tomatoes....AGAIN?????

Mind you, I am NOT complainin'.
But we have got tomatoes spilling over bowls onto the counters.
We are eating tomatoes with a teeny bit of lettuce and calling it "salad".
For breakfast, I am eating big slabs of sliced tomatoes on toasted, whole wheat bread.
I am sneaking tomatoes into nearly everything!
But last week I came across a new cookbook that was recommended to me by the owner of the CSA I belong to.
"The Roasted Vegetable", by Andrea Chesman
I have little scraps of post-its scattered through this library book, so I might just have to bite the proverbial bullet, and purchase yet another cookbook!
Anyway...here is what I came up with, courtesy of the above mentioned book.

SLOW-ROASTED RICE -STUFFED TOMATOES

8 med. ripe tomatoes
12 fresh basil leaves
4 cloves garlic, peel but leave whole
1/2 cup Arborio rice
s&p
2 TBL olive oil

Preheat oven to 400.
Lightly oil 8" baking pan
Remove 1/2" slice from stem end of tomato. Using a small spoon, carefully scoop pulp from tomato and put in med size bowl. Be careful not to puncture wall of tomato. Arrange hollow side up in pan.
Combine pulp, basil, and garlic in food processor and process ountil mostly smooth. Return to bowl and mix in rice. Season with s&p. Spoon filling into tomatoes. (Cyn's note: this will be very juicy. Don't worry...the rice will absorb it eventually) You may place tomato tops back on if you wish. (I didn't)
Drizzle the oil over the tomatoes.
Roast for about 50 minutes, until the rice is cooked through and the tomatoes are tender and well-browned. (I actually had these in the oven for twice this long, as I strained some of the juice off the tomatoes before mixing with the rice, and the rice had nothing to absorb...until I eventually poured the juice back over the tomatoes)
Let stand for about 15 minutes.
Serve warm or at room temperature.

EAT RESPONSIBLY

PS...These are delicious re-heated the next day. I didn't want anyone to know they were in the fridge, so I hid them way in the back. Sam found them anyway.

WHEN LIFE HANDS YOU...

Mealy pears.......

Make a pear martini!

I found myself with one of those "bargain" trays of ripe pears from Costco this week, and they looked (key work: looked) so tasty!
NOT.
The kids would take a bite and I'd find the remainder in a baggie in the fridge.
The chickens were getting whole pears in their scrap bowl.
Until a light bulb went off this evening!

PEARY RIPE MARTINI

1 really ripe pear, peeled and core removed
1-2 oz. good vodka (tho I hardly think one would notice if it was Popov!)
splash of Rose's sweetened limeade
1/2 cup or so of crushed ice

Throw it all in the blender for a few seconds
Pour into chilled martini glass (Cyn ALWAYS has several in the freezer for inspirations such as this)
Drizzle with a bit of Alize (or not...I just thought it looked pretty!)

DRINK RESPONSIBLY!

BFF part 4 (THE FUN!!)

Cyn and Farmboy "trying" to dance.
Trust me: Cyn is 5' on a good day.
Farmboy is 6'2".
Do the math.

Joy and Don have had years of country dancin' under their belts, so they can definitely show us a thing or two!

The beer, the wine, the Limoncello, the nuts.
(in the container, NOT the boys!!!)

Joy and Cyn spent the entire day that Saturday in the pool.
Occasionally the boys would join us, and splash up a storm.
(Do they EVER grow up when it comes to stuff like that???)

We truly had the time of our lives, and can't wait till we meet again!

BFF PART 3 (THE WORK)

You didn't actually think Cityfarmer could come to visit and NOT work, now did you???
I had an old "hope" chest with water stains, scratches and scuffs, just waitin' for Joy to come and do her magic. She brought the tools, the primer, the paints, and the embellishments.
Why we didn't think to take a "before" photo, I can only blame on the wine.
But here is the piece just after being primed.

Joy working her thaang.

Pretty much the finished piece, just waiting to be buffed out.
It now sits in my living room, also being partly furnished by Joy.
Can't help it!
She has SUCH good stuff!

