Why You Should Grow Your Own Tomatoes | Tomato Sandwich Recipe

Everyone who has ever come into contact with me knows that I do not like the heat.  Any day that the temperature goes above 78* is (shudder) not a good day in my opinion.  As you can imagine, summer is not my favorite season.  It’s fall in case you ever have to answer a trivia question about it.  But.  Summer does have at least one saving grace.  Tomatoes.  Yummy, exquisite, delectable, homegrown tomatoes on the vine.  For these, I will suffer through summer every single year.

There is nothing like a home grown tomato.  Nothing!  I buy tomatoes year round.  I can’t help myself.  Even in the dead of winter, knowing that they will more than likely taste like wet sawdust, I can’t help myself.  I love tomatoes.  But summer tomatoes….  There is truly nothing like them on earth.

Every year I say that this is the year that I will grow everything.  Then life intervenes and I am lucky if I get a tomato plant in my rose bed.  Do you do that?  I always grow tomatoes and peppers with my roses.  At least when I buy the plants with the intentions of planting them, I do.  Did that happen this year?  Nope.  There is always next year……

This is where friends, family and the local farmer’s market comes into play.  Denton brought home two perfect specimens yesterday from a friends garden.  They were soooo good.  I always buy on the vine tomatoes when I get them at the supermarket, when I don’t have access to garden tomatoes.  They are good, but they are definitely NOT summer garden tomatoes.

Try it yourself and see the difference.  You can thank me later.  And plant a tomato plant in your flower garden.  You’ll be glad you did.

While we can still get our hot little hands on them, and until this neverending summer is over, here is my favorite way to eat summer’s mouthwatering tomatoes.  I can’t call it a recipe because it’s so simple, but I’m going to anyway.   😀

Start out with your favorite white bread.  The choice at our house is always Nature’s Own Butterbread.  Deliciousness.

Add the world’s best mayonnaise. Hellmann’s, of course.

Add a slice of heaven that’s as big as your head.

Sprinkle on some salt and black pepper.

And enjoy one of the marvelous joys of summer.

Here’s the handy dandy recipe.

Why You Should Grow Your Own Tomatoes | Tomato Sandwich Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 1 heavenly homegrown tomato
  • 2 slices of white bread
  • 1 TBSP Hellmann's mayonnaise
  • salt and pepper

Instructions
 

  • Spread mayo onto bread slices.
  • Add a giant slab of delicious homegrown summer tomato.
  • Sprinkle on salt and pepper to taste.
  • Enjoy!

Quick, Easy and Cheap Garlic Bread

One of my go-to recipes that I use almost every single week is this one.  It goes with so many things – spaghetti, fettuccine, soup, grilled chicken or steak – the list can go on and on.  I LOVE bread.  And this is one of my favorites!  The best part is how economical it is.

I always start with bread from the mark down rack.  Any type will do.  This time its Italian, but most of the time I use French bread.  $0.29!!  Seriously, how can this be bad?  Slice the loaf in half length wise.

Slather it with good butter….

Yum!

Then gather your choice of toppings.  We love the combination of garlic powder, Italian seasoning and minced onions.

Sprinkle them all on….. And bake at 400* for about 10 minutes.

Enjoy the crunchy, buttery, garlicky goodness!  Here’s the handy dandy recipe.

Quick and Easy Garlic Bread

Ingredients
  

  • 1 loaf of French or Italian Bread
  • Butter
  • Garlic Powder
  • Minced Onion
  • Italian Seasoning

Instructions
 

  • Split the loaf length wise and fold apart.
  • Cover each cut side with butter.
  • Sprinkle all over with garlic powder, minced onion and Italian seasoning.
  • Bake at 400* for about 10 minutes.
  • Slice into individual pieces and enjoy!

Oven “Fried” Green Tomatoes

Have you ever had fried green tomatoes?  I love them.  My Mamaws’ made them for years and every time I see them on a menu at a restaurant I have to have them.

I rarely (never) make them at home because I think they are to time consuming.  Until now.  Let me show you how I discovered an easy and pain free way to make this scrumptious appetizer.  Or meal.  Yum!

Beat two eggs with 1/4 cup of milk, salt and pepper then take a blurry photo.

Mix a cup of flour with salt and pepper in a separate bowl.

In yet another bowl, mix 1 cup of panko, salt and pepper with 1/4 cup of corn meal.

Slice the delicious green tomatoes around 1/4 inch thick.

Dip the tomatoes into the egg wash….

Coat them in the flour mixture….

Back into the egg wash….

Then into the panko mixture….

Looking so yummy already.

Place all the coated tomatoes onto a liberally greased baking pan.  I used canola oil.  You can use whatever oil floats you boat – canola, olive, etc.

