summer bounty

watermelon, basil, tomato - all fresh and for the eating in July! Tonight I made a tasty new beverage - the watermelon-basil fizz.

Liquify a watermelon quarter with about 1/4 cup fresh chopped basil and 2 pinches of Kosher salt. Over ice, fill the glass half way with watermelon basil mixture and top with club soda, garnish with a basil leaf. This beverage is refreshing and makes a great snack - it has a bit of weight to it. This recipe makes enough for 2-3 beverages.  Clearly, this would be delicious with some vodka too.

store bought or home-made pizza dough ball

3/4 cup spinach (I used frozen/thawed/drained)

2 Italian sausage links, cooked out of casing and crumbled

1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

S&P to taste

1-2 tablespoons EVOO

3/4 cup fresh basil leaves

2 tablespoons cream cheese

1 tablespoon tomato paste

6 ounces (bit less than a cup) shredded mozzarella cheese

flour and corn meal for dusting

Preheat oven to 450 degrees with pizza stone inside. When stone is hot, remove from oven and sprinkle with corn meal. Roll out the dough over some flour and assemble on stone. Lightly coat the pizza crust with a bit of EVOO. Mix cream cheese and tomato paste together and spread all over crust. Toss tomatoes with balsamic and S&P and layer spinach, dressed tomatoes, basil leaves, shredded mozzarella and crumbled sausage. Baked in the oven for about 12 minutes until crust is golden. Enjoy!