Tomato Pie

One of my favorite things about summer produce is all of the fresh tomatoes. A homegrown tomato is much tastier than its grocery store counterpart. Much to my dismay, tomato season is winding down so I decided to make a tomato pie for one last hurrah. This popular southern dish would be a great addition to any Labor Day cookout this weekend.

I chose to put the basil in the pie crust instead of the pie. This crust recipe makes two pie crusts, which you can refrigerate for up to a week or freeze for 3 months. While I usually make traditional pie crust by hand, I used a mixer for this one to mix the basil more thoroughly. If you don’t want to take the time to make the crust, a store-bought one should be fine. I also added roasted red peppers for additional flavor. It was a big hit at our house and I know I will be craving it until next summer!

Inspired by Southern Living, August 2011

Pie Crust

·         2 ¼ cups all purpose flour

·         ¾ teaspoon salt

·         2/3 cup shortening

·         ¼ cup chopped basil

·         8-10 tablespoons ice cold water

Place the flour, salt and basil in the mixing bowl and stir together until combined. Add the shortening to the bowl and mix until the shortening is pea sized.  Add the tablespoons of water one at a time until your dough is moistened. Be careful not to over mix. Divide dough in half and form into round discs. Refrigerate at least one disc for this pie recipe.

Tomato Pie Recipe

·         4 Medium Tomatoes, peeled and cut into ½ inch thick slices

·         Salt, for sprinkling

·         ½ cup Mayonnaise (I use the Olive Oil-based kind)

·         3 Green Onions, chopped

·         ½ Yellow Onion, diced

·         2 Roasted Red Peppers,  chopped

·         1 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place tomatoes on paper towels and sprinkle with salt. Let stand 30 minutes.

Roll pie crust into pie dish. Prick the sides and bottom of the crust with a fork to keep the dough from puffing up. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly brown.

Meanwhile, mix the mayonnaise, green onions, yellow onions, and ¾ cup cheese.

Remove pie crust from oven. Sprinkle bottom of crust with remaining ¼ cup cheese. Layer the chopped red peppers, then arrange the tomato slices evenly. Spread cheese mixture over tomatoes. Bake at 350 degrees for 34 minutes or until brown. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

Tomato Pie

Sausage Stuffed Peppers

One of my favorite dinners this summer has been stuffed peppers. It's really quick and easy to throw together. I do mine on the grill but you could easily do it in the oven. I sometimes have a hard time finding recipes that are easy to adapt for two people. This one really let's you tweak it and can easily be made for one or two people or even a whole crowd; I actually served it to R.B.'s family the first night we were in our new home. This recipe made 3 peppers and some leftover stuffing which is perfect for us (one for me and two for R.B.).

Sausage Stuffed Peppers is a really versatile recipe and completely open to interpretation. I used Spicy Sausage and Jalapeno Jack Cheese for a Southwestern flavor. You could spice it up by adding a chopped jalapeno and a dash of hot sauce, or if you wanted to use more veggies, just add diced mushrooms, zucchini, squash, tomatoes, etc. I just used what I had on hand that day so I kept it simple. While most recipes that you google for "stuffed peppers" will have some form of rice or breadcrumbs, I created this recipe without them to be lower in carbs.

The extra sausage stuffing can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for 2 to 3 months. I mixed the leftover sausage this week with eggs and made breakfast tacos for dinner one night. If you do have any leftover stuffed peppers, they reheat well in the microwave and are a great lunch the next day.

Sausage Stuffed Peppers

• 3 Bell Peppers, assorted colors
• 1 pound Hot Sausage
• 1/2 Yellow Onion, diced
• 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
• 3/4 Cup Pepper Jack Cheese, grated
• 1/8 Cup Red Wine
• Olive Oil, for brushing

Preheat Grill to Medium Heat.

Slice the top 1/3 of the peppers off, keeping the lids. Finely dice the remaining pepper around the stems and put to the side. Scoop out any remaining seeds and lightly brush the olive oil on the tops and bottoms of the peppers. Place the peppers on the grill bottoms down for 6-8 minutes until lightly browned and then flip over and lightly brown the tops as well for about 6 minutes. The pepper should be somewhat tender but not falling apart or losing it's shape.

While the peppers are on the grill, in a large skillet, brown the sausage. Add the onions and stir until translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and diced peppers and cook for about 3-5 minutes, until tender. Pour in the red wine and cook until it is reduced. Remove the skillet from the stove and stir in the cheese.

Pour the stuffing into the warm peppers.

Hello!

I am a born and raised Texan and always thought my heels would dig in the soil there. That all changed when I met the love of my life, a Missourian, and I now hang my hat in his hometown of West Plains, Missouri. We live outside of town (population 10,866!) in my version of the country. I was raised in Dallas and moved here from Austin where I went to the University of Texas (Hook 'Em!) and worked for six years.

My husband is my official food guinea pig. We have been married one year and currently have a 5 month old puppy named Lilly. While she is not a food tester, she definitely runs our household!

Living here has been quite the adventure! With no way to get fresh veggies year round (I miss you, Whole Foods!), and no "fine dining" restaurants within a 90 mile radius, I have learned to adapt and only cook with what's in season. On the plus side, when a vegetable is in season, the place to get it is either your own garden or a food stand on the side of the road. We definitely "buy local"!

While I do try to cook semi-healthy, I have a weakness for all things sugar and a guilty pleasure for anything fried and dipped in ranch dressing (I will always be a sorority girl at heart). I hope you enjoy my recipes while I try to navigate through the intricacies of living in a small town!