Tomato Pie

Until recently browsing through an issue of Bon Appetite magazine, I had never heard of a tomato pie (and I am NOT talking about a pizza). However, after some research, I learned that this dish is a delicious southern treat; I almost feel embarrassed for not having known this sooner. A tomato pie is a delicious side that will have all of your guests begging for more and is extremely simple to make.

       Ingredient List:

• 1 pre-made pastry pie crust
• 2-3 large tomatoes or 3-4 medium tomatoes
• 3/4 cup onion (pick your favorite)
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 Tsp pepper
• Salt to taste

Tomato Prep

The first thing you want to do when making the tomato pie is to prepare your crust according to the directions as most frozen crusts require thawing and pre-baking. Once this is done, you can go ahead and slice your tomatoes. I strongly recommend using thick slices of tomatoes. Once the tomatoes are sliced, layer them by sprinkling a dash of salt on each layer then placing a layer of several paper towels so that the tomatoes can dry out. If you do not dry out the tomatoes, then the pie will be runny and won't solidify as well. Make sure to let the tomatoes dry out for at least 30 minutes.

Pie Filling

The second most important part of a tomato pie, after the tomatoes of course, is the cheesy pie filling. You want to start with 3/4 cup of chopped onions and 1 clove of garlic. The amount of onion and garlic can be changed based on your preference. Also, if you want to add a little kick, then some diced chili pepper (or any other type of pepper) would be perfect. Once you have the onion and garlic prepped, go ahead and saute them on low heat with a small amount of oil for 15 - 30 minutes (I always add a dash of sugar for slight caramelization).

Once the hot onion and garlic (and anything else you choose) are done sauteing, then add them to a mixing bowl. Next, add 1 cup of mozzarella and 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese, the mayo, and the black pepper, as well as a dash of salt. Although I recommend mozzarella and cheddar, there are many tomato pies which use just cheddar or a combination of other types of cheeses: Gouda, Monterrey jack, etc. Hence, don't be afraid to use your favorite cheeses when making this dish. Once all of the filling ingredients have been added, then go ahead and mix together with a fork until everything is well mixed.

Layering and Baking

Go ahead and preheat your oven to 350F and remove the tomato slices from the paper towels, because its time to build the pie. Although the layering process can vary, I prefer to start by spreading 1/3 cup of the pie filling directly onto the pie crust. Next, place a layer of tomato and don't be shy! Make the tomatoes overlap and build them up. After all, the tomato is the star of this pie. After your first layer of tomato, go ahead and spread the rest of the filling out evenly. Next, place your last layer of tomatoes and top it all off with 1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese (if you want more than that, then go ahead and add it!). Lastly, top the pie off with a dash of salt and pepper.

Now its time to bake. Place your tomato pie in the oven at 350 for approximately 30 minutes or until the cheese on top begins to get golden brown. Once the pie is done, let it cool for approximately 20 minutes. Then, slice and serve with steak, chicken, hamburgers, barbecue, or anything else you want.

Beer Bottle Decor

I love to reuse wine bottles for various purposes; however, until recently, I had never thought about reusing beer bottles. I mean, who wants some horrid brown beer bottle just sitting around their house putting on the facade of a decoration. I felt this way until one day when I was on pinterest and saw a few posts with used beer bottles being used as decor. I was intruiged but thought nothing of it, and thought that perhaps the green Heineken bottles I was drinking out of might serve a purpose after all. However, I did not pursue the idea any further unitl a trip to my nearby crafts and hobby store. As I was walking by the flower section, I noticed several different flowers were on sale for 80% off. Wow, I thought, I wish I had a use for them; that's when I remembered the green beer bottles.

I purchased four of the discounted white tulips (less than $3.50 for all 4) and took them home. I then took several of the beer bottles I had saved from the night before and let them soak in warm soapy water in my kitchen sink for several hours. After the exterior labels of the beer bottle were fully saturated, I used a dish brush to thoroughly scrub the labels off of them. Voila, perfectly clean green beer bottles. I then let the beer bottles dry out for several hours before carefully placing them on the mantle above the fire place with one white tulip in each beer bottle. As you can see from the photo, I added some grass between the tulips to enhance the visual effect.

