Tomatoes for soup

 Many of you know we had our first garden this year.  I had no idea that when our tomatoes ripened, we would have such an abundance.  I love tomatoes on sandwiches, in salad, even in cottage cheese for a snack...but a girl can only eat so many tomatoes...

So, I got some advice from my sweet neighbors across the street to cook them down.  Yeah..I had no idea how to do it at first, but here is my attempt and I think they turned out pretty good.

First stick them in the water whole and let them get good and hot.  

I let mine come to a boil for one minute.

When they are done, I cooled mine off faster by putting them in a colander and running cold water over them.  Then you peel them.  Boiling them is the trick to a fast and easy tomato peeling job.  Here is a pic of before (right) and after (left).  

Next, cut the tomatoes up in to chunks and put them in a pot, juice and all.  Cook them until they are hot all the way through.  It turns into a soupy looking consistency.  

Note: I went ahead and seasoned them with a little bit of salt, but this is optional.

Once they are cooled down, put in a freezer bag and freeze for the winter...

This is gonna make us some yummy soup.

Strawberry Pie

Take a 9in pie crust.  Brown according to directions and cool.
It should look a little something like this..(I did poke it with a fork a little bit).

Cook on stove top until thick:

1 C suar

1C water

3 T corn starch

Remove from heat and add 1 pkg strawberry jello (can be sugar free)

It takes about 10+ minutes if you do it right...don't want to burn it. You will feel like you're just stirring for fun, but I promise it thickens up eventually.

Pour gelatin, and strawberries into pie crust.

I promise I didn't steal this pic from a magazine...it really was made by me in my own kitchen, but dang that's a pretty yummy lookin pie..if I do say so myself :)

Place in frig to cool and set.  

Serve with cool whip (as pictured) and ENJOY!

Tasty Tuesday - Corn Salad

Ingredients:
Two 15 oz cans corn

3/4 C cucumber slices

1/4 C diced onion

2 small tomatoes, chopped

Dressing:

1/4 C sour cream

2 T mayo

1 T white vinegar

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp dry mustard

1/4 tsp celery seed

Whisk together ingredients for dressing and combine with veggies. 

Toss until coated evenly.

I was looking for a yummy summer recipe to make with some of the veggies from our garden.  My neighbor sent this one my way and it has been yummy.  You could use it as a side dish or serve with chips.  Either way it's yummy and refreshing.  Enjoy!

Tasty Tuesday - Banana Pudding

One of the staple desserts in the south is definitely Banana Pudding. I wanted to share a recipe that I often get special requests to bring to functions, friends birthday parties, etc... I will give you a tip..in order to make this work out right, you gotta get yourself one of these bad boys (a KitchenAid mixer). My grandmother gave me this, and it makes a serious difference when you're cooking/baking recipes.

Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding
Paula Deen

1 12oz container frozen whipped topping, thawed (I have used an 8 oz and it tastes just as good)
1 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
1 8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 5 oz box instant vanilla pudding
2 C milk
6-8 bananas
2 bags Pepperidge Farm Chessman cookies

Line the bottom of a 13x9 dish with 1 bag of cookies and layer bananas on top ( I usually can't get a whole bag on bottom)

In a bowl, combine the milk and pudding mix and blend well using a handheld electric mixer. Using another bowl, (I prefer using the KitchenAid Mixer), combine the cream cheese and condensed milk together and mix until smooth. I have tried this recipe multiple times without the Mixer and it is very hard to get the cream cheese mixed without lumps by hand. Note: make sure the cream cheese is VERY SOFT or it won't mix well. And as much as I hate to say it...go ahead and use the real stuff, not fat free. It makes a difference in this recipe. Fold the whipped topping into the cream cheese mixture. Add the cream cheese mixture to the pudding mixture and stir until well blended. Pour the mixture over the cookies and bananas and cover with the remaining cookies (I always have a few cookies left over).

Your final project should look a little something like this:

Tip: I have used other fruit besides just bananas in this dish. I have added strawberries and blueberries and it was really yummy.