garden fresh saturday

mi jardin

back in early january, i bought several packets of burpee's organic seeds with plans of starting my own garden this year.  stephen loves garden fresh vegetables {as do i} and our only attempt at one a couple years ago resulted in the plants being destroyed/devoured by our next door neighbors dog {who managed to dig under her electric fence and come over for a quick bite}.

so, i read the back of the seeds, saw "plant after the last frost/freeze," and waited.  we had a freeze in early march {remember the snow storms that hit upper alabama, or should i say "....that hit everywhere in alabama except here"??}, and the following week i was ready to plant my seeds.  i went to the local hardware store, bought peat pots, and called my green thumb mom to make sure i wasnt missing anything.  the answer i received was: 

"oh boy are you missing something honey." 

{but of course not in those words - i have a very nice mama}  

basically, i was informed that in the deep hot south one must ignore directions on the back of seed packets and plant said seed in january or early february.  this is to allow for adequate growth before the blistering heat of our summer hits and deters or destroys any fruit/vegetable production.  

*darn*

i decided to plant a few seeds of each anyway, only to have those eaten by another visiting dog.  actually i dont really know if they were eaten - they were just seeds and rather tiny so its not like i would have seen them.  but the evidence suggests doggie tornado hit head on.

sooo this week i went back to the local hardware store and purchased plant versions of the seeds i had bought a couple months ago:  better boy tomatoes, grape tomatoes, basil, rosemary, cilantro, squash, cucumbers, and lavender.  

gardening is work i tell ya, but i thoroughly enjoyed it and optimistically look forward to a plentiful harvest, despite our bad juju we seem to be having with this whole gardening thing.

mi sandwich 

i dont know if any of you have ever had one {a caprese sandwich}, but i highly recommend it.  i dont think ive ever had one, but after making it and being so excited about my creation, i quickly realized its the same ingredients as a caprese salad and therefore is probably quite common in restaurants.  

duh.  

i was planning on making a grilled cheese and tomato soup, but after slaving in my new garden i was craving something fresh.  since my garden isn't exactly producing yet, i used items in my refrigerator and improvised on the basic grilled cheese sandwich.

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Caprese Sandwich

2 pieces whole wheat bread

shredded mozzerella and provolone cheese {i used a mixture of the two by Sargento}

slices of tomato

plenty of fresh basil

pepper {and salt if you like}

cooking spray {or butter - i find its usually easier to make a grilled cheese with butter}

heat skillet with cooking spray {or butter} over medium high heat.  sprinkle cheese over one slice of bread.  top with tomato slices and plenty of fresh basil.  sprinkle more cheese over the top, sprinkle with pepper, and top with second slice of bread.  place sandwich in heated skillet and cook until bottom is browned {i always place a heavy glass bowl on top of the sandwich to flatten it out and make sure the cheese is melted in the center}.  flip sandwich and heat until second side is browned.

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it is so simple, takes little effort or skill, but on a day like today it was delicious and tasted like it took much more effort than it did.  i can't wait to {hopefully} use my own home-grown tomatoes and basil on my next one!

anybody have any other yummy garden fresh {simple} recipes out there? im always looking for some!

mi bebe

did you really think i was going to sign off without some pics of the man-in-demand?