Tomato Basil Pizza

I really like this time of year because the fresh tomato and basil pizzas come fast and furious.  I took advantage of our newly ripened cherry tomatoes and our two abundant basil plants and threw together a pizza featuring the two remarkable toppings. 

I have become a fan of what we call 'brick oven' pizza lately; meaning I bake the pizza on a stone in the oven.  More and more of my pizza cravings are leaning this way.  I used to only make deep dish pizzas that yielded a thicker, doughier crust, but I'm hooked on the brick oven variety at the moment.  The crispy, yet chewy crust of a pizza cooked on a stone is just remarkable.  Plus, the kids really like to watch me throw the pizza dough!

I am also in the habit of letting my pizza dough sit in the refrigerator overnight.  I started doing this out of necessity so I could still make pizza after work and have it ready at a reasonable hour.  I soon discovered that the overnight fermentation added a lot more flavor to the finished product.  It just goes to show, there's always something new to learn in the kitchen!

The freshness of the tomatoes and basil makes this a pizza like no other, and it is a perfect summertime treat.  The fact that I have the ingredients readily available in my garden make it even more special.  Not to mention that I am always looking for a good excuse to make pizza!

Gardening update

We transplanted the tomatoes into the outside realm and they are doing well so far. We had a severe downpour last night and they got pummeled, so I hope they bounce back from that. I have such an emotional attachment to them, and I really want to see them succeed. Is that weird?

We also planted a couple of blueberry bushes that Gramma and Pa gave to us. They are looking good, too.

I also have a nice little herb garden going on the front porch. So far I've got marjoram, chives, cilantro, and dill planted in the small pots; and basil planted in the large pot. The basil was a birthday present, and Ari & Emilie painted the pot for me. Oh, in the bottom left hand corner of the picture is an avocado pit that I am trying to get to sprout. I know I can't do anything with it if it does, it's just a fun little experiment. So much for just planting tomatoes this year...