Panzanella

I don't like crunchy things... carrots, croutons, bagel chips. They take too much work to chew and I feel like they tear up the inside of my mouth. So when Spike said that he'd always wanted to try the panzanella salad that is constantly being made on the Food Network, I was a bit unsure. Why ruin a nice caprese salad by putting crunchy things in it? The only thing that made my poor, sensitive mouth willing to try was the fact that they would lose some of their crunch in the oil and vinegar.

Spike and I have been trying to take advantage of the fresh summer produce. We had corn on the cob from the Farmer's Market down the street, we bought fresh tomatoes and basil and decided to give the panzanella a go. I combined about twelve different recipes, one of which called for the bread to be cooked in a frying pan rather than toasted. Well, thanks to the Barefoot Contessa and her fabulous cooking method, I'm now a panzanella fan for life.

I diced two tomatoes, a red onion, a cucumber, some basil, and some fresh mozzarella and combined them with olive oil and red wine vinegar. At the last minute, I added the cubes of heavenly, deliciously, crusty bread. They were crunchy on the outside, but pillow-y soft on the inside... when combined with the other ingredients, they changed my life. Forever.