Tomato, Pesto, Mozzarella Sandwiches

Last week I was very ambitious with my cooking.  Ambitious meaning we ate something other than salads and pasta salad. :)  This week we are back to the same, but I wanted to share some of the recipes I made last week!

You already know about the Chocolate Cheesecake Brownies.  Which are to die for and if you have not made them already, I want to ask you, "What the heck have you been doing?"  They are so easy to make and really good.  And rich enough that you can't eat the entire pan in one sitting (much like I could to a 9x13 pan of brownies, especially with frosting.  But I had my 24 week prenatal appointment this week and that scale just keeps going up, but no more brownies for me... for now).

Ok, no more brownie talk because I'll just go out to Target and get another box and be mixing them up in no time.  I also made some really tasty tomato, pesto and mozzarella sandwiches.  We have an abundance of basil in our garden this year, so we have been making a lot of pesto.  In fact, I'm about to make a batch to freeze.  And it's super easy to make!  And once the pesto is done, you just have to assemble the sandwiches and cook or grill.  Easy peezy lemon squeezy as we used to say in Ms. L's kindergarten class (Ms. L being me).

Tomato Pesto Mozzarella Sandwich

 

Pesto

Ingredients
2-3 cups of packed basil
2 cloves of garlic
1/3 cup of pine nuts (or one of those little packets which is about 1/3 cup)
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup olive oil (to top for freezing or mix in for immediate use)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In a food processor, pulse basil leaves, garlic and pine nuts.  

Turn processor on and slowly add 1/2 cup oil.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

If you are going to use the pesto immediately, add the extra 1/4 cup oil.  Mix in Parmesan cheese. 

  If you want to freeze or refrigerate, put the pesto in a jar or container and put the 1/4 cup oil on top.

 Now on to the yummy sandwiches!
We had just one ripe tomato from the garden (soon we'll be swimming in them) and I bought some mozzarella from Whole Foods.

 Slice both up.

 And I had to test the pesto out!  I may have done this one or two or three times.

 Slice two ciabatta baguettes in half.  Spread the pesto on both halves.  Top with tomatoes and mozzarella. 

 Put the tops on.

 Grill or cook in pan over medium to high heat.  I used a cast iron skillet to weight them and cook them evenly.

 Cut in half.

 Enjoy with a fresh salad :)