Todays’ post comes to us from Shellina of The Frugal Flambe. Shellina is a wife, mom and blogger from Minneapolis, Minnesota. She writes for her own food blog devoted to educating families on the emotional and financial benefits of eating at home- The Frugal Flambe. With a new recipe or tip every day, it’s your one-stop-read for encouragement and ideas for feeding your family on a dime.

Summer: a time for relaxing, enjoying late sunshine, eating outside, playing outside, and maybe even sleeping outside, the warm days and (hopefully) cooler nights, the laid back feeling of it all. What’s not to love about summer? Well, here in Minnesota, a lot. There’s the mosquitoes, the humidity, the constant road construction, the hot nights and the hotter days, and this year- the peak of my second pregnancy (baby is due mid-August). It’s enough to make one wish for winter. But even I, the Grinch of summertime, have found the silver lining in two beautiful aspects of this time of year. Okay, there are three beautiful aspects:

1. Planting my own vegetable garden.
2. Eating my own veggies from said vegetable garden.
3. Air conditioning… but that has nothing to do with this post.

If you’ve been tending your own vegetable garden this year, exciting times are here at last! That’s right, ladies and gentlemen- the fruits of your labor are beginning to ripen, (or have ripened already), and soon your kitchen will be overflowing with possibilities and supper ideas.

Early August is prime picking season for one of the most versatile veggies coming from your garden: the tomato. (Okay, okay, it’s a fruit- a fact I never understood, but I trust nonetheless.) Whether you planted those puppies in March or early May, odds are that they’ll start turning that gorgeous red within the first two weeks of August. It’s time to bring in your harvest and begin planning some meals around them, because they won’t stay gorgeous forever. Of course, there’s canning, but why not enjoy some of them fresh? That’s the best part, right? Right.

For this recipe, we’ll be using not only those beautiful tomatoes, but also the basil that is no doubt growing tall and beautiful. Eating in season may never have tasted so fresh and rewarding!

One Year Ago: Quick Quinoa Salad

Two Years Ago: Pulled Chicken Tacos with Avocado Salsa

Fresh Garden Bruschetta

Yield: Approximately 12-18 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 3 minutes 

2 medium tomatoes
¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
Salt/pepper
1 baguette
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp butter
1 package goat cheese (small)

1. Set oven to broil, on high.
2. Dice tomatoes, mix in a bowl with basil, balsamic vinegar, and 4 cloves of minced garlic. Set aside.
3. Slice baguette (at a 45 degree angle) into half inch slices.
4. In a small nonstick pan, bring butter and remaining garlic to a simmer over medium-low heat for one minute.
5. Brush bread slices with the butter/garlic mixture, then arrange on a cookie sheet.
6. Broil bread for 2-3 minutes, or until edges are golden brown.
7. Spread a moderately thin layer, (however much strikes your fancy is fine), of goat cheese over each slice of bread.
8. Top bread slices with tomato mixture.
9. Arrange on a plate and serve- unless you eat them all first.

What are your favorite summer garden recipes? Share them in the comments- we love new ideas!

Similarly delicious recipe from other fabulous food blogs:

Caprese Salad Bruschetta on Souvlaki For the Soul
Smoked Salmon and Goat Cheese Bruschetta on My Baking Addiction
Peach and Blue Cheese Bruschetta on Taste Food
Strawberry Goat Cheese Bruschetta on Shutterbean
Avocado Chimichurri Bruschetta on Elle’s New England Kitchen