My Tomato Pie

Our tomato vines are finally producing ripe fruit.  This has not been our best year for tomato production. Now in the middle of August, they are ripening faster than we can eat them. What to do with all those tomatoes? I've been seeing recipes for tomato pie in magazines and on the Internet so I decided to make one. There are literally hundreds of recipes out there. Some peeled and seeded the tomatoes. Some precooked the crust. Some had onion and some didn't. The variations went on and on.

Hot out of the oven, ready to serve!

 

After reading ten to twelve recipes I decided to put together my on version of tomato pie.

I invited my mother for dinner and we agreed this recipe is a keeper!

 

What you will need:

9 inch pie crust

Tomatoes

Onion

Cheese

Mayonnaise

Balsamic vinegar

Fresh basil

salt/pepper

Panko bread crumbs

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Precook pie crust with pie weights.

 

While the pie crust precooks, thin slice the tomatoes (5-6 depending on size).

Place tomatoes on a couple of paper towels on a baking sheet and salt.

Allow the tomatoes to drain while the pie crust precooks.

Blot the top of the tomatoes prior to placing in the pie crust.

Slice about 10-12 very thin slices of onion with a mandolin.

Be careful not to add too much onion.

I cut the basil with kitchen shears.

Mix about 3/4 cup mayonnaise with about 1 cup cheese.

(I mixed mozzarella, Parmesan and cheddar with good results.)

 

Layer the tomatoes with the onion, fresh basil, mayo/cheese mixture ending with a layer of tomatoes. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with salt/pepper to taste.

Top with a sprinkling of Panko bread crumbs.

Ready for a 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes.

 

Enjoy!

 

This simple rustic dish is delicious as a light lunch or dinner with fresh fruit.

 

 

♥andPeace,Myra

 

 

Blue Plate Special - Old-Fashioned Meat Loaf

Here is Saturday's version of "the blue plate special" at my house.
Meat loaf, mustard greens, tomatoes, boiled red potatoes and crescent rolls.

Music: Stevie Nicks - "In Your Dreams"
I usually to listen to music while I cook.
Love the guitar run on "Everybody Loves You".

According to Wikipedia, "blue plate special" began as a low priced meal in diners and cafes and consisted of meat and three vegetables.
.

Ingredients ready to mix.
This is another recipe I pinned on Pinterest.
Some of the recipes are keepers and others are quickly deleted never to be consumed again.
 

All ingredients in the mixing bowl getting happy.
I had never seen a meat loaf recipe with canned tomatoes.
 

I had a little extra ground beef so I decided to make a couple of small loaves with my mixture.
I'll share one with my mother and keep one for left overs later in the week.
 

A quick side dish, "Potatoes in the Jacket" more commonly known as boiled red potatoes.
Just scrub the potatoes and boil until tender.
Add a little butter and salt and pepper.
 

Mom's plate is ready.
Pass the butter and tomatoes.
The dinner plates are Spode from The Blue Room Collection.
 

The tomatoes and rolls are served on Royal Stafford plates from TJ Maxx.
I have lots of blue and white and like to mix the patterns.
The green stemware is also from TJ Maxx.

We enjoyed the recipe. I will definitely make it again.

Here is the link for the recipe:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/old-fashioned-meat-loaf-aka-basic-meatloaf-recipe/index.html

Thank you Paula Deen and Food Network.

♥andPeace,Myra


 

Hearty Italian Soup

 

With cold temperatures and snow flurries today was another perfect day for a bowl of hot soup with cornbread.

 

Here is my adaptation of the recipe from Southern Living Magazine, October 2011 issue.

This is the recipe from Southern Living.
Ingredients:
1 (16 oz.) package mild Italian Sausage
2 tsp. olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (48 oz.) container chicken broth
2 (15 oz.) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 (14.5 oz.) cans diced tomatoes
1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
1 (5 oz.) package baby spinach
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1. Cook sausage in hot oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat 7 to 8 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove sausage from Dutch oven, reserving drippings in Dutch oven.
Saute onion in hot drippings 3 minutes or until tender. Add garlic, and saute 1 minute. Cut sausage into 1/4 inch thick slices and return to Dutch oven.

Today's adaptation:
(Today I removed the casings from the sausage and broke up the pieces until browned. I added the diced onion to the sausage and then the garlic. (I used minced garlic from a jar.)  I used dried parsley and basil. As there were only three of us for dinner I halved the recipe.)

2. Stir chicken broth and next 3 ingredients into sausage mixture; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 25 minutes.

3. Stir in spinach and next 2 ingredients; cook, stirring occasionally, 5 to 6 minutes or until spinach is wilted. Top each serving with Parmesan cheese.

When the soup was almost finished simmering I put a pan of cornbread in the oven.
 

Now, doesn't this look pretty? Almost ready.

Here is the golden brown cornbread ready for the butter.
We ate it with butter and pineapple jelly tonight. Yum!
I'll share the cornbread recipe in a later post.

