Another Tomato Recipe

Well I picked more fresh tomatoes today and I'm going to deliver some tomorrow to family and friends. Today I have a recipe for you that would be great for a large crowd...I just love parties, don't you?

Tomato and Orzo Salad

12 to 14 ears corn
1/2 C Olive Oil, extra-virgin
4 C cooked orzo pasta
1 1/2 lb. cherry tomatoes, halved
1 finely chopped red onion
1 C basil leaves, thinly sliced
Sea Salt, pepper and cayenne pepper to taste

Shuck your corn and scrape the kernels. In a large skillet heat 1 T. of olive oil and add the corn. Cook stirring occasionally until slightly charred, you know golden. Transfer to a large bowl to cool, and then stir in the orzo, onion, basil and tomatoes.

In a small bowl whisk together your dressing which is the remaining olive oil, vinegar and salt, pepper and cayenne. Pour over the corn salad and toss. Refrigerate to blend all the flavors.

Now this makes a big salad, which for me is great with large gatherings. You can cut this recipe down to any size you want. I always forget that I'm usually cooking for two during the week and then the frig gets full!

How can anyone pass up the great flavors of homegrown tomatoes, onions and corn on the Cob. Enjoy!

Home Grown Tomatoes

Hi everyone as you can see from the pictures above, my tomato crop is abundant. So I'll be sending several recipes out this week using them. I really like this recipe and it's great for summer when you have this wonderful home grown flavor...

FRESH TOMATO PIE

1 unbaked pie crust
2 C. shredded mozzarella, divided
3 to 4 C medium sized tomato, thinly sliced - let set in an strainer until ready to use
1/2 white onion, sliced in rings
1/2 C Caesar Salad Dressing
1 t. dried basil
Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake the pie crust 10-12 minutes or until slightly golden. Cool.
Reduce the oven temp. to 350 degrees. Sprinkle 3/4 C of the mozzarella cheese on bottom of cooled pie crust. Arrange the tomato slices and then add onion slices evenly over the tomatoes.

Combine salad dressing, and remaining mozzarella cheese, basil, salt and pepper in a small bowl, mix and then spoon over the tomato and onions. Add a light coat of Parmesan cheese over the whole pie.


Bake 40 minutes until bubbly and golden brown.

We really like this pie in the summer time and I hope that you get a chance to make this for your family. Enjoy!

"Share The Love" Award

I want to take opportunity to thank my dearest friend Chris from Knitting Mania who so graciously bestowed this award to me...she is a darling girl that has been a gift from GOD just for me! But I am willing to share her with others!!!

I want to pass this 'Sharing the Love' Award on to a very special young lady that I have only had the pleasure of meeting once, about ten or more years ago, but I still continue to hear so many wonderful things about. Her name is Jenna and her blog address is on my sidebar as; turning bright in the sea. I visit her site often, as she is on one of the greatest adventures of her life.

She is so spirit filled with the Heavenly Father and walks daily with the Lord, that reading her blog just lifts me up. Jenna this award is for you to pass on and share this with a loved one that make you smile and touches your heart, as you do mine. GOD bless you and keep you safe.

Potato Sausage Soup

Hi everyone I'm back from visiting and caring for my brother in Ojai, Ca and he is mending and doing well. Thank you all for your prayers for my brother and sister-in-law. The weather was great and cool there and one day my Aunt Perk and I slipped off to the beach for fried calamari and oysters. Nothing but nothing beats fresh fish!

I wanted to give you a recipe that goes with cool weather, Chris will love this, so I'm sending along my Potato Sausage Soup. This is so easy and simple and really great for a week night supper. It's very similar to the Olive Garden's famous Toscana soup. Give it a try...simply delicious.

Ingredients are:
5 sweet Italian sausage links
5 slices of bacon, cut into pieces
5 medium baking potatoes, cut into large cubes
1 Cup diced white onions
2 large cloves of minced garlic
1 and 1/2 boxes of chicken stock
1 Cup heavy cream
3 Cups fresh spinach
salt and pepper to taste

Remove the sausage from the casing and brown in a skillet breaking it up until cooked through.
Place the onions and bacon in a large saucepan and cook until the onions are tender. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Add the chicken broth and potatoes and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the sausage, spinach, cream and continue to simmer another 10 to 15 minutes.

