My Bumper Crop of Tomatoes

Hi there everyone......well, I've been kinda busy with my tomatoes. That's why I have been missing for awhile. These two bushes of Beef Steak Tomatoes have produced an abundance of tomatoes. Oh and so delicious....nothing like a fresh tomato from the garden.

So many things to make with my tomatoes. I want to can some tomatoes in the next few days. I've put a large bag of tomatoes in the freezer...maybe will do another bag for soups during the winter.

I am planning on dehydrating some tomatoes and maybe put some oil and seasonings on them and let they dry. I will take pictures after the drying process. Maybe I could grind them into powder and use as a seasoning. Just thinking about this process right now.

 I have made a few salads with the tomatoes. Tonight I had the salad, mixed with bacon and ranch dressing....yum that was good. I want to make a crustless tomato and spinach Quiche. I found the recipe in a magazine at the Doctor's office. So....this recipe is on the agenda to make soon.

Oh and then there are the BLT's.....so, so good! Tomato Soup was the first thing I made with my tomatoes.....oh and on the agenda is some tomato sauce too and then maybe can the sauce. The ideas are just endless, aren't they? I have been looking at "Tomato Jam" recipes, that sounds like fun too!!

These tomatoes were just so perfect....hardly any blemishes on these tomatoes. It most definitely was a good year for tomatoes and I most definitely will be planting Beef Steak Tomatoes next year also.

Another recipe I want to try and will give you the recipe here. I've have not tried it yet, but I can tell it will be really good.

Parmesan Oven Roasted Tomatoes:

3 large ripe tomatoes, halved

1 slice of bread or 3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 tablespoons of fresh herbs, (parsley, basil and oregano) or 1/2 teaspoon each dried basil & dill)

salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat oven 400 degrees. Using a blender or magic bullet, process the bread into fresh breadcrumbs. In a small bowl, combine breadcrumbs, cheese, garlic, olive oil, herbs, salt and pepper. Toss until well mixed.

Place sliced tomatoes in a shallow baking dish, season with salt and pepper, Top with breadcrumb mixture. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until crumbs are lightly browned. Be sure not to over bake so the tomatoes don't become mushy.

Another think I have been doing with my tomatoes is just slicing them and putting mozzarella on them and cooking along with my eggs in the morning.....soooooooo.good.

So there you have it, my tomato post, hope you enjoyed every bite of my tomatoes!!! Have a great evening and enjoy the last day of August tomorrow....where did this summer go??????

Tomato Cheers ~ Louise

Basil Tomato Soup With Meatballs

Hi there everyone. Hope you had a good day. For today's post I will be giving you the recipe for that delicious soup in my title. Excuse the pictures, I had to find them on the internet. YES....I did make the soup, but it went so fast before I could take a picture!!!!Honestly, I thought there was still a bowl of this soup in the frig......but it strangely disappeared before my eyes. All I can say, it must have been good....seems to me I only got 1 1/2 bowls the rest JP got.

This was really easy to make...of course I changed the recipe to suite my needs....I will give the recipe....but tag on what I did. Ready???

Basil Tomato Soup with Turkey Meatballs
Ingredients: to make the balls
8 oz ground turkey (this will make 13 - 1 inch meat balls)
3 T basil pesto
3 T whole wheat bread crumbs
Kosher salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
1 teasp. red pepper flakes (All the above ingredients were replaced with already made turkey meatballs...I added 24 meatballs to the soup)

The soup ingredients:
1 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2  small carrots peeled and chopped (I used one)
1 small stalk celery chopped (did not use)
3 garlic cloves, minced
2-1/2 cups chicken broth
1-28 oz can diced tomatoes in juice
1 cup orso pasta (I will use maybe 2/3 cup next time, 1 cup was too much)
Fresh grated (or jared) Parmesan cheese, for serving

To make the meatballs:
In a small bowl, combine the ground turkey with the pesto, bread crumbs, 1/8 teasp. kosher salt, 1/8 teasp. black pepper, and 1 teasp. red pepper flakes. Mix until evenly blended. (I used frozen turkey meatballs).

In a pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots and celery, then cover and reduce the heat to low. cook 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for a few minutes.

Add the chicken broth and diced tomatoes and juices from can and bring to a simmer. Cover the pan and let it cook for about 15 minutes.

While cooking, roll the turkey into uniform meatball, (you should end up with about 13-1 inch meatballs).

Once the broth/tomato mixture is done simmering, if you have a submersible blender, blend the soup till it is smooth (if you have a food processor or blender, do in a couple of batches till all the soup is blended to the desired smoothness).

