Summer means tomato season, which is my favorite time of year. There are grocery store tomatoes — mealy, watery, flavorless. Then there are summer tomatoes grown in the hot sun until deep in color and juicy and sweet. These are the tomatoes you eat by themselves with a bit of salt or in this case a bit of cheese, and the tomato’s favorite summer companion — fresh basil.

These easy tomato stacks layer creamy ricotta, and tomatoes with fresh basil and two Ava Jane’s Kitchen Seasonings — Nana’s Italian and Hot Roasted Garlic. So you get a bit of herby heat that makes a delicious lunch option on a hot summer day.

Do yourself a favor and don’t try to make these with grocery store tomatoes. Just don’t. Grocery store tomatoes may be good for some things, but this is not that. Get some good homegrown tomatoes from a farmer’s market or even your own garden. You won’t regret it, that I can promise you.