Panzanella.  The word just rolls off the tongue.  For those of you who haven't tried it, it's an Italian Salad with bread and tomatoes.  I bought two baguettes from a vendor who makes artisan bread earlier in the week.  The first loaf  was served with fresh, locally made applewood smoked mozzarella, basil and olive oil.  Sublime!  The second baguette started to get a little stale, but that was intentional.  Panzanella makes use of stale bread.  I like to use farm stand tomatoes, (see earlier post), and add other vegetables like red peppers and avocados with a bit of feta cheese.  Not quite traditional, but very tasty.  The panzanella was served last night with grilled pesto salmon and watermelon slices.   The pesto salmon is so easy to make.  Place a salmon filet on a sheet of foil sprayed with cooking spray or brushed with olive oil on a preheated grill.  Next, spread pesto, (homemade or store bought), over the filet.  A lot or a little, it's up to you.  That's it.  Your cooking time will vary with the size and thickness of the fish.  A filet purchased at Target took about 18 minutes to cook.  Just keep an eye on it, nothing worse than dry overcooked fish.  On a side note, I never used to like salmon.  Despised it.  This recipe, however, made me change my mind.  Salmon is also very good for you, so it's a win, win, situation. 

 Here's a traditional panzetta recipe .  Feel free to tweak it to your personal tastes.  The food police won't show up at your door, and if they do, don't invite them in!  More for you and yours.

"Panzanella or panmolle is an Italian dish originating in the regions of Tuscany, Umbria, Marche and Lazio. The dish is a bread salad popular in the summer months. It includes sliced bread and fresh tomatoes, flavored with basil, olive oil, and vinegar, often with salt and pepper. The bread used should be day- to week-old saltless Tuscan bread made in a wood oven."

"Mangia bene, vivi felice"  Eat well, live happy!