Ok, we’ve never been big July 4th people, mostly because with kids and dogs it never quite works out like you hope. I love fireworks, but when your kids are young, and sleep is precious, you come to HATE fireworks.  A) Our kids are still too young to stay up late enough to enjoy the fireworks shows and B) Some damn neighbor always starts a huge round of Black Cats approximately 2 seconds after you manage to get your kids to go the EFF to sleep.  The remainder of the night as a parent, is spent lying wide-eyed in bed praying that your kids magically sleep through WW3.  It's insanity.  Add a dog that apparently has PTSD from her time spent doing whatever she did before she came to live with us, shaking and upset all night--it's so fun (said as I shake my head back and forth with wide-eyes). 

I seriously was that neighbor on NYE that went and gave the youngsters "a talkin' to" in my pajamas when they were STILL popping fireworks at 3 am--they probably thought I was crazy, and well...let's face it, I kind of am.  But dudes, it's 3 am, fireworks in the city are illegal anyways...let's just calm down a bit, ok? Ok.  After I went and talked with them, I climbed back in bed and instantly came to the realization that I am FREAKING OLD.  I just told those "crazy youngsters" to pipe down, and I'm only 36.  Kids age you man, they really do.  It's cray cray.  If you're a parent of young kids, you'll totally get me right now, otherwise you're probably thinking to yourself "wow, what a stick in the mud."  And to you I say....just wait...muahahahahaha...having kids makes you do some crazy ish.

Anyways, now that we've established that I'm officially OLD BALLS, let's talk about this Strawberry Basil Goat Cheese sandwich.  This is not paleo for a couple of reasons. 1) We used gluten-free bread. and 2) We used goat cheese.  If you really can't tolerate these two items in moderation, I'd suggest exploring some paleo-friendly homemade bread recipes, as well as some paleo-friendly "cheese" options.  I've never tried it myself, but I hear Kite Hill Cheese is amazing!  If you do try it, report back and let me know how it goes!  Some people can tolerate raw cheese as well, which I'm assuming would be equally amazing.

You'll notice in the ingredient list that I don't include quantities, so this is really a very loose "recipe".  The main reason behind that is you can really be as liberal as you want, and it really depends on how many sandwiches you want to make at once.  We made three, sliced them in half and ate every last bite...so I'd suggest making about 10...trust me, you'll LOVE these.  We also use something called Red Pepper Jelly, and I used this brand, which was found in the jelly aisle of my local HEB.  This is the perfect blend between sweet and slightly spicy, and I could eat it by the spoonful!  These are the perfect Strawberry Basil Goat Cheese sandwiches to take to your local 4th of July picnic..or eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  The toasty buttery goodness of the bread, paired with the creamy goat cheese, and the unique taste of fresh basil is so amazing!  Try it and let me know what you think!

Strawberry Basil Goat Cheese Sandwiches

Ingredients:

• Gluten-free Bread or bread of choice (sourdough would be amazing here)

• Sliced, antibiotic/nitrate free turkey

• Goat cheese, slightly softened

• Strawberries, sliced

• Fresh Basil Leaves

• Red Pepper Jelly

• Grass-fed Butter or oil for toasting in pan

Directions:

1. Lightly butter the outer part of each slice of bread you will be using, depending on how many sandwiches you plan on making.

2. Spread goat cheese on the inner parts of each slice of bread you will be using for your sandwich.

3. On one side of bread, place a layer of strawberries.

4. On the other side of bread, smooth a layer of red pepper jelly.

5. Add basil leaves to the side with red pepper jelly.

6. Add sliced turkey to the side with strawberries.

7. Place the two sides together to create your sandwich.

8. In a medium pan add about a tbsp of grass-fed butter or oil, and heat to medium.

9. Place sandwich in pan, and lightly grill until both sides are golden brown.

10. Serve warm and ENJOY!