Enjoy!

One of my Shamrock plants served as the centerpiece.

♥andPeace,Myra

 

Spicy Potato Soup

Once again it was "Soup Saturday" at our house.
Spicy Potato Soup is a great recipe for a meal from the pantry.

The recipe came from "Taste of Home" magazine years ago.

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
4 cups cubed peeled potatoes
1 small onion diced
3 cans (8 oz) tomato sauce
4 cups water (I don't use that much water.
I usually just fill the tomato sauce cans.)
*2 tsp salt (I don't add this much)
*1 1/2 tsp pepper (Adjust to taste)
1/2 - 1 tsp hot pepper sauce
 

In Dutch oven brown beef and drain.  

Add potatoes, onion & tomato sauce.
Stir in water, salt, pepper and hot pepper sauce. 

I add Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning.
*As the seasoning is loaded with salt and spices,
 I cut back on the salt and pepper called for in the recipe.
Tabasco is my favorite pepper sauce.
Love the flavor. 

Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer 1 hour or until potatoes are tender and the sauce thickens. Enjoy with crackers or corn bread.

I tried a new "mix" Saturday.
Carnation Lemon Bread.
It had this cute little can of Carnation milk in the box.

Some time back I had bought these cute little mini loaf pans at TJ Maxx.
 

Included in the package was a yummy lemon glaze.
I thought the bread looked really pretty on my new 75% off Rosanna Botanical Holiday plates that I picked up at Tuesday Morning last week.

♥andPeace,Myra

Sausage, Beans and Rice

With the relief of cooler temperatures and the change of season "comfort food" is in order.

Sausage, Beans and Rice is a hearty and satisfying dish for cooler weather.

Ingredients:
Canned red beans or chili beans
Bell pepper
Onion
Garlic
Sausage of your choice. I like smoked sausage.
Canned diced tomatoes (fire roasted are good) or tomato sauce
Season as desired -
   red pepper flakes
   Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning (love this stuff)
   Whatever seasoning you would like to add.

For Serving:
Cooked rice of your choice. (I like Basmati.)
Grated cheddar cheese.

Method:
Heat olive oil in large skillet.
Rough chop bell pepper and onion and add to heated skillet. 
Slice sausage. Add to skillet.
After browning a few minutes add the garlic.
Add tomatoes and beans.
Add seasonings to taste.
Decrease heat, cover and simmer stirring occasionally.

Cook rice and grate cheese.

 

Soon it will look like this.

 



 

Plate with rice and grated cheese.

For a little "heat" add Tabasco.

 

 

 

Serve with a slice of cornbread. Enjoy.

 

♥andPeace,Myra

Down a Road Less Traveled

Sometimes (often) I need a change of scenery. Thursday I decided to drive to Little Rock and spend the night. We were experiencing beautiful fall weather and I couldn't wait to get on the road.

By the time I reached Bald Knob it was lunch time.

I like to try local restaurants when I am on the road.

The Market Cafe - Since 1946 did not disappoint.

 

For $6.10 hunger was no longer an issue.

The service was friendly and the food was hot and tasty.

 

"The Market" is just next door to the Market Cafe.

There are several buildings like the one above.

I believe they were first used for the strawberry market that was once big in the area.

 

I decided to travel on down the highway to Judsonia.

I have great-grandparents buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Judsonia.

They are buried under this beautiful magnolia.

 

Evergreen is a lovely, well maintained old cemetery.

 

I made it to Little Rock in time for the 16th annual Senator Jim Luker fish fry.

 

Come and get it!

 

Our son joined us for the fish fry.

It is always good to visit with him.

 

Friday I went shopping and decided to try Cantina Laredo for lunch.

I had the shrimp fajita special.  Delicious!

 

Yum.

 

♥andPeace, Myra

 



Crock Pot Potato Soup

I found a new potato soup recipe on Pinterest recently. With fall just around the corner I figured today was a good day to make soup! If you can open a can you can make this soup.

CROCK POT POTATO SOUP

 

Ingredients:

 

1 - 30 oz. bag of frozen, shredded hash browns

3 - 14 ounce cans chicken broth

1 - can of cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup diced onion

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

 

1 - 8 ounce package of cream cheese (not fat free)

(You will add the cream cheese one hour prior to serving.)

 

Garnish suggestions:

Shredded cheese, sour cream, bacon bits, green onions, jalapenos.

I used sour cream, shredded cheddar and jalapeno peppers.

 

 

Method:

Place all ingredients, EXCEPT the cream cheese in the crock pot.

Cook for 6-8 hours on low.

 

 

 

One hour prior to serving, cut up the cream cheese and add to the soup. Continue cooking until the cream cheese if melted.

 

 

Garnish as desired and enjoy.

 

A pan of corn bread completed the meal.

 

 



This recipe makes a full crock pot of soup.

 

♥andPeace,Myra