Tastes of Summer

 Favorite appetizer: Fresh mozzarella, a leaf or two of freshly-picked basil, a slice of a nice firm tomato and a drizzle of high-quality balsamic vinegar. That's it, that's all you need. I don't add salt because the cheese has enough for our tastes. Fresh-ground pepper and good olive oil can be good too. Also very tasty on a slice of sourdough if you can do carbs and/or gluten, but not required to enjoy. But one does have to remember to buy the bread...

New-favorite gadget of the summer, the Zoku Slush Maker. It works! Makes a perfect individual sized slushy out of anything you can dream up in about 5 minutes. Virgin Margaritas (and non), lemonade, root beer that had gone too flat to drink,  chocolate milk, etc.