Tomato Pie

I have never made a tomato pie before but I have had one once and it was delicious.  I came across Paula Deen's tomato pie recipe from her food network show, Paula's Home Cooking.  I altered her recipe using what I had at home.  I would probably use shredded mozzarella cheese next time instead of the fresh bocconcini mozzarella, because it made the pie more watery.  You should make sure you drain the tomatoes really well too.  Paula's recipe also said to remove the skin from the tomatoes, but I just left them on since I don't mind it.  You could also caramelize the onions if you have time to do that.  I love the combination flavors of tomatoes and basil and each bite of pie was cheesy.  At first I was skeptical, but then I ate a second piece of pie!   Yup, it was that good.  Enjoy!

Tomato Pie

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 (9-inch) prebaked pie shell (I used a frozen pie shell.)

4 tomatoes, sliced

½ onion, diced

¼ cup fresh basil leaves, chopped  (8 to 10 leaves)

1 cup shredded cheese (I used a Mexican blend)

½ pound fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced (I used 2 bocconcini mozzarella balls.)

¾ cup mayonnaise (I used Hellman’s Light Mayonnaise.)

salt and pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  I prebaked a frozen pie shell for 9 minutes.  (Follow directions on the package.)

Place tomato slices in a colander in the sink and sprinkle with some salt.  Allow liquids to drain for about 10 minutes.

 

In a small bowl, combine the shredded cheese and mayonnaise together.

 

Layer the tomatoes slices, onion, and basil in the prebaked pie shell.  Layer the mozzarella slices between the tomato layers.

Spread mayonnaise mixture on top of the tomatoes.  Sprinkle with some black pepper and salt if desired.

Bake for 30 minutes or until lightly browned.

 

Best serve warm and cut into slices.  

 The pie got more watery due to the fresh mozzarella cheese ... oops, but it still tasted good!

 My second slice of pie ... as you can see, I used the same plate from my first slice :)

Crunchy Asparagus

I was watching the show Guy's Big Bite earlier this week and he made "Crunch Crazy Asparagus Spears" and I knew I had to make it ASAP.   Here is Guy Fieri's original recipe posted on the Food Network.  How can you resist a crunchy asparagus?  I changed his recipe slightly and it came out wonderful.  I also baked them in my convection toaster oven since I only made half a pound of asparagus.  You can easily double the recipe by adding another egg and another cup of panko crumbs.  The asparagus came out crunchy and it was hard to not eat them all at once!  I will have to try making other vegetables this way.   Also, this could make a great appetizer if not a side dish.  Enjoy!

Crunchy Asparagus
Printable Recipe

Ingredients

½  pound asparagus, ends trimmed

1 egg, beaten

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

½ cup parmesan cheese, grated

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

In a bowl (large enough to fit an asparagus spear), whisk together egg, mayonnaise, mustard, salt and pepper.

In a separate dish (I used an 8x8 baking dish), mix together the panko breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, paprika, and garlic powder.

Dip each asparagus spear in the egg wash.

 

Next, coat each spear in the seasoned panko breadcrumbs.

 

Place the spears on a wire rake over a baking sheet. 

 

Lightly drizzle olive oil over the spears so they will get crispy.

 

Bake for 15 to 17 minutes until golden brown and crispy. 

 
Serve immediately.

Note: I did have some leftovers the next day and reheated by toasting them in the toaster oven.  Guess what, they are still crunchy!

Avocado, Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato (ABLT) Sandwich

I like BLT sandwiches, its a classic sandwich with bacon, lettuce and tomato.   You can't go wrong with bacon, but a BLT sandwich is even better with avocados. There you have an ABLT sandwich!  I love using avocados in a sandwich and my favorite sandwiches are always toasted.  I am also a fan of Hellman's Light Mayonnaise, it is the only mayo I will buy.  Did you know that Chik-Fil-A has packets of Hellman's Light Mayonnaise as one of their condiments?  Another reason I love Chik-Fil-A!  :)  But seriously, make yourself an ABLT sandwich soon - you won't regret it.

 

Ingredients

2 slices bread, toasted (I used whole wheat bread.)

2-3 slices bacon, cooked (Feel free to use turkey bacon too.)

1 roma tomato, sliced

½  avocado, sliced

lettuce (I used a spring salad mix)

2 tablespoons mayonnaise (I use Hellman’s Light Mayonnaise.)

 

Directions

Toast 2 slices of bread.  Spread 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise on each slice of bread.

 

Cook bacon.  (I cooked the bacon in the microwave - lay bacon slices on top of 2 paper towels, cover with another paper towel, and cook on high for 2-3 minutes.)  Slice avocado and tomato.

Place sliced avocado on top of 1 mayanoise-spreaded toasted bread.

Add bacon slices on top of avocado. You may need to cut the bacon in half.

 

Add lettuce on top of avocado.

Add slices of tomato on top of lettuce.

 

Top with remaining slice of mayanoise-spreaded toasted bread.

 

Enjoy!

Simple Sunday Coleslaw

The weather has been great, it was in the mid 80's today!  When the weather gets warm, I start thinking about cookouts and a great side dish would be coleslaw.   Here is an easy Sunday recipe for coleslaw, enjoy!

Ingredients

prepacked coleslaw mix (You can shred your own cabbage and carrots.)

½ cup mayonnaise (I used Hellman’s light.)

¼ cup vinegar (You can use apple cider or a white vinegar, such as rice vinegar.)

½ cup sugar

salt and pepper to taste

 

Directions

In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar and sugar.  Add in salt and pepper to your taste.  Mix together the dressing with the prepacked coleslaw mix or you own shredded cabbage and carrots.   Chill in the fridge for a few hours, it is best served cold.

This is a great side dish for warm weather!