Nonnetta's tomatoes and kinda-Caprese salad

Almost every Saturday, I start the morning with breakfast and coffee at my grandmother's (Nonna, who has been promoted to Nonnetta as a great-grandma to my kiddos*)

* yes, that's kiddos, plural. Baby girl joined the family almost 8 weeks ago, and big brother is almost 3! Yikes!

In the summer, these breakfast visits are made even more awesome by forays to Nonnetta's garden to pick fresh produce. Tomatoes, zucchini, basil, cucumbers, green beans, sweet peas, peppers... An absolutely glorious bounty. 

Nonnetta and her great-granddaughter (and namesake!) 💗

Nonnetta is the reason I love the smell of tomato leaves. Mmm, childhood nostalgia!!  Her tomato garden is amazing. She was growing heirloom tomatoes since before it was cool, using seeds brought over from Italy over 60 years ago (...but maybe don't tell Customs and Immigration about that).  She has a truly remarkable green thumb... When we developed a fondness for the Kumato varietal from the grocery store, she took some seeds and grew her own! Brilliant. 

Thanks to my most recent pregnancy, I have a few pounds to shed. What better way than filling up on tasty veggies and fruit? Instead of having a bagel and cream cheese for lunch, I whipped up this tasty little Caprese-ish salad. Behold!

Kinda-Caprese Salad

Serves one

• 2 medium tomatoes, as fresh as humanly possible, seeded and diced

• ~4 basil leaves, chopped (or torn by hand if you're lazy like me)

• 1 Babybel Light wax-wrapped cheese, diced (use REAL mozzarella for authenticity, instead of stealing your son's  snacks... If you want...)

• Salt and pepper, to taste

• Balsamic glaze**

Toss the first four ingredients together in a bowl. Top with a drizzle of glaze. Devour promptly. 

** I like using balsamic glaze since it's so nice and thick. Not gonna lie, I picked up this bottle at Dollarama. #momlife #neversaidIwasgourmet. 

On to more adventures while cooking for a family of four!

-Honeybee