Here is a photo of the two armless chairs and ottoman her and Don brought me from the burbs.
It will be joined by a vintage sofa found here on the west side of Grand Rapids, and slipcovered in a wrinkly, taupy colored linen, by Joy's ultra-talented sister-in-law, Ardy.
I can hardly wait!!!
After the work....
IT WAS FUN AND GAMES!!!!

BFF PART 2 (THE FOOD)

Cityfarmer and the Don arrived last Fri. afternoon, and after much swimming, wine, and music, we were all getting hungry. Farmboy had gone to Costco earlier that day and picked up 4# of prawns for a new shrimp cocktail recipe I had just seen in our Press earlier that week. The presentation was a feast for the eyes, and the shrimp, a feast for the tummies!

I found a ginormous(yes indeedy, ginormous is now a bona-fide word, as it can now be found in the latest edition of Websters dictionary!) martini glass, filled it part way with water and sea shells, and placed it in the freezer several hours ahead of serving.
Enter the shrimp.

In a large sauce pan put:
1 stalk of celery, sliced
1 lemon, thinly sliced
1 small vidalia onion, thinly sliced
1 TBL whole peppercorns
2 large or 4 small bay leaves (I used fresh)
3 TBL sea salt
2 teas. tabasco
4 sprigs fresh thyme
4 cups water
Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes
ADD:
1 lb. large shrimp and poach anywhere from 3-6 minutes, depending on the size of the shrimp, stirring once each minute until shrimp begins to curl. DO NOT OVERCOOK!!!
Remove from heat, and using a wire mesh skimmer, lift out shrimp, drain briefly and transfer to a shallow dish. Let cool 10 min. Strain liquid thru a fine strainer and let cool as well. While still warm, peel shrimp, leaving tail section intact. Devein if not already done. As soon as poaching liquid is cooled to lukewarm, pour over shrimp. Cover with plastic wrap and chill the shrimp in the liquid.
When ready to serve, drain shrimp well and arrange around the rim of the martini glass.(the actual recipe called for individual martini glasses, but I liked the idea of one huge glass, which I will also use for maybe a cracker spread or something like that in the future.) I then took a small brandy snifter and filled it with cocktail sauce and placed it in the center of the glass.
I have to say, this was THE best shrimp cocktail I have ever eaten. So good, I ate mine w/o the sauce! Even tho the recipe seems long, it is very simple, and I will never make shrimp cocktail any other way.

Also on the menu:

PROSCIUTTO, FIG, & MARSCAPONE BRUSCHETTA
from: homecookkirsten.blogspot.com

Fresh crusty bread
prosciutto
dried mission figs, sliced thinly (I used fresh figs, as the market had them that day)
marscapone cheese
1 clove garlic, peeled
olive oil
sea salt and pepper

Slice bread. Rub with garlic. Drizzle with oil, and top with a bit of s&p. Bake at 350 till warm and crispy. Let cool a few minutes. Spread with marscapone. Top with figs, then prosciutto and another sprinkle of s&p and drizzle with oil.

This was another very simple recipe, but it presents like it took a lot of time and effort, and was absolutely decadent in taste. The creamy marscapone, the sweet velvety figs, and the salty prosciutto was a perfect combination.

After consuming vast amounts of appetizers, we moved on to Joy and Don's contribution:
grilled tenderloin of beef, smashed potatoes, and fresh green beans.

Oh my.

BFF (best friends forever!)

What can I say?
We see each other maybe 2-3 x's a year.
We talk 2-3 x's a week.
We blog about each other.
We pray for each other, and our families.
I can ask her:"Do these jeans make my butt look big?"
And she answers honestly.
She can ask me: "Am I being too....harsh, anal, sensitive, fussy, etc?
And I answer honestly.
She confronts.
I confront.
We grow.
We learn.
We share.
We love.

We are: BEST FRIENDS FOREVER

Here's the 4 of us:
Don, Joy, Cyn, and Farmboy Pete

Till we meet again...
I'm thinkin' September!!!

MEMERE'S LITTLE HELPER

Snappin' beans on the front porch.

