. 

Fresh shrimp was on sale, as were cherry tomatoes, so we decided on a light pasta dish for dinner tonight. As an extra special treat, The Hubby cooked while I attempted to keep our kitchen cool with this:

No, I'm not being dramatic. Yes, it was (is) that hot. 

Did I mention it was 108º today?

Onward.

Shrimp pan-seared with olive oil and garlic (and salt & pepper).

Pan-seared shrimp removed from pan. Hot pan de-glazed with white wine.

Addition of burst cherry tomatoes, salt & pepper, more wine, butter, and more olive oil.

Shrimp added back in to pan sauce, then tossed with freshly cooked pasta.

Fresh basil added at the end.

Hear that? I hear angels singing. 

I think I could eat pizza and pasta for every meal. It's so easy to make both healthy and still satisfying in a way that nothing else is. 

Add some wine...and you have heaven. 

-K

Such is life.

Hello friends. Freends, if you will. Ha! Get it?

Hmm. Okay. Nevermind.

I have to be honest. I just haven't felt like blogging lately. I know you've missed me. Right?

Right?

...Bueller? ...Bueller?

I've had a lot on my mind. Nothing major - just stuff that makes me gravitate toward laying on the couch with a glass of wine (after a day at work, mind you) rather than flex my creative muscles and sit down and write or play with my camera. A funk/lazy period, if you will.

But now I'm at the point where I've missed this. You. The escape. The fun. All that jazz.

I'm currently sprawled on the couch with my laptop in...well...my lap. Imagine that. Out of the corner of my eye I can see Toby, my precious 6-year-old striped/spotted brown fat tabby cat, also sprawled, but across the living room rug, in an attempt to cool off from the heat. Or to relax. Whatever. His little brother, Hobbes, a grey tuxedo tabby, is pacing the floor waiting for The Hubby to get home from class. This seemingly unimportant stuff makes me happy.

It's the little things. Write that down.

Pretty soon The Hubby will walk in the door, thankful to have missed the thunderstorm that just passed through. For the past month, I've seen him for only about an hour (sometimes two) each day. Funny how life just gets in the way of seeing those we love. I miss him - but I'm so proud of him. Plus, this week is the last week of summer school, and I get him back. We already have a date set for the weekend to go get gluten-free pizza. How great is that?

These past weeks I've had to improvise when it comes to dinners during the week. If I'm not cooking for both of us, chances are I'm not cooking at all. Luckily, I've had dinners with friends planned and meetings that have run late enough to justify eating Cheetos for dinner. What? You don't do that? Liar.

Tonight was a little different, seeing as how we actually have fresh produce and other yummy stuff in our refrigerator. I whipped up a plate of leftover cheeses from "wine and cheese night" over the weekend - Camembert and Havarti with dill to be exact - plus hummus and baby carrots (so easy!), and a few slices of salami. Not a huge dinner, but plenty of food - all washed down with Chardonnay and a chick flick.

Sidenote: In case you happen to be considering it, I do not recommend watching "My Sister's Keeper" at home alone on a rainy night with a glass of wine. Holy cow that movie is sad!

In a few minutes, I'm going to have a night cap of the gluten-free ice cream sandwich variety. Look for a review on these bad boys later on. De-lish.

After that, I'm headed to bed for a little reading and an early snooze-fest. We (as in myself and The Hubbster) acted much younger than we actually are last night, and I've been paying for it all day long. Almost falling asleep in big marketing meetings = not cool.

I promise to be a better blogger - with pictures and everything! - soon.

K