Caprese Grilled Cheese

Hmm.  Rebekah was out, Jacob was off on a church field trip, it would just be Mark, Julianna and I for dinner.  What to have?

What we eat varies tremendously by what season it is.  In the winter stews, casseroles, roasted chickens fill the bill.  Summer definitely leans toward fresher, lighter, healthier.  I grill almost every night, I love not having to so many dishes to clean as well as keeping the heat out of the house.  I've been craving the flavors of caprese salad so I decided to throw it together in a grilled sandwich.  A fresh cup of watermelon on the side and dinner was quick, easy as well as yummy!  Win-win-win!  Full disclosure:  no, my kids would not eat this, probably not any of them though Rebekah is a possibility.  Still, it was easy enough to put together some tuna salad with the bread and melon for Julianna.  When dinner's this easy I don't mind modifying for the pickier palates.

The sandwiches were really easy to make.  I think the biggest key is to make sure everything's as height-of-the-summer flavorful as it can be.  The rest takes care of itself.  I sliced sourdough bread, drizzled it with olive oil and threw it on the grill to get a little toasty--not too much it will be going back on the grill later.  When the bread's getting there remove it from the grill and rub it with the cut side of a clove of garlic.  Next, slice a juicy, red, ripe tomato and a ball of fresh mozzarella.  Layer these on one slice of toasted sourdough, top the tomato with salt, preferably Maldon, and fresh ground pepper.  Add some basil leaves and a drizzle of balsamic reduction (balsamic vinegar boiled down with a touch of sugar until nice and syrupy or purchased reduction).  Top with second slice of bread and throw it back on the grill until nice grill marks appear and the mozzarella is beginning to ooze.  Enjoy the fresh flavors of summer.

For as wonderful as June was, July is trying its best to be a gigantic party pooper.  Still, there are plenty of reminders that many people have things much, much worse and I'm doing my best to keep my glass-half-full glasses on and remember how truly blessed we are.  Now, if only there was a way to slow things down a little, it's remarkable and sad how quickly time's slipping away.

Happy Summer!  [or winter for my down-under friend, though I notice in your photos it must be remarkably warm there, your kids aren't dressed all that differently from mine.  :) ]