so good it's stupid.

THIS was my dinner last night. Totally reveling in the fresh ingredients of summer now. We could literally eat fresh tomatoes and mozzarella every day. and have, as of late. Today, I made a delicious dressing of fresh dill, chives, and cucumber for some chilled shrimp. I then made a standard balsamic vinaigrette which i garnished a plate of fresh Roma tomatoes and mozzarella. Paired this with some delicious rosemary focaccia that I bought at the farmer's market.....heaven. So fresh. So good. Rested the tomato salad on top of some spinach. It's a carnal sin to love food this good....

Cucumber Dill Dressing:

1 small salad cucumber (this was a white icicle cucumber from the farmer's market)if using a standard large cucumber or a hothouse cucumber, I recommend using just 1/4 of it, and peeling it first.
1 T. of fresh chopped chives. (several large sprigs)
2 t. of fresh chopped dill (several leafy shoots)
1 t. of Dijon mustard.
splash of white vinegar
mayo to consistency
salt and pepper, fresh ground.

chop herbs and cucumber, as fine as possible. use a food processor for fine consistency but not necessary. add mustard, vinegar, and salt and pepper and stir. whisk in mayo. start with several tablespoons of mayo. if dressing seems runny, add a little more mayo till desired thickness. could also use plain yogurt in lieu of mayo. chill for 1 hour or more.

Basic Balsamic Vinaigrette:

3-4 T. balsamic vinegar
1-2 T. Dijon or stone ground mustard
1 T. lemon juice (if desired, may want to decrease vinegar slightly)
salt, fresh ground pepper, to taste.
3-4 T. extra virgin olive oil

whisk together vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper, and lemon juice if desired. while whisking, add in olive oil in a stream until dressing becomes thick and emulsified. taste. add more ingredients to taste and whisk again.