Tomato Cheese Pie

Seriously, what is better than a tomato plant right outside the back door, loaded with fresh ripe tomatoes?  Browsing through Tastespotting led me to a recipe for tomato and cheese pie.  Normally I would direct you to the blog it was on, but in my excitement over how awesome this pie sounded, I printed the recipe and forgot to bookmark the blog.  I changed a few things from the original recipe based on comments, and I'm happy to report that this pie is one of the most delicious things I've eaten all summer.

Here's the recipe:

Tomato Cheese Pie        Serves 8.

• 1 9-inch pie shell (I used a thawed-out frozen pie crust)

• 1/2 yellow or red onion, chopped (I used 2 little red onions from the garden, and   caramelized them)

• 3-4 tomatoes, cut in half horizontally, squeezed to remove excess juice, roughly chopped, to yield approximately 3 cups chopped tomatoes

• 1/4 cup sliced basil (about 8 leaves)

• 1 T Dijon mustard

• 2 cups grated cheese (combination of sharp cheddar and Monterey Jack, or Gruyere or Mozarella)  (I used sharp cheddar and provolone; I don't think it really matters what you use as long as you like it)

• 3/4 cup mayonnaise (I used olive-oil-added mayo)

• 1 teaspoon (or more to taste) of Frank's Hot Sauce (or Tabasco)

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper (I didn't use salt-there's plenty in the cheese)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Prebake the pie crust until it's a light golden brown; mine took about 12 minutes

Squeeze as much moisture as you can out of the chopped tomatoes (I put paper towels in a colander and let the tomatoes sit for a while, then squeezed them with the paper towel)

Spread the Dijon mustard on the bottom of the pie shell

Sprinkle pie shell with chopped onion.

Spread the chopped tomatoes over the onions.

Sprinkle the sliced basil over the tomatoes.

In a medium bowl, mix together the grated cheese, mayonnaise, Tabasco, a sprinkling of salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Spread the cheese mixture over the tomatoes.

Place in oven and bake until browned and bubbly, anywhere from 25 to 45 minutes. (Mine baked for 50 minutes and wasn't browned enough so I put it under the broiler for a couple of minutes)

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A piece of tomato cheese pie, and some fresh cantaloupe from the garden, were dinner. 

I logged my dinner on NutriMirror and was happy to see that my day was still green!  Here are the stats; look at all that calcium!  (I know, look at all that FAT!)

Daydream Believer

I was recently telling a friend about one of my frequent daydreams.  Years ago, I heard or read someplace that it's good to have a happy place to go to mentally.  I mentally invented a house in the woods, and I'm sitting at a big heavy wooden table next to a stone fireplace, with a fire blazing in it.  The firelight is the only light in the room, and it's very cozy and private.  I can see into my kitchen, a beautiful gourmet space that is open to the living room.  The living room faces a curved wall of windows that look out into the trees.  I invented this sanctuary space about 15 years ago, and have spent lots of time sitting at my table, in my head. 

This fireplace space is so real to me now that I now find myself looking around while I'm there, and either further inventing or finally noticing some details.  Now, the kitchen is a sunny yellow, with a big white island.  In contrast to my fireplace area, the kitchen and living room are very bright.  It's dusk outside, and I can see through the living room windows into the trees.  There's a big full moon and it's all just beautiful.

I'm the kind of person who needs lots of alone time.  Thankfully, I married a man who understands that and doesn't get offended when I tell him I'm going into my cone of silence for a while.  When I can't find time physically to be alone, I often go to my fireplace sanctuary and recharge.

I wonder if I will ever end up living in my daydream house.  We have never discussed living in the woods, and I'm not sure I'd like that anyway.  I need quick access to grocery stores and gas stations, and paved roads.  Maybe one day this will be a vacation home.  I don't really know, but I do know this.  You get what you focus on, wanted or not.  I'm not going to be surprised if I do one day find myself actually sitting at my big table next to the fire.

It's so important to notice what we think about.  For every "this job sucks" we put out there, the Universe goes "this job sucks - you got it!" and continues to give you that.  As with most things, awareness is key.  It would be good to have a place to log your positive/negative thoughts so you could see them right in front of you and consciously change them. 

Which would you rather create?

"I am sitting at a beautiful, heavy wooden table, next to a roaring fire in a stone fireplace, gazing out into my beautiful living space and feeling such contentment."

or

"My job gives me panic attacks, I'm fat, nothing good ever happens to me, I'll never get anywhere, I'm useless, I'm worthless, I'm a failure, I suck."

How about this one?

"I am financially independent and spend my time on hobbies I love, and eat wonderful healthy food, and travel wherever/whenever I want; I am able to be philanthropic to causes I am passionate about.  My life is filled with caring, kind, irreverent, supportive awesome people who know who they are and can be counted on to tell me the truth."

Guess which two I am creating?  And manifesting into my life more and more, every day. 

Pay attention to your thoughts.  It's really important!