Add some crusty french bread and voila there is your simply Italian dinner! Enjoy!

Missing in Action

Hi to all my friends in blogdom! Just a short note to let you know that I will be out of touch for the next week as I am going to Ojai, CA to spend some time with my brother who is having knee surgery on Monday.

I would make me so happy if you would lift my Brother Steve and his lovely wife Jan up in prayer at this time. Not only is my brother going to be out of commission for awhile, but my sister-in-law is having trouble with her one remaining kidney. I know without a doubt that prayer works in our daily life, so please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

It is such a comfort to drop the tangles of life into God's hands and leave them there.

Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you...

Psalm 55:22


Bless you all,

3 Bean Salad

Hey everyone I'm sorry for being away for so long but I have a request from my daughter Jennifer, in fact she has asked several times...for my Bean Salad recipe and I'm finally getting to it. It's easy and switched up from a box mix to just try to make it a little lighter. So here is my version. This is for you Jen...I'm so happy you enjoyed it!

3 BEAN SALAD
2 cans of green beans
1 can of kidney beans
1 can garbanzo beans
1/2 Cup chopped red onion
1/2 Cup chopped red bell pepper

1 packet of Good Seasoning Italian Salad Dressing

1/4 Cup apple cider vinegar
3/4 Cup water
1/4 Cup Canola Oil
Sugar or artificial sweetener (if you want your dressing sweetened)

Drain and rinse the canned beans. Add your chopped vegetables and set aside. In a separate bowl add the seasoning mix and the remaining ingredients for the dressing. Add 1 teaspoon of sugar or artificial sweetener at a time, to sweeten the dressing if you would like. I sweeten my dressing to cut the vinegar sometimes. It's an individual thing...so give it a try. ENJOY!

Tag I'm It !!!

I have been tagged by Chris at Knitting Mania and Trish at Nana's living the Dream at the same time, and I'm very late in answering. So this is going to tell all my crazy secrets...so here we go!

1. What was I doing 10 years ago? Let's see that would be 1998! I was hip deep in medical transcription...crazy job but I learned a lot. It consumed me though and I really didn't have much of a life so I got out of that. Picture this; typing in my pj's with my bunny slippers on. Truth! All day...

2. My favorite snacks? Anything in the sugar group! Pie is of course first...cake is running in second, fudge is third...and being healthy...homemade hummus and black pepper potato chips!!! Yum...

3. 5 things on my to do list? Paint front porch rail, paint the guest bathroom, paint the kitchen cabinets, clean out the flowers beds in the backyard and replant with pretty stuff! Where are you In A Garden.

4. Things I would do if I were a billionaire? Well my husband says for me never to play the lottery because he says that I will give it all away and he is pretty much right. I just want to share! But I would love a home in the mountains and a home on the beach, and just travel and travel. And all our children and grandbabies would be set too!

5. What are 5 jobs that I have had? Bookkeeper, audit analyst, medical transcriptionist, dental assistant, secretary and telephone operator right out of high school.

6. What 5 bad habits do I have? Who me!!! Okay it does slip out, but sometimes, not often, I swear...I don't want to but it sneaks out. I like to shop too much ( husband agrees ). Can't say no enough. I can't always forgive myself. I think maybe one bad habit is that I interfere in my children's lives too much...but I'm not too sure about that. Just don't ask them though...

7. Here is 5 places that I've lived. Porterville, CA. Fresno, CA. Ventura, CA. Bakersfield, CA. Visalia, CA. Yeah I really get around!

8. What are 5 random things that people wouldn't know about me: I got 9 stitches over my right eye surfing no less! I love fishing. I hate doing dishes. I would like to pierce my right ear at the top and get a little diamond! I am terribly soft hearted.


9. What are 5 cd's that I would love to have on a desert island? Misty Edwards, Jordan Sparks, Josh Grobin, Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban.

10. People I want to get to know better: I want to get to know my darling friend Chris more and my cousin Brenda, my sister-in-law Jan and my daughters Kim and Jennifer. I enjoying visiting with my new friends in blogdom Nanatrish from Nana's Living the dream and Cindy from In a Garden.