I always have cherry tomatoes on hand (unless there is something completely wrong with me) because they are my absolute favorite. They are always slightly sweet and juicy and they go well in everything from salad to spaghetti sauce. I also happen to have a new pot of basil that I'm nursing in my backyard and praying that the snails don't find. Growing herbs is a great way to give yourself multiple meal options as it opens up the variety of flavor profiles you can create. And a leftover tub of baby mozzarella balls gave me the idea to make a caprese salad. But seeing as I can have caprese salad anywhere, I decided to spice it up and make it a Roasted Caprese salad. Since I felt like the salad would need a little extra weight behind it to make it a meal, I added the rest of the whole wheat Israeli (or Pearl) Couscous I had in the pantry. Instant classic.
I coated the tomatoes in Olive Oil, salt, pepper, italian herbs, a little garlic and a splash of balsamic vinegar. Then I broiled them....
And they came out like this, perfectly charred and caramelized.
I chopped up the basil and sliced the mozzarella balls in half. You don't have to halve them, but I wanted more cheese throughout the salad.
And here it is, a perfect summertime meal that took about 15 minutes to prepare. I added a few slices of grilled chicken over the top because my basketball playing husband needed some extra protein, but this would make an awesome lunch or dinner just as it is. You should probably make extra.
Roasted Caprese Couscous Salad Cherry Tomatoes Basil Fresh Mozzarella Cheese Israeli Couscous 1 tsp. garlic, minced salt and pepper Olive oil Italian seasoning Balsamic Vinegar
I didn't write the amounts I actually used here because its really up to you. There's no rules as to how many tomatoes or how much cheese you need. Whatever you have is perfectly fine. I'll just share the technique. Coat your tomatoes in oil, herbs, salt and pepper, garlic and a splash of balsamic vinegar. Broil on High for about 10 minutes, turning occasionally until they burst and become slightly charred. Cook the couscous according to package directions and place in the fridge to cool off. In a large bowl, combine the mozzarella, basil, and cooled couscous. When the tomatoes are done, let them cool off for a few minutes as well. Add them to the bowl and coat everything with a bit more salt, pepper and balsamic vinegar. Stir well and place in the fridge until ready to eat.
Enjoy!
This Coconut Honeybush tea from One Love Tea is probably one of the best things I have ever tasted! It is a highly fragrant, slightly sweet tea that tastes so much like coconut, it's crazy. I've enjoyed it hot and cold and can't decide which I like better. Either way you choose, a little goes a long way and it brews in a super quick 1-3 minutes. If you can't get this unique tea close to you, order it online!
The Chile Boys from New Mexico make this AMAZING salsa verde using chiles grown on their grandfather's farm. This salsa is about medium in heat and is incredibly fresh tasting, due to the flecks of cilantro and lime pulp throughout. I used it on grilled veggie tacos and with tortilla chips, soooo good!
How can you not want to just spoon this out of the jar? I adore honey, but there's something so special about honeycomb. I mean, bees made it. From nectar and wax...what??! I will be happily using this on everything from toast to cheese boards to who knows what else I'll come up with.
These organic, pesticide free blueberries were incredible! They were plump, juicy and just the right amount of sweet. I had planned on using them in some yummy baked good, but as you can tell from the past tense, they were already eaten by the handful.
Another fantastic fruit I found was this Flavoroso Pluot. A pluot is a cross between a plum and an apricot and the result is a super fresh, slightly tart flavor close to that of a plum combined with the creamy, soft texture of an apricot. These were so juicy i had to eat them over the sink! I can't wait to go back and get more.
I love buying all natural, handmade soap and these lovely bars came from Camlon Farm in Perris, Ca. They had photos of their goats at their stand. How could I say no? Plus, they had lovely mixtures that I haven't seen elsewhere, like the Rosemary with Coffee Grounds. The grounds act as an exfoliant and give off a slight scent, but you mostly pick up the fresh rosemary. The top bar is Rose Jasmine, which I am a sucker for. I bought a few of these to place around my house and so far, I'm in love!
I started thinking about how amazing a peanut butter blondie would be, but rather than topping it with chocolate (which frankly would probably be perfect as well) I thought it would be great to bake in some really good jam and create the flavor I had loved growing up. What resulted was one of the easiest, yet most delicious treats I've ever made. Kids will love this, adults will love this, you will love this.
Start with some all natural, creamy peanut butter. Try not to eat it straight out of the jar like me. 
This is the mixture of butter, brown sugar and peanut butter. Again, try not to eat this directly out of the pan with a handful of chocolate chips. Patience. It gets better.
Once the batter is placed into the greased baking dish, glob on whatever flavor of jam you happen to have on hand. I used strawberry, but next time maybe I'll try blackberry. 
Grab a glass of milk, and attempt to not to eat the entire dish of these. That was the hardest part of all. These treats are gooey, but that is how they are supposed to be. Think brownies. Only they're made of peanut butter. And called blondies. I would have taken this over a sandwich any day. 
I LOVE the Fourth of July. Summertime is in full swing, BBQ's are on and grillin' and the pride of celebrating our Country is visually and emotionally everywhere. So here's a super fast, easy idea for a last minute cocktail you may be thirsting for to wash down that cheeseburger pre-firework display. You can combine a multitude of ingredients to accomplish this red, white and blue sparkler, just use this as a guide. All you need are:
There's a movie out called "Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead." Have you seen it? The movie was really interesting and is about how a juice diet worked out. (The link goes to the trailer.)
Apple-Carrot-Orange Juice
Carrots, oranges... bright and sunshine-y, perfect for a special occasion! With TLC you can taste. Hand grated carrots, fresh chopped walnuts, and orange juice squeezed the minute you need it. Everything as fresh as possible. Just like spring.
Everyone will be like "-This- is carrot cake?" Yes, my friends, this is how it's supposed to be. At least in my little corner of the universe.
Mixing the buttermilk-and-baking soda into the batter. 
Adding the grated carrots and walnuts.
Fresh-squeezed orange juice.
Carrot Cake
*Don't worry! The glaze -will- soak in. It might take a couple of applications and a few minutes, but victory will be yours! (If the sugar isn't 100% dissolved it will make the glaze a little more crunchy - at least that's my theory.) Don't take this as me being "down-with cream cheese frosting" I'm a fan of the cream cheese, but an irreplaceable part of this particular cake is the orange glaze--no contest.
Recipe Source: My mom (Thanks mom!)