T is for Tomato

This delicious meatless dinner is as easy as pie.  Cherry tomatoes tossed in olive oil and seasonings are combined with two different cheeses before being placed into a pie shell for baking.

T is for Tomatoes and for Tarts.  This one is Terrific, Tempting and Tasty.......

Refrigerator Pickled String Beans #FallFlavorsWeek

Running out of ideas for all of those String Beans from your garden?  Try making these quick and easy refrigerator pickles that you can enjoy all Fall long.

It's that time of year.  The weather starts to cool, the bounty from your gardens (or in my case, my neighbors' gardens) is coming in droves and canning season has commenced.  Welcome to Fall Flavors Week.....

Tarte Normande #FallFlavors

Enjoy the Flavors of Fall with this rustic, scrumptious French Apple Tart.  Perfect as we welcome in the cooler weather.  

Celebrating Fall French Style #Winophiles

In France, wine harvest time is known as la vendange and spans about two months – typically from August to October.  Also, harvested during this time are root vegetables, mushrooms and chestnuts.  I was hosting a dinner party for our son in law's parents who were visiting from France and decided to celebrate by combining our harvest with theirs.  

It was a lovely meal........

Pears with Chocolate Crumble #NationalCookbookMonth

Seasonal pears topped with a chocolate almond crumble and baked to tender, delicious perfection and topped with fresh whipped cream.  A wonderful finish to a Fall Harvest Feast.

The Festive Foodie Gang are celebrating National Cookbook Month.......

Green Tomato Pasta Sauce and The Weekly Menu

 I don't know about you but when we were getting our first frost I still had a shitload of green tomatoes