Caprese

I am in denial that fall has arrived, and instead will continue to refer to what I was up to this summer. Making the most of the bountiful summer produce (my mom was giving away tomatoes we had so many), I was eating caprese salad all through August and September. Caprese is so simple, I feel silly even writing up this 'recipe', but I know you're all here to admire my charming wit and humor, so:

Ingredients:
Cherry tomatoes fresh from the garden
Basil fresh from the herb box
Mozzarella fresh from my cow...and by my cow I mean Trader Joe's

Directions:

1. Half the tomatoes. Squeeze out the seeds. Chop up the basil. Shred the mozzarella with your hands. Mix it all together with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
2. Marvel at the super beautiful colors. Update all your social media so your friends, family, and secret admirers can bask in your cooking prowess
3. Spoon out a serving yourself but then quickly realize what you made was the bomb and proceed to eat the whole bowl.

Eggplant Parm

This recipe highlights everything I love about cooking in the summer: gorgeous, fresh produce that needs minimal cooking. Instead of the usual fried heavy stuff, this eggplant is broiled and then layered with a simple tomato sauce and some melty cheesy goodness.

Ingredients:
2 pounds of Italian eggplant
6oz of mozzarella
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
bunch of basil chopped up
olive oil, salt, and pepper

Tomato Sauce:
2 pounds of cherry tomatoes
4 cloves of garlic
2 tbs olive oil
salt, pepper, oregano and red chili flakes to taste

Honestly, most of these measurements are estimates. I was freestylin' the cheese and seasoning to my personal preference.

Directions:
1. Slice eggplant about 1/4 inch. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Broil for 10 minutes or until slightly browned.

2.  Heat olive oil over medium and cook up garlic till it's nice and golden. Halve the cherry tomatoes and dump them in. Bring to boil, covered, and stir occasionally for about 10 minutes. Season to taste w/ salt, pepper, oregano, and red chili flakes. Use a wooden spoon to help break up the tomatoes.

3. In a baking dish, put down a layer of broiled eggplant. Put a thin layer of tomato sauce. Add some chopped basil. Top with shredded mozzarella and grated Parmesan. Repeat. Do not put basil on top layer.

4. Heat oven to 400 F and bake for 20 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes because it'll release a whole lot of juices. Mine was still really wet after sitting so I spooned out some of the extra liquid. Sprinkle with basil and enjoy.