Classic Summertime Dinner

I hosted our book club meeting this month. We read I Was Told There'd Be Cake by Sloane Crosley. It was a fun book to read for the summer and made for some interesting discussions. The author is our age (29) and the book is a collection of humorous essays about a number of topics we could all relate to including childhood, first job, moving, college experiences and family drama. For dinner I prepared a light and summery meal:

Lemonade
Watermelon and Feta Salad
Pressed Panini Sandwiches
Strawberry Shortcake

Watermelon and Feta Salad

Ingredients

1 small seedless watermelon, cut into small cubes
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
Mixed lettuce (I used red leaf and arugula)
4 ounces feta cheese
4 tablespoons white wine vinegar
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
Salt and pepper

Directions

In a small bowl whisk together the vinegar, oil, honey, salt, and pepper to create the dressing. In a large bowl, combine lettuce, onion, watermelon and feta. Toss with dressing to taste.

Pressed Panini Sandwiches

Using my Cuisinart Griddler, I made an assortment of pressed panini sandwiches:

Grilled eggplant, mozzarella and tomato

Grilled zucchini, yellow squash and mozzarella

Prosciutto, arugula and mozzarella

Directions

First, heat up the Griddler and prepare the vegetables for grilling. Cut the eggplant and tomato into thin rounds. Slice the zucchini and squash lengthwise into thin strips. Drizzle with olive oil and grill the vegetables until soft and tender. In the meantime, begin to slice Italian bread to make as many individual sandwiches as you need. I used a baguette for the prosciutto sandwiches (cut lengthwise and then across) and extra large Italian rolls for the grilled vegetable sandwiches (cut lengthwise and then in half).

Next, in a small bowl whisk together a generous amount of olive oil, balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper. Using a grill brush, sweep the olive oil mixture over each half of the bread, creating a base coat. Once the breads are prepared, begin to layer the assorted grilled vegetables and sliced mozzarella onto your breads (careful not to stuff them too full). Place the completed sandwiches in the Griddler and press in batches until the cheese is melted and the bread is crisp.

For the prosciutto sandwiches, I brushed the baguette with olive oil, salt and pepper and layered thin slices of prosciutto, mozzarella and arugula. I then heated the individual sandwiches in the toaster over at 350 degrees until the bread is just lightly toasted and the cheese is soft.