Bake for 45 minutes at 400* until cooked through and crispy on the outside.  You can flip them halfway if you would like.  But, I am lazy and did not.  They were still crunchy and perfect!  Enjoy!

Oven “Fried” Green Tomatoes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 green tomatoes
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 cup of milk
  • 1 cup of flour
  • 1 cup of panko breadcrumbs
  • 1/4 cup of corn meal
  • salt
  • pepper

Instructions
 

  • Slice the tomatoes into 1/4 inch slices.
  • Beat the two eggs with the milk, and add a shake of salt and pepper.
  • Mix flour in one bowl with a shake of salt and pepper.
  • Mix panko breadcrumbs in the last bowl with corn meal, and a shake of salt and pepper.
  • Dip the tomatoes in the egg mixture, flour mixture, egg mixture again, and then in the pakno mixture.
  • Place on LIBERALLY greased baking sheet.
  • Bake for 45 minutes at 400* turning once if you so desire. Or not.
  • Let cool slightly if you can and enjoy!

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Subscribe and Save. July 2017.

Just about every single month I put in an order through Subscribe and Save at Amazon.com.  Here is what I ordered for July.

The prices reflect the subscribe and save price with coupon’s at the time of my order and may not be available now.  This post contains affiliate links.  Read my disclosure policy here.

The whole month of July I was filling my virtual basket with all of the deals I was finding.  I try to get at least five items in my order or I’ll just delay until the next month.  Let’s see what’s coming from the UPS man.

Yum.  Liva loves these.  They’ll be great in her lunchbox.  School starts the 9th of August here.  Boo.

We’ve been out of paper towels so I’m stocking up.  Denton will be happy.  So will Hayden.

 

This keeps me out of Wal-mart.  And that makes my day a good day.

I have a beautiful bird’s eye maple clock that takes these weird batteries.

Because we always need toilet paper.  Always.

Anytime I can get the UPS to do my shopping for me is a great day.  That’s what it feels like when he delivers my orders.

That’s what ended up in my basket this month.  What did you order?

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enoteca OTTO pizzeria.  New York.

Todays lunch/supper – lupper? – was a huge success.  We ate at enoteca OTTO pizzeria, one of Mario Batali’s restaurants on 5th Avenue.  It. Was. Awesome.  

Denton ordered one of the days specials. Orecchiette​ with pancetta and spigarello.  Heaven.  Absolute heaven on a plate.

Hayden chose Quattro Formaggio.  It’s a pizza with four separate cheeses.  Mozerella, tallagio, cacio, and ricotta.

Liv ordered the Cacio e Pepe.  It’s a pizza with Mozerella, pecorino, cacio, Parmesano and black pepper.

I chose the Quattro Stagioni.  It has peppers, mushrooms, Swiss chard, Mozerella and Cotto.  It was delicious.  My favorite of all the choices on my pizza was the mushrooms.  Divine.

After we ate everyone wanted to get a gelato.  I was completely stuffed, and I knew that Liv and Hayden would never finish theirs so I didn’t choose one.

Denton got Lime/Basil.  Let me tell you, I couldn’t have eaten that one.  It was so tart I thought my jaws would lock up.  But it was good, just too much for my taste buds.

Hayden got Mango/Coffee.  If you like mangoes this is your choice.  It was mango heaven for Hayden.  The coffee was my favorite, it was lovely.

Liv chose Dark Chocolate/Cherry.  They were both excellent.  She loved her choice and our waiter laughed and said that she was the only one who made a logical pairing.

I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone.  It was one of my favorites!

Tonight’s supper was a bust.

Every single night (and day too,) we have tried something new to us for lunch and supper.   New York is a wonderful place to do this.  I mean think of the possibilities!

All four of us got something different so that we could mix and match our meals to be able to try the most dishes.

Tonight was a complete failure.  We tried Haitian food.

Liv ordered the Mixed Vegetable sandwich with kale, sweet plantains, avacado,  tomatoes and chickpea spread with fries.  It was sooooo sweet!

Hayden chose the cod fish sandwich which had tomatoes and avacado on brioche. Uhmmmm, the best thing we all had to say about that was, nope.  It was so, so fishy.

I ordered the burger with red onion chutney, roasted peppers and spiced herbed mayonnaise.  One of the main reasons that I didn’t enjoy my meal was the excess mayo that was on it and they also MADE you choose between cheddar and swiss cheese.  I don’t like cheese on my burger thanks.  I also chose for my side, Akra.  They are shredded vegetables fried into fritters.  These were just okay, but had was too much batter instead of veggies.