If you're looking to make something simple out of your old beer bottles, this is perfect and can be changed to suit your needs. Someone I shared this idea with suggested tying a small string of twine around each beer bottle. This would also look great in front of a picture or painting of a nature scene. There are a multitude of other options and changes that anyone could make to tie this in to their own home and I would love to see or hear how someone else modified this to fit their own home! Thanks!

Steamed Mahi Mahi

If you've ever purchased frozen fish fillets, then you probably know that simply cooking the fish plain does not satisfy the pallette. However, there are some simple steps you can take to add to add a little flavor and a classy look to any meat. Perhaps the simplest accent to any cut or filet of meat is a dry rub. A dry rub can be made by mixing together various dry ingredients from your spice cabinet. For our frozen Mahi Mahi I used a simple dry rub consisting of garlic powder, ground ginger, paprika, salt, and pepper. Once I mixed the ingredients and rubbed them onto the fillets I set the fillets in the refridgerator while I finished my prep work for the rest of the dinner.

Another "accent" that can be added to any meat is a sauce. For the Mahi Mahi I decided to use a mustard sauce. The simple sauce consisted of chicken broth, mustard, garlic powder, ginger, salt and pepper. I started the sauce before placing the fish in the steamer so that it would have some time to condense into a thicker sauce. Besides the mustard, I wanted to use ingredients that would compliment the dry rub that I had already applied to the fish (ginger, garlic poweder, salt, and pepper.

Rice, either plain or seasoned, serves as a great side to fish and chicken. For this meal I decided to cook some plain white rice. Since it's very easy to add flavor too rice, I added butter, garlic powder, salt and pepper when the rice was almost done. Once everything was complete, I plated the dish by putting down a layer of the seasoned rice as the base. I then carefully placed the Mahi Mahi on top of the rice. Next, I carefully spooned the mustard sauce onto the fillet, spreading it lightly with the spoon. Lastly, I added a dash of parsley to the top for visual effect. This meal entree can be complimented by any vegetable, though I would recommend using steamed carrots or green beans.

Making a restaurant quality meal on a budget is never impossible. You can use basic ingredients already in your pantry and spice rack to make an ordinary meal into a culinary treat.

Ribbons and Bows

When it comes to the holidays, some people spend as much money on decorations as they spend on presents. When you're working on a budget, elaborate holiday decorations are a luxury that just don't fit into the budget. However, there are some simple decorations that anyone can make or buy that don't cost much, but add an elegant holiday look to any home. Two of the most cost efficient holiday decorations are ribbons and bows. Both are very inexpensive and can be bought in multiples at a low price. Both can also be found at your local dollar store, department store, pharmacy, or crafts store; hence, they are easily accessible.

Once you have your bows and ribbons there are a variety of things you can decorate to bring some holiday charm to your home. Perhaps the most popular use of bows is to place them on the exterior of a door or window to add a pop of color to the exterior of your home. However, bows are very versitile and can be used in a variety of locations ranging from your mantle to the grill of your car. Ribbon is just as versitle (if not more so) than bows. You can get about 15 ft of ribbon for less than $5 and there are a variety of colors and patterns to choose from.

Since there are so many unique and creative ways ribbon can be incorporated into your home during the holiday, I will just give a few example to show how simple it is to had a little holiday charm to any household item. One simple use of ribbon is to weave it through the various items and photos on your shelf, bookcase, or mantle (pictured above). If you have a bowl of fruit, real or artificial, just weave some ribbon through it. A festive red and gold ribbon is the perfect accent to a bowl of apples (pictured left). Ribbon can also be used to add some character to your Christmas tree by hanging it vertically from the tree topper. When using ribbon, you may want to find a spool that has colors or patterns that are already in your house to help tie together your belongings with the rest of your holidy decor.

When decorating your home with ribbons and bows don't be afraid to get creative. For example, I've been saving a few wine bottles to use in making some sort of decoration. When I found myself with some extra ribbon and bows I decided to stuff the ribbon into the wine bottles and tie a bow around the neck. This can add a simple accent to any shelf, bookcase, mantle, etc. Don't be afraid to experiment; with such versatile items it is hard to go wrong when decorating for the holidays. When decorating for a holiday party or family get-together don't let price become an issue. Just head over to your local craft supply store and get some ribbons and bows.