Return the pureed soup to the soup pot and add the pasta and meatballs. (this is where I added the already made frozen meatballs) Cook on medium for 15 minutes or until the pasta is tender and the meatballs are fully cooked.

To serve, top with grated or sliced Parmesan and Enjoy!!!
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I hope you enjoy this soup as much as we did...it is worthy of  another pot very soon. Hope you have a good day tomorrow, keep warm. It's suppose to warm up this next week, like in the 30's, is that a heat wave? Spring starts March 20th, and that is just 2 weeks away.

Don't forget to leave a comment on my blog for the next 5 days. I will be picking 4 names to receive a St. Patrick's Day card. Who knows, maybe you all will receive one. Have a good one.
Cheers ~ Louise

A "100 Mile Challenge" for August

I have taken on a "100 mile challenge" to ride my stationary bike. As you can see, starting miles on the odometer is 2,506.1. Ending miles will hopefully read 2,606.1 by the end of this month.

Beth from www.mybizzykitchen.com put out this challenge and I responded by email. I have been following her blogs for about 6 months and have enjoyed reading them very much. She has given alot of hints to losing weight with healthy meals. She counts calories adding exercises and inspirational thoughts with using lots of different techniques....(I don't mind saying this as I am a "technique freak" who is always looking for new and insanely different things to do). Plus....I have a feeling, she knows how to enjoy life and make the best of everything she does!!!! That's a good plus :)

When dieting and exercise are involved I am finding it helpful to get little incentives doing it along with other people. (www.fatsecret.com  refered by Beth) is a good place to start. I have been trying to lose a few pounds with no real success (I think). But as I look back on my stationary bike riding since October ~ 1) didn't gain those ugly 10 lbs in the winter, 2) and maintained my weight, 3) blood sugars are usually low in the morning when I ride my bike the night before, 4) have noticed lately more endurance to ride straight through the 5 miles non-stop, 5) when I miss a night, I am very sluggish the next day. Those are just a few of the benefits I have found for this 65 year old body.

There maybe about 36+ other people on this challenge, today is the last day to sign up, so if you want to join in on the fun, let her know either by email or leave a comment on her blog www.mybizzykitchen.com Another great incentive is that all the people that took the challenge will be entered into a drawing for a prize and the winner will receive from Beth, 2 jars of her homemade Baja Fresh Salsa and 2 jars of her Grilled Cherry Salsa....PLUS.....a case of 6-16oz Chobani Greek Yogurt that will come straight from Chobani. I am trying the Chocolate vanilla chip yogurt..mmmmmmm good! Beth made Blueberry muffins using the Chobani blueberry yogurt, which I will need to try. Go to: www.chobani.com for free coupons lots of recipes and info on this wonderful greek yogurt.

Well, I am making some Tomato-Basil Parmesan Soup in my Dutch Oven. A few people have given us some tomatoes, so I thought "IT'S SOUP TIME" a cold front is coming, so soup just might taste good. Don't think the cold front is going to be very cold, maybe just cool things down a bit and that will be fine with me, low 70's.....great!!!

Here is the recipe for the soup:

2 cans diced tomatoes with juice (14 oz each) or fresh tomatoes
1 cup each finely diced celery and finely diced carrots and 1 onion finely diced
4 cup chicken broth (4 chicken bouillon cubes)
1/2 bay leaf, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tbs dried basil
1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup flour
1 cup Parmesan Cheese, 2 cups half and half, warmed, 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper

In a large crockpot or dutch oven, combine tomatoes, celery, carrots, chicken broth, onions, bay leaf, oregano, and basil. Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hours, until flavors and blended and vegetables are soft.

About an hour before serving prepare a roux. Melt butter and whisk in flour until smooth. Slowly stir in 1 cup hot soup from the pot. Add another 3 cups soup and stir until smooth.

Add all back into the slow cooker. Stir and add Parmesan cheese, warmed half and half, salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for another hour until ready to serve. Serve with fresh hot bread. Makes about 2 quarts. 6-8 servings

Enjoy!!

Think I will close for now (computer is driving me nuts and that is just a short putt for me) and finish the soup, water my plants outside. Maybe I will do my guitar lessons tonight and I need to make a card for the lady that has given us all these tomatoes. OH, OH, OH, and ride my bike 5 or so miles, lift some weights (3lbs each) and do some stretches with the rubber band. So you all take care and keep looking up for your redemption drawth nigh.
Cheers ~ Louise