tomato salad with mozzarella

first of all let me please say that i am beyond grateful for all of the kind emails, comments, texts, phone calls, etc that i received after writing this post. i feel eternally grateful to have an incredible outlet/ support system here and in real life. how could i not be cheered up after reading comments like, "hi my name is heather and i have a screamer too" and "like my Grandmother used to say - 'there's not much a good cry, and honest prayer, and a stiff drink can't help'?" i hope that i can lift your spirits one day too. i am so happy to report that the next fews days (ones that didn't involve celebrating past her bedtime) were much smoother and yesterday morning at church was a breeze! she was happy as a lark. no screaming!

as a thank you for all of your encouragement i wanted to share a recipe that i created for my mom's birthday dinner. this is a super easy tomato salad that i've enjoyed over mixed greens at work as well! makes a great side dish or main meal (if you're not my husband who only thinks it's a meal if there's meat). i was inspired after a trip to whole foods (great source of food inspiration) when i saw that the loose cherry tomato medleys were on sale.

tomato salad with fresh mozzarella
1-1.5 lbs of mixed cherry tomatoes

handful of fresh basil

1 T of herbs de provence

one container of fresh mozzarella balls

1/4 c olive oil

juice of 1/2 a lemon

1/4 t of raw honey

1 clove of garlic, minced

pinch of good sea salt + fresh ground pepper

in a separate bowl whisk together spices, olive oil, honey, lemon and garlic. in a large bowl add tomatoes, julienned basil, and mozzarella balls (i cut mine in half). cover with dressing and gently toss. allow the flavors to marry in the refrigerator for a few hours prior to serving. this salad screams summer and is a great way to use up the basil and tomatoes from your garden!

ps i am guest posting over on bridget's blog today. if you don't read her blog you are really missing out.