On Tuesdays I have the privilege of taking care of my only grandchild, Austin, who is 6. During the school year I get to see him maybe only once a week, but in the summer, he's mine at least twice!
Today there was work to be done. Memere's tomatoes had been long neglected in the garden, and were threatening to rot on the vine if they did not get picked.
Austin was a more-than-willing partner in this endeavor, and picked a whole bucket full by himself, chattering non-stop about the tomatoes, the cloudy skies which looked like rain, and the possibility of Albie Darn, the rooster, flying over the coop and chasing him!!!

I take these weekly opportunities, and pray over him as he is playing with our golden, Beau, or eating his lunch, or just hangin' around. What a ministry we have as parents and then grandparents, to bless our little ones with love and prayer!

What(and WHO!) are YOU prayin' for?

YA SAY IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY!

Yup!
FarmgirlCyn turns 54 today!
And may I have many more years to love and serve my Lord, my husband, my children, and all the rest of ya!!!
Till tomorrow, when I'll have lots of updates on SavvyCityFarmer's visit!

TOMATO GLUT?

glut: to supply with too much, a supply that is too great, the supply is greater than the demand

QUESTION: Is a supply of sun-ripened, organic, heirloom tomatoes EVER too much????

ANSWER: Apparently so, as was the case on Tuesday, when, after a soft rain during the day Monday, an enormous amout of tomatoes were ready for the picking.
Finding myself with far more than we could safely eat in the next couple of days, I remembered a recipe for oven-roasted tomatoes I had recently come across in a food blog whose name escapes me now. The recipe called for Roma tomatoes, which I did not have, but I simply did my typical "own thing" and substituted.

Even this photo makes my mouth water!!!

Take your glut(see definition above) of tomatoes and slice in half. On a large jelly roll pan or cookie sheet, pour olive oil to coat. Lay tomatoes, cut side up in pan. Sprinkle with some sort of italian seasoning or a combination of basil, thyme and parsley. Sprinkle with sea salt or kosher salt. Drizzle with a bit more olive oil. Turn tomatoes over so cut side is now down. Bake in a 250 degree oven for 8-10 hours. I put them in the oven at 10pm, and took them out at7 am and they were perfect. These are quite juicy, tho the photo doesn't look it. I made turkey sandwiches with a toasted olive bread and a layer of these gals and it brought tears to my eyes.
They are that good!
If there are any left after today,(ha ha), I might dice them and use them in a simple pasta dish, maybe just the tomatoes and some toasted pine nuts and shaved parmigiano reggiano over penne?

Anyone feel like stopping by 'round supper time?

GUESS WHO'S COMIN' TO DINNER?

City Farmer and her soul-mate/hubby, Don are coming to town!
(Joy & Don on the left, Cyn and Farmboy on the right)
We have known Joy for nearly 20 years, and Don, well, he fit into the equation right nicely about 12 years ago.
I can't explain the chemistry here...let's just say when like-minded folks get together, the fun begins!
Upon arrival, the gals pop open the vino, and the guys get a beer.
Who can blame us?
It has been a long, grueling 4 hour trip!
The boys will play horseshoes or darts till the cows come home. The gals will hit a few tag sales, the Farmers Mkt., and whip up a tasty, quick supper. If the weather permits, a campfire down by the pond will be the final note for the evening.
First thing in the morning, whoever's up first, starts a pot of coffee. Usually it's just Joy and I, as the men were down by the dying embers far longer than us. We spend a great deal of our time together talking about what the Lord has been teaching each of us, and comparing notes. Inevitably, the Spirit is moving in the burbs of Chicago in the same manner as here in midwest Michigan. Sometimes we do a project together, with Don helping Farmboy, and Joy helping Cyn. It's always the other way around when we visit there. I take advantage of Cityfarmers vast artistic talents as I ask design questions, and put her hand to paint brush for any special touches I have been longing for! Don is always ready to answer geeky, computer questions, and doll up my blog as he so graciously did last year, as well as help Farmboy with any "grunt" work.
We are psyched for fun, and counting the days.

I hope YOUR week-end plans are as exciting as mine are!

Whatcha got goin on in your neck of the woods?