Tomato Pie 2.0

[Disclaimer: I've searched every where for the pictures, but I guess in the transition to the new computer, they're missing...

....Well, they probably aren't missing.. they're probably on the storage drive and I'm just too lazy to get them.. Coffee and Ellen is way too important.]

So, since my last blog post about tom pie, I've made about 4394304.

Give or take.

Here's my latest, and most successful recipe:

Adapted from Bobby Lightens Up. Adaptations in black.

Ingredients

1/2 (15-ounce) package refrigerated rolled pie crust
2/3 cup reduced-fat shredded four-cheese Italian blend
4 large plum tomatoes (about 1 pound), cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
2 - 4 drops hot pepper sauce (I use Crystals)

fresh grated Parmesan cheese

1 egg yolk, mixed with a little water, and beaten

1/2 tsp of lemon juice

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to an 11-inch round. Gently ease the dough into a 9-inch glass pie plate. Trim the dough edge, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang; crimp the edge. Brush with egg mixture. Bake until lightly browned, 5-7 minutes. Transfer the crust to a wire rack to cool.

Arrange tomato slices on a paper towel, sprinkle with salt and chopped fresh basil. The paper towel soaks up a lot of the moisture from the tomatoes, which I've found reduces the chances of a runny pie.

Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F.

Sprinkle 1/3 cup cheese blend evenly on the bottom of the cooled crust; top with the tomato slices, overlapping to fit.

Combine the mayonnaise, hot pepper sauce, lemon juice, and the remaining cup cheese blend in a medium bowl until blended; spread over the tomatoes, leaving a 1-inch border around the edge. Sprinkle evenly with the Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, until the filling is hot and the top is browned and bubbly, 30 – 35 minutes.

Test Kitchen Tip:
Plum tomatoes are meatier and contain less water than regular tomatoes. For a delicious smoky flavor, sprinkle the tomatoes with 2 slices of cooked, crumbled turkey bacon before baking. Two slices will increase the nutritional value by 20 calories and 2 grams of fat per serving.

Having a party? I've finally figured out the best party friendly version (read: less cutting and serving; more grab and go). It is the same recipe as above, with a few minor alterations. Unroll the pie crust. Use a biscuit cutter (or a wine glass) to punch out circles. Roll over the circles a little with a rolling pin or wine bottle. Give the muffin tin a spray of canola and then line with the pie crust circles. (This recipe does not require pre cooking the crust). Add a small sprinkle of cheese in the bottom of each muffin, a tomato slice, and some of the mayo-cheese mixture. Top each with parmesan cheese. Bake for about 20 minutes. Keep an eye on it, as with all recipes. Ovens are weird and different.. Honestly, I check things in the oven obsessively. I have a convection oven which is always different. Few things are more anti-climatic and disappointing than ruining a dish by burning it.

Seems as if wine drinking goes well with this recipe... and/or all recipes.

Tomato Pie

I've been busy (every negligent blog writer's excuse). This new job has certainly eliminated quite a bit of my free time, but luckily I've still had some time to play in the kitchen. It's actually almost a necessity for me.. it's therapeutic after a long, challenging day in the classroom. One thing I prepare often is tomato pie. I put my own twist on a Paula Deen recipe, well, actually, I use a form of the Bobby lightens up recipe. That original recipe can be found here.

This is a friend favorite. This is something they request. This is something they show up to a BBQ for, even if they are sick. I have prepared this in a couple ways, but the classic is always the best. Here'a couple photos of my prepared tomato pies:

Original:





Mini versions:
With pie crust..


With puff pastry...



When I prepare the original pie, I do not pre-cook the crust as Bobby directs you to in the recipe.. I, personally, think it's better. Also, I use a little extra of everything and even add in a little lemon juice.. I think it gives it an extra layer of fresh! Another thing I insist on is fresh grated parmesan and I generally use enough to cover the top of the pie, which is usually more than the tablespoon called for in the recipe. I often say that Christina Lightens Up is the midpoint between original Paula D and Bobby D recipes.

As far as the mini versions are concerned, I like them both. The pies prepared with pie crust are very time consuming and I actually think it was too much pie crust. The puff pastry was not so much a success.. I happened to have some in the fridge, so I gave it a shot.. I actually think, between the grease of the cheese/mayo mixture and the flakiness of the puff pastry made these a little too greasy for me. The next time I cook this up in a mini version, I'll probably go with the pie crust, in muffin tins, with only a pie crust on the bottom in a fashion more like the original.

Pie is so often associated with sweet desserts. The 2 words tomato and pie together often have people asking if it's a pizza. People are often confused when they hear Tomato Pie. My favorite part about this pie is how unexpectedly delicious it is. No one knows what they're in for when being served their 1st piece and are often hesitant. Their reaction, in and of itself, is worth your time to make this. I highly suggest giving this pie a shot - it is always a hit.

