Once Upon a Time

Once upon a time, I had a garden.  It was overgrown.  It was weedy.  It was mine. 

At this time, I have no garden.  I do have a few pots of herbs and strawberries.  That just isn't enough dirt for me, though. 

Next year, I vow to have a garden again.   

In the meantime, I'm having to rely on the farmer's market and friends for my fix of summer tomatoes.  (The basil is all mine, though.)  This is Paula Deen's fancy party version of a simple tomato sandwich.  I served them for a brunch a few weeks ago. 

Tomato Sandwiches with Basil

Paula Deen and Friends: Living It Up, Southern Style by Paula Deen

4 slices of whole wheat bread

4 slices of white bread

1 onion, grated

1 cup mayonnaise
freshly ground black pepper

2 vine-ripe tomatoes, peeled and sliced into about 8 slices (I didn't peel mine.)

Seasoned salt

1 bunch basil

Place the tomato slices on cookie sheets lined with paper towels.  Allow to drain.  Cut bread rounds with a biscuit cutter the size of the largest tomato slices.  Stir together onion, mayo, and black pepper.   An hour before serving, sprinkle seasoned salt on the tomatoes; spread the mayo mixture on each bread circle;top each wheat bread circle with a tomato slice; place basil leaves on top; top with white bread circles.  Cover with damp towels and place in fridge until ready to serve.

*This made a large amount of mayo mixture.  Not a big fan of mayo, so I only put a small amount of mayo on each bread circle.  I doubled the amount of sandwiches and still had mayo left over.