Wednesday, July 12, 2023

what we had for dinner Monday night

 


Happy Wednesday, friends, and welcome to my summer doldrums! 🤣 What I mean by this is that the fourth of July is over, now I'm counting down to September. I love fall and the heat has been brutal lately. I've also reached the point of the summer when I don't love to cook or use the oven. We're eating quick, easy, light meals, and the more I can use something small like the air fryer, the better. That being said, here's what we had for dinner Monday night. 


Tomato pie! It's the first time I've ever eaten it and the first of many times to make the recipe. I have only heard of tomato pie since my drive home from the beach. I was listening to The Big Boo Cast, and Melanie mentioned a restaurant that serves a great version in Birmingham. Thus, my research began, and I found the recipe that sounded the best. It helped that my sister Trish had brought me some of Bill's tomatoes last week. I put them to good use! Isn't it beautiful in this first picture? But here was what it looked after cooking it and then the slice I had for dinner Monday night. 






The recipe that I read says that this tastes like "pizza that meats cheesy bread". I would agree! Here is the recipe I used, but I did make a modification. Also, do not skip the hot sauce! I think it's what added the extra dose of flavor I picked up on. The modification I made is this: I didn't want to use all the mayonnaise it called for since we're trying to eat healthy, so I used 1 tablespoon of mayo mixed in with one beaten egg. Before you make it, if you make it, I do suggest first reading the recipe in its entirety. This was very simple to make, but another thing I will add is that you need to dice the tomatoes either the night before or early the day that you plan on making this—you need to drain as much as the juice from them as possible, if not, your pie will have a soggy bottom. I let mine drain for about three hours prior to baking. 


There are a few things that I did that I f eel like made this better. First, I never use store bought grated cheese. I always have a block of it on hand, and thanks to my days of watching The Pioneer Woman, she convinced me to start doing this many years ago. It makes a huge difference! I also think good cheese makes a difference, so I used sharp cheddar and parmesan. You could use gouda, Monterey Jack, Colby, or any other variety you just so happen to have on hand. I can't remember if the recipe says to do this, but after I diced all the tomatoes, I did sprinkle them generously with salt. That creates more juice in them, and after stirring them for several minutes, I was able to drain it off one last time. I did pre-bake my pie crust for about ten minutes, but I forgot to put something weighted in the bottom. I was afraid it was going to crack, so I stopped the timer and pulled them out. I did use the store bought pie crusts. Lastly, the homegrown tomatoes were what made the dish. I had a variety of heirloom tomatoes, so if you don't grow them yourself, I suggest hitting up your local farmer's market, then making this a day or two after. The more ripe the tomatoes, the better this tasted. And this did taste even better the second night I had it! 


Tell me what you've been eating and loving lately. I'd love to have some dinner inspiration! Thanks for reading my blog, friends. Love to all!

10 comments:

  1. When I saw you post this on IG, I didn't know if I would like it. But looking at the finished product, I could see where it would be delicious! It seems like a light dish, perfect for summer.

    Some of our favorites are beef patties, just cooked in the skillet. I will fix mashed potatoes or sauté some potatoes and onion in another skillet. Add a salad or another green veggie and it's super easy.

    Also, roast in the crockpot. We eat on it for days and have sandwiches, while are the best with some mayo and pepper.

    Also, if you do fix some potato and onion one night, make a big batch. Then brown some ground beef. Drain. Add a can of Rotel, add the potato and onion, stir and mix the meat and potatoes. Eat on tortillas (these are actually called Picadillo tacos). You can eat on this for days!

    Another thing, but with chicken...buy a box of wild rice, cook in the skillet. Add some (already cooked and shredded) chicken and you have a meal. Have a salad as a side. I will eat this for breakfast the next day :)

    Hope this gives you some new ideas!

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  2. I thought the same thing, Debbie! I was very pleasantly surprised. I think the name of it is very misleading. I usually prefer my pies sweet! All of those dinners sound amazing. Thank you for sharing some ideas with me! I think I struggle because my husband is really limited in what he eats. He wouldn't mind eating the same things all the time, but I get really tired of things. The chicken and wild rice sounds especially yummy to me. Thanks again!

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  3. I love meal inspiration!! And I do love dishes where the star of the show is a vegetable. Buuut....this girl does not eat tomatoes:( However, you do make this pie sound yummy and easy to make. I think my hubbie would love it and, like I said, I often make dishes just for him. Even got some extra ideas from Debbie...another fun thing about blogging - even the comments are interesting, helpful and fun to read!!:) Hope you have a great day. And don't count down those days til September too quickly. I'm holding on to summer. Tightly!!:)

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  4. Oh my gosh this looks amazing- I will def need to try this- thanks for sharing!

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  5. I totally agree about the cheese, but I am dangerous with a block of cheese! I will slice and eat way too much!
    I am definintely making this and good call on the mayo/egg thing. I wouldn't have known to do that. I am gonna hit up the farmer's market Saturday unless I can find one tomorrow. There used to be a Thursday afternoon one!

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  6. Jennifer, I do too! I'm really not counting them down just quite yet. Now, in August I will be for sure, but I am just looking for inspiration so that I don't have to turn the oven on too much. Isn't that a great thing about blogging and the comments? I need all of the help I can get!

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  7. Holly, if you try it, let me know what you think!

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  8. Amy, I think I read the egg thing in some of the comments on the blog post where the recipe is. I wouldn't have known that either! I was trying to think of alternatives on my own, but was coming up short. I feel like it didn't compromise the integrity of the dish, and I always appreciate a healthier version. If you try it, let me know what you think!

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  9. the closest i've ever come to a tomato pie is pizza. i have never heard of this in my life! and don't you love when something tastes better the 2nd go-round!

    a delicious post, friend.

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  10. Linda, I hadn't either, but I am slightly obsessed with it now! It's so much healthier than pizza. It will become a repeat as long as the season lasts!

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