Weekly Meals

Tomorrow my newest full-time job adventure begins. By full-time job adventure, I mean my career - weird. I anticipate being home fairly late every day this week. That anticipation had led to worrying about dinner.. that worrying has developed into a plan of attack. A dear friend of mine, Danielle, has recently been posting on Facebook about spending Sunday prepping casseroles and dinner for the week with her 2 adorable girls. We've decided to share some recipes and, in a way, split the planning duties for the week. Because of Valentine's, our menus differ a little bit (she's preparing some fab sounding Maple glazed cornish game hens, but I just anticipate having that time).. Here's what's on the dinner agenda for the week:

Fondue (definitely Monday for Valentine's)
Pizza stuffed Chicken (courtesy of Danielle & Paula Deen mag)
Mix & Match Baked Pasta
Pesto Pasta (That recipe is here)

Other than fondue on Monday, I'm not sure what days we'll have which. The last time I had a full-time job, I used to plan per day, but found ourselves unhappy. I like to buy what we need for these dinners, do as much prep work as possible on Sunday, and then cook whichever we're in the mood for on the day.

I am excited for our Valentine's meal of fondue. We love fondue, but are tired of paying an exorbitant amount for melty cheese, so I've found a few wonderful recipes and am having trouble deciding which to use. I know a lot of people say they aren't fans of V-day because they aren't in relationships, but I'll be honest, I love it... Always have, even when I wasn't in a relationship. I'm not necessarily on board with all of the commercialism hoopla, but I do appreciate that there is a specific day set aside to appreciate love. I believe that love can be any type of love: individual love of oneself, friendship with gal pals, platonic with opposite sex, relationship, and family. I also believe the best way to celebrate whichever type of love you choose to, is to cook (I have a Pavlovian aversion to eating out on Valentine's)! Cook a fabulous meal for yourself or loved one(s) and celebrate the love you have in your life!

Last year's Vday meal:


It was a skinny chicken cacciatore, over veggie tortellini, and a stuffed zucchini.. ya ya ya, we were in a healthy eating phase, but contrary to what you might think about healthy eating, this meal was delicious. Needless to say, fondue this year will be slightly less healthy ;)

My last bit is about the Mix & Match baked pasta. This sounds generic, I understand that. If you don't get the Food Network Mag, I highly, highly suggest you do. It is jam packed with recipes. Are all of them awesome, no. Is there a good amount of fantastic recipes, absolutely. The best part of the magazine is how it inspires me! This month's is an Italian issue and it is chock full of delicious-sounding recipes, paired with amazing photography. I aspire to one day have one of my photographs in this mag. My favorite part of this month's issue is the Mix & Match page. It's broken up into 6 categories: Pick a Pasta, Make the Sauce, Choose your Mix-Ins, Flavor the Sauce, Pick your Cheese, and Bake the Casserole. Between all of these options, the magazine says there's "thousands of possibilities". I'm going to give one of these a shot this week. I'll let you know what combination I pick and how it turns out. In the mean time, have a great St. Valentine's Day; hopefully, you're spending it filled with love ♥.

Wednesday Cooking Adventures

I stopped at Nelson's veggie stand and picked up all sorts of things. The thing I find about having these veggies, is that I'm more inclined to cook with them if I've got them. Every time I go, I try to get something new.. this time I got portabello mushrooms. Right when I got home, I sauteed one in a little EVOO (I dislike Rachael Ray and her annoying phrases, but EVOO is just so much easier than extra virgin olive oil!). I threw on some shredded mozz and a little balsamic and had a delicious, healthy lunch!

For dinner, I wanted to make up a veggie sauce. I sauteed some EVOO, shallots, garlic, basil, s&p, yellow bell pepper, zucchini, broccoli, and roma tomatoes. I let them simmer and it created this delicious sauce. I cooked up some veggie rotini noodles and sauteed some flour-eggwash-breadcrumbed chicken cutlets in a pan. Here's how it came out:



It was delicious and such an easy way to get in a bunch of veggies without any preservatives or anything. I'm not opposed to jarred sauce on nights when I'm exhausted, but I also like to take the time to prepare fresh - when I have the time of course.

Pick up some of your favorite veggies and try something new!

Twice Baked Potatoes

We love 'em in this household, there's no doubt about that. They take a little time, but are generally worth the process. Did I say a little time? Everyone knows, potatoes take forever to cook! Don't have an hour for roasting? Cheat! Par-cook the potatoes in the microwave for a few minutes... this will shave quite a bit of time off the oven process. I decided to use the twice baked potato as a platform for some creativity lately. Here's what I've come up with:

This is my version of a BLT potato. This big guy holds a yummy mixture of spinach, tomatoes, pancetta, and goat cheese.. baked until browned. This was definitely a highlight of this meal.


This, my friends, is one of the most delicious things I've ever eaten. This is my buffalo style potato! I followed a recipe I used for buffalo dip and mixed in the potato and loaded it back up. It was, seriously, delicious.

Steven talked about this potato for almost 2 weeks. That's a major accomplishment in my book. Not to self: recreate ASAP.

Use the potato as your basis of creativity. Load it up with your favorite things and enjoy!