Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Tomato Pie

* Disclaimer: I am not a food blogger. I started making this and thought "Hey, people might want to make this amazing dish... take some pics!"

So to begin with this is our GF version. 
For years we bought a frozen pie crust and it was great. 
But now we use this amazing and reasonably priced pie crust mix. 
We first used their Bundt cake mix and Oh.My.Goodness. It's the best ever. And they have a zillion variations to make. And they are the nicest people ever!  


So, make the pie crust according to directions. I am using a disposable pie pan because, well, we do't know what happened to our pie pan.
 Do your pie pans just disappear?? Well, ours did.

Then we sliced up the amazing, juicy, ripe tomatoes our 91 year old friend, Mr. Buman, grows in his enormous garden. 


I slice them and place them on paper towels or in a colander
 and let them "weep" for at least 20 minutes.
Your pie is going to be juicy even when you do this but if you don't it's a gloppy mess.


Then mix about 3 cups of Swiss or Monterey Jack Cheese with a few spoonfuls of mayo. 
We are deeply, unapologetically Southern so we prefer Duke's Mayo. Use whatever you like but remember we shared our secret mayo weapon. But do not use light or diet mayo. The consistency is not the same. You just need enough to bind the cheese together.
So, go ahead, use the good stuff.


Then you can chop a few green onions and sprinkle on the bottom of the pie crust if you wish. Next you  just layer the sliced tomatoes to fill the pie crust. Thin slices work best because they cook more evenly and they don't have to be perfect because they are cooking in a pie.


I forgot to take a picture of the pie before we sliced into it but bake it in a 350 degree oven for about 35 to 40 minutes. It should be browned and the cheese firm on top. It's a bit gooey so it doesn't slice into perfect pie slices. You can let it cool a bit and that helps or if you are entertaining and want true slices, make it the day before or the morning of, refrigerate and then slice. You can warm it in the microwave as well.
We just eat it warm and gooey from the oven in imperfect but delicious slices.

Just remember the better the tomatoes, the better the pie.
So now is the time for this delicious pie.
(I was going to say the time is ripe!!!)
It makes a great meal with a salad or serve it as a side with a beautiful steak or smoked chicken.

Monday, July 25, 2016

from my iphone

I'm obsessed with this "bamboo" monogram font.
 And there's a pineapple monogram out there, too.
#frivilousbutwant


I went with my parents on a long weekend to Charleston and we went to the church my family went to (and still attends) and where my parents were married, we were all baptized including Mollie, and where I went to church during my childhood Summers.
They don't build them like this anymore.


 And a fountain downtown in a secluded little park. 
Charleston is charming at every turn.


I finally picked out a color for this thrifted find.
 It's dingy, messy yellow-ish cream right now. 
I'm pretty sure I've made a final decision...
It was a major thrifting score!


Mollie kept going to the beach with friends and sending me pictures like this:


My husband found this amazing wicker couch for me.
It is the reason that we are now rearranging the entire screened porch. 
#worthit
However, storm damage to the roof has put a halt to too much zhushing.
#repairthendecorate

(It's huge. Like stretch out and nap huge. It has cushions but they need recovering.
Oh, and he paid less than $38.00 for the whole thing. In perfect condition - except for the cushion fabric.
I love it so much!)

I went on another mission trip. In July. It was 100 degrees. For real.
We painted Miss Betty's house. 
She let the girls choose her front door color :) So sweet. And we bought a chair for her front porch at Goodwill and painted it to match her front door.
It was so cute when we finished!!


Fixer Upper got nothing on us!!


I painted some bamboo furniture white ( of course!!)


And then finally....
The Keys!!!
Paradise!!!



We kayaked and swam and floated and ate a lot of good seafood 
and did a day in Key West and found the best Mojitos.
It was  amazing!!

And now it is almost August!!
And in Georgia that means the kiddos go back to school on August 1.
Crazy.