Tomatoes

Tomato sandwiches, tomato soup, stewed tomatoes, sliced tomatoes with salt and pepper, grilled tomatoes, tomato sauce . . . I feel like Bubba in Forrest Gump (except I love tomatoes as much as he loved shrimp). As we are in the heart of tomato season and I have gotten a few tomatoes off of my pitiful little plants I couldn't resist this post. Since we've been gone so much this summer my tomato plants have not recieved much tender love and care, but I planted one grape tomato and one yellow pear tomato plant which was a childhood favorite. What things do you like to make with tomatoes?

National Ice Cream Day

Today is National Ice Cream Day, and July is National Ice Cream Month. If you know me, you know that I love ice cream! It is the one food that I can make room for no matter how full I am, and can eat at any time of the day! Favorite flavors are hard to pick but Mint Chocolate Chip is typically the "old stand by".

As I was doing some research about National Ice Cream Day I couldn't resist posting this info I encountered while searching Icecream.com. They have a section called "Ice Cream Flavorology" where they list 8 flavors and then describe what the flavor you pick explains about you. So, I asked Mark to pick a flavor, he chose Butter Pecan, and this is what it said:

Funny in many ways: the uniform is the same colors Mark wears to work, personality description is pretty accurate, and the compatibility is Mint Chocolate Chip! Then I looked at my choice, and although the description is not completely accurate the only way the picture could be more perfect is if the girl had a little curl in her hair.

Bailey even likes ice cream. Publix sells Frosty Paws Ice Cream for dogs and her favorite flavor is definitely peanut butter! I found this recipe online to make doggie ice cream; haven't tried it yet but thought I'd share. It's on my list and I'll be sure to post Bailey's comments once I make it.

Frosty Paws Dog Ice Cream Recipe

32 oz. plain yogurt
1 mashed banana
2 T p'nut butter
2 T honey

It’s true dairy products aren’t good for dogs, but yogurt contains much less lactase than regular milk and the live cultures are great for your dog’s digestive system. This dog ice cream recipe is delicious and good for your pet!

1. Mix all these ingredients in your blender, then dump into ice cube trays, paper cups, or even a kong toy to freeze and serve.

2. If you want to go all out for your mutt you can freeze these homemade frosty paws just like you would homemade ice cream. A salt-less automatic ice cream maker makes this as easy as using any other appliance in your home and the frosty paws will be ready to serve in 10 minutes.

For the ultimate treat, appropriate for desert at a doggy birthday party, follow steps one and two, then take the mostly frozen dog ice cream product of number two and spread it 1” to 1½” thick on wax paper. Freeze for five minutes and thenremove dog ice cream from freezer. Next, use a paw shaped cookie cutter to cut a paw shaped “frosty paws”, remove ice cream around edges, and return paw shapes to the freezer to freeze solid.

Leftover Tortillas

Since we had tacos on Tuesday, tonight we had the left overs, but there are still a few tortillas left . . . when I was a kid we did one of two things with the leftover tortillas:

1. Spread one with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, roll it up, and microwave for a few seconds to heat up. Yummy!

2. Sprinkle some of the left over shredded cheese on one, roll it up and microwave it to melt the cheese.

Those both still sound good to me, any other suggestions?

Homemade Tortillas

You might be thinking, why make the effort . . . but that's why I'm posting. My Mom's recipe for homemade tortillas is one of our favorites, so much that we never buy them at the store anymore! They are easy to make and much better than the store bought ones. Here's the recipe for taco night at our house:

Tortillas

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup oil

1/2 cup warm water

Mix the flour and salt in a medium bowl. Add the oil (I use olive oil), mixing with your fingers or a fork. Then slowly add the warm water until mixture forms a round ball of dough. Let sit for 20 minutes.

Split dough into small balls, we usually make 12 small tortillas with this recipe. Place a dry frying pan on the stove over medium to medium/high heat. Flour a cutting board and roll out the tortillas until very thin. Cooking them one a time in the frying pan. Tortillas only cook a few minutes on each side so watch them closely. They will bubble up in the pan and as soon as they the bottom side starts to brown flip them. Once cooked place in a tortilla warmer, or between two plates to keep them warm. Cook all tortillas and enjoy with your preferred taco fillings.

We use:

ground beef (for Mark)

black beans(for Hannah)

cheese

lettuce

tomato

corn

sour cream

Once you make them you'll never buy tortilla shells at the grocery store again!