| Fried Green Tomatoes | Italian Tomato Pie | Grilled Tomatoes |
| Broiled Tomatoes with Feta Cheese | Pico de Gallo | Tomato Basil Pasta |
| Spaghetti Sauce | Tomato Tips |

Fried Green Tomatoes
Green tomatoes, sliced thin
Corn meal and a touch of flour seasoned to taste with Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and garlic powder
Slightly beaten egg
2 tablespoons milk
Dash garlic salt
Dash pepper
Bacon Grease

Make the egg wash by combining egg, milk, garlic salt, and pepper. Dunk sliced tomatoes in egg wash, then dredge with corn meal mixture. Fry in oil until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and eat.

Italian Tomato Pie
1 (9 inch) pie shell (or a fresh one)
6-7 medium-sized ripe tomatoes, sliced
1/2 Vidalia onion, chopped fine
2-3 Garlic cloves, chopped fine
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup (or more if you are a cheese freak like me) shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Ground black pepper and salt to taste
1/4 tsp thyme (or 2 tsp fresh thyme)
1/4 tsp dried oregano (or 2 tsp fresh chopped oregano)
1/4 tsp dried parsley (or 2 tsp fresh chopped parsley)

Preheat oven to 350F and bake the pastry shell as directed until browned.

Place a layer of onions and garlic on the bottom of pastry shell. Arrange sliced tomatoes over onions and sprinkle with garlic, pepper, salt, and dried herbs. If you have fresh herbs, do not add them yet.

Combine mozzarella, cheddar, parmesan and mayonnaise and spread evenly over tomatoes.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted and dotted golden brown. Remove and if you have fresh herbs, sprinkle them over the top of your tomater pie.

Grilled Tomatoes
You can use the broil option on your oven instead of grilling these tomatoes. Tomatoes, cut in half
Salt and pepper
Italian dressing

Fire up the grill. Cut tomatoes in half, brush with 1 tablespoon Italian dressing and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Grill over medium heat (300° to 350°) 10 minutes, turning often. Remove, drizzle Italian dressing over the tomato halves just before serving for added flavor.

Broiled Tomatoes with Feta Cheese
4 medium tomatoes, cut in half
3/4 cup Feta cheese
Salt and pepper
Italian spices (garlic powder, thyme, and oregano)
Italian dressing

Place tomatoes, cut sides up, on greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, Italian spices, and feta cheese, and drizzle with Italian dressing.

Broil 3 inches from heat for 2 to 3 minutes or just until cheese starts to brown.

Pico de Gallo
This is best when all fresh veggies are used. And, no, tomatoes bought from the grocery store aren't "fresh," they have no flavor. I don't list exact amounts because I've never measured. What I've listed is enough to make about 4-ish cups of salsa.

Add tomatoes, onions, juice of half a lime, 2 tablespoons cilantro, and 1 tablespoon salt to medium bowl.

Remove the seeds from the jalapenos, but don't throw away. Finely chop the flesh and add to tomato mixture. Put on gloves before chopping these seeds! Finely chop the jalapeno seeds. Add about a third of this to the tomato mixture.

Stir and taste. If it needs more heat, add more chopped pepper seeds. Taste and adjust seasoning until you get it how you want it.

Chill for about an hour before serving with chips.

Tomato Basil Pasta
12 ounces dried penne pasta
1-1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes
1 cup chopped or slivered fresh basil leaves
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (4 oz.)
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
3 tablespoons Italian dressing
Salt and pepper

Bring 2 quarts water to a boil in a large sauce pan over high heat. Add pasta and cook according to package directions, stirring occasionally, until tender to bite, about 10 minutes. Drain.

Meanwhile, rinse, core, seed, and chop tomatoes. In a large bowl, mix tomatoes, basil, 1/2 cup feta, garlic, and olive oil. Add hot cooked pasta and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup feta cheese.

Spaghetti/Lasagna Sauce
This fresh spicy sauce is great over whatever pasta you wanna serve. I like eating it plain with some good toasted bread!

1/4 cup wine
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can tomato paste
2 quart jars homemade canned tomatoes
1 Bay leaf
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon crushed Oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground thyme
3 large cloves garlic, chopped
Pinch sugar

In large sauce pot, add tomato sauce, paste, tomatoes, Bay leaf, sugar, salt, pepper, oregano, and thyme and turn heat on low.

Put Italian dressing (or bacon grease) in skillet and sauté onion until translucent.

Add in chopped garlic and sauté just until garlic starts to turn slightly brown.

Deglaze skillet with wine then pour into tomato mixture. Simmer sauce for a couple of hours until it reduces and is a good thick consistency. Taste and re-season.

Remove bay leaf and use for spaghetti, lasagna, pizza, or whatever else you can think of.

Tomato Tips

• To peel, bring 3/4ths of a sauce pan of water to boil. Dip your tomato(es) in the boiling water for one minute. Remove them to a bowl and cool to touch, and pull off the skin.
• Fresh tomatoes are available year-round, with the peak season from June through September.
• The best tomatoes are "vine-ripened" and these usually only available in specialty produce markets or your own back yard.
• Ripe tomatoes are very perishable, and this is why supermarkets usually carry tomatoes that have been picked green and ripened with chemicals.
• Supermarket tomatoes do not have the texture, aroma and taste of the vine-ripened fruit. As my kids say ... duh.
• Choose firm, normally shaped tomatoes that smell wonderful and have a great color.
• Also choose tomatoes that do not have blemishes, and are heavy for their size and give slightly to pressure.
• Ripe tomatoes should be stored at room temperature and used within a few days.
• Tomatoes should never be refrigerated! Cold temperatures make the flesh mushy and mealy and kills the flavor.
• Unripe fruit can be ripened by placing it in a pierced paper bag with an apple for several days at room temperature (65° to 75°F).
• One more time ... Do not refrigerate or set in the sun or the Tomato Police will get you!