Denton ordered the Griot pan fried pork shoulder with piklis and sos,  fried plantains and a side of rice and beans.  I think that this was the best dish we got.  I loved the roasted red peppers and onions that came with the pork, but the pork was very, very dry.

So, all and all, we just didn’t enjoy our Haitian dinner.  The next time we try it will be with one of Denton’s cousins who lived in Haiti for two years.  I think this was just too different for us to go it alone on.  Maybe next time will be better!  

We won’t stop trying new things.  Nothing ventured, nothing gained!

The Great Grocery Grind. 05.15.17

Do you buy the same things every single week?  I am noticing more and more that I am adding the same items to my list.  It is becoming automatic and I’m really, really, REALLY, liking it.

Canned salmon, check.  Avocados, check.  Milk and bread, check and check.  Coke, sigh, check.

But this week, I added Ribeyes and a block of real Parmesan.  Yum.  And I still came in under $90.00, woo-hoo!

Here’s what we spent on 05.15.17

  $87.73 at Food Lion         Total spent this year $2,318.39

  • Got back this week:                                         Got back for the year:
  • $0.00 Ibotta                                                          $10.50  Ibotta
  • $0.00 Checkout 51                                              $  3.50  Checkout 51
  • $0.00 from Savings Catcher                            $13.28  Savings Catcher 

What did you buy this week?

Ibotta is a way for you to earn cash on purchases when you shop.  Check the Ibotta app before you shop, then upload the UPC code and your receipt and get paid once your balance hits $20.  Join Ibotta with this link  (my referral link) and get $10 free!

The Great Grocery Grind. 05.11.17

I quickly ran into Food Lion and grabbed the fixin’s for hamburgers on this shopping trip.  Along with an Angel Food cake that they made in the bakery.  With sliced strawberries and whipped cream it is an instant decadent dessert!

My Mama and my Daddy are coming and it’s going to be Mother’s Day!!!  I think this is a first.  I’m a little excited!

Here’s what we spent on 05.11.17

  $40.19 at Food Lion         Total spent this year $2,230.66

  • Got back this week:                                         Got back for the year:
  • $0.00 Ibotta                                                          $10.50  Ibotta
  • $0.00 Checkout 51                                              $  3.50  Checkout 51
  • $0.00 from Savings Catcher                            $13.28  Savings Catcher 

What did you buy this week?

Ibotta is a way for you to earn cash on purchases when you shop.  Check the Ibotta app before you shop, then upload the UPC code and your receipt and get paid once your balance hits $20.  Join Ibotta with this link  (my referral link) and get $10 free!

The Great Grocery Grind. 05.06.17

This was another big spending week for us.  School is still in session, lunches are still being packed and people are still insisting on eating food at my house every.single.day.  😉

And I forgot to claim my Ibotta and Checkout 51 rebates!  Arghhh, so let’s see what the damage is.

Here’s what we spent on 05.06.17

  $147.89 at Kroger         Total spent this year $2,190.47

  • Got back this week:                                         Got back for the year:
  • $0.00 Ibotta                                                          $10.50  Ibotta
  • $0.00 Checkout 51                                              $  3.50  Checkout 51
  • $0.00 from Savings Catcher                            $13.28  Savings Catcher 

What did you buy this week?

Ibotta is a way for you to earn cash on purchases when you shop.  Check the Ibotta app before you shop, then upload the UPC code and your receipt and get paid once your balance hits $20.  Join Ibotta with this link  (my referral link) and get $10 free!

The Great Grocery Grind. 04.27.17

I just needed frozen biscuits.  Seriously.  And milk.  And ground beef and seven other things apparently.  I need an intervention when it comes to keeping things out my buggie when I need to “just run in for…..”.

Have you ever tried the Walmart brand of frozen biscuits though?  Before my grandmother passed away, the kids and I were having breakfast with her one day and I commented on how good her biscuits were and she just laughed.

She said “I don’t bake biscuits any more”, and proceeded to show me the bag.  I hardly ever make my own biscuits anymore either.

I tried Food Lion’s brand this time and I still don’t think they are as good as Walmart’s.

Here’s what we spent on 04.27.17

  $35.60 at Food Lion         Total spent this year $1,975.77

  • Got back this week:                                         Got back for the year:
  • $0.75 Ibotta                                                          $9.25  Ibotta
  • $0 00 Checkout 51                                              $3.25  Checkout 51
  • $0.00 from Savings Catcher                            $13.28 Savings Catcher 

What did you buy this week?

Ibotta is a way for you to earn cash on purchases when you shop.  Check the Ibotta app before you shop, then upload the UPC code and your receipt and get paid once your balance hits $20.  Join Ibotta with this link  (my referral link) and get $10 free!