Tag Archives: tomato

Baked Brie with Sun-dried Tomatoes

My family loves baked brie and I’m always looking for new recipes to try. I usually make a version with brown sugar and pecans, but was searching for a savory recipe and found this one. It’s so simple, delicious and so pretty – perfect for your next holiday party. The creamy brie goes great with the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes and a little bit of freshness from the parsley – it’s the perfect bite!

Baked Brie with Sun-dried Tomatoes | Join Us, Pull up a Chair

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Corn, Tomato and Cheddar Pie

As I mentioned, we have been overwhelmed with tomatoes and this was another one of the recipes I made to use up more of them. My garden is really slowing down now with the cooler nights we’ve been having. My cucumbers are done and I’ll only have four cucumbers left to make one last batch of cucumber salad. I had a couple ears of corn left over from dinner and stumbled across this recipe while killing time on Pinterest one night.

It was the perfect thing to make for a Sunday night dinner. The recipe is a little time consuming, especially since the crust is made from scratch and you need to seed the tomato slices (but easy to make). It was really good and gobbled it down…except for Cooper. He’s on a bit of an eating strike right now, it’s been exhausting just sitting down at the table for dinner. Our dinners usually end with a plate being thrown and him not eating anything. I won’t bore you with any more details, but I’m sure the other moms out there, know what I’m going through.

2 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, cold and cut into small chunks
3/4 cup whole milk
1 3/4 lbs tomatoes
1 1/2 cups corn (preferably fresh off the cob)
3 Tbsp chives, chopped
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
7 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp butter, melted
To make the dough, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt together. Using a pastry knife, cut in the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture becomes crumbly. Stir in the milk with a fork and stir to combine until a dough is formed. Form in a ball, wrap with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill while you prepare the filling. 
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice the tomatoes into 1/4 inc thick slices. Seed the tomatoes to reduce the chance for your crust becoming soggy. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayo and lemon juice. Set aside. 
Divide the dough in half and roll half of the dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll into a 12 inch circle and transfer to a 9 inch deep dish pie pan. Layer half the tomatoes, half the corn and half the chives. Season with salt and fresh ground pepper. Layer half the cheese on top. Repeat the remaining layers of tomatoes, corn and chives. Season with salt and pepper and then drizzle the lemon mayo on top of the last layer. Top with the remaining shredded cheese. 
Roll the other half of the crust out into a 12 inch circle. Cut out the center with a cookie cutter or use a knife to cut slits for the steam to vent. Place on top of the pie and crimp the edges together. Brush the top with the melted butter. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the crust is golden brown. Allow to cool before slicing. The pie can be served warm or at room temperature. It great both ways!
Source: Clock Work Lemon

Gazpacho with Basil Cornbread Croutons

This year my garden has been a little off. I’m getting a bumper crop of peppers, all my tomatoes ripened at the same time (even though some were supposed to be ready in early July), and my parsley and basil didn’t do well. I’m blaming it on the weather, lack of rain, and this is our first garden at our new house…need to work out the kinks. 

Over a course of a few days, I picked way more tomatoes than I knew what to do with. I knew I needed to figure out something to do with them, so I made 2 quarts of sauce with most of the Roma tomatoes. I still had a bunch of early girl and Mr. Stripey heirlooms to use so the next thing on my list was gazpacho. I used more tomatoes in another recipe…I’ll be sharing it later this week. I looked around for a gazpacho recipe since I had never made it before. 
The soup turned out amazing. I just threw it all in the blender, pureed it and then let it hang in out in the fridge while I made cornbread croutons. Seriously, it can’t get any easier than that! It makes six large portions, perfect for dinner on a hot summer night! 
Croutons
1 cup flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup chopped basil 
Gazpacho
3 lbs ripe tomatoes
1 large red bell pepper, seeded
1 cucumber, seeded
1 shallot, peeled
1/2 cup fresh parsley
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9×9 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients for the croutons. In a small liquid measuring cup, whisk together the milk and eggs. Combine the egg-milk mixture with the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Add in the chopped basil and mix in. Pour the batter into the baking pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the bread is golden brown. 
Allow to cool slightly on a cooling rack and then remove the bread from the pan. Place on the cooling rack to completely cool. Once cooled, cut the cornbread into the desired size of your croutons. Place them on a large baking sheet and bake for 30 to 35 minutes at 400 degrees. Stir once halfway through the baking process. Remove from oven and allow to cool. 
In a blender, add in the all the ingredients. Puree until there are no chunks. You might need to do this in batches. I did the tomatoes separately and then combined everything in a large bowl. Cover and place in the refrigerator  for at least one hour before serving (the longer it sits, the more the flavors blend together). Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and croutons. 
Source: In Sock Monkey Slippers

Chickpea, Tomato and Cucumber Quinoa Salad

We had a little taste of summer a couple weeks ago and when that happens, I try to spend the least amount of time in the kitchen! Luckily for me, we finally bought a grill this year and my husband has been doing a lot of cooking…which gives me a little break in the kitchen. Grated, I do love cooking, but there are days when one child is hanging on your leg and the other is asking you 500 questions…cooking is next-to-impossible.

This salad was one of those sides that I could throw together, while Ross made BBQ chicken legs and thighs on the grill. It was a super light salad and perfect for summer picnics, especially since it’s mayo free. I know I’ll be making it many more times this summer!

1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered
15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup diced english cucumber
1 cup quinoa, cooked
2 Tbsp red onion, minced
2 Tbsp cilantro, minced
juice of 1 1/2 limes
salt & fresh ground pepper to taste
In a medium sized bowl, combine all the ingredients right before serving. Season with salt and pepper to taste. If preparing ahead of time, keep in refrigerator until ready to eat. 
Source: Skinnytaste

Mushroom, Tomato & Shrimp Pasta

I made this the other night for dinner and it was good – but so much better as leftovers the next day. It’s adapted from a Kraft recipe.

8 oz thin spaghetti
3/4 cup fat free italian dressing
2 cups fresh mushroom, sliced
1 lb uncooked cleaned shrimp
handful of cherry tomatoes
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Cook pasta according to package. In a large skillet, heat 1/2 cup of dressing over medium heat. Stir in mushrooms, cooking 5 minutes until mushrooms start to cook. Add the shrimp and parsley. Cook 2 minutes or until shrimp are pink and mushrooms are tender. Toss in a handful of cherry tomatoes to warm through.

Drain pasta and add to the skillet. Mix ingredients and stir in the remaining 1/4 cup of dressing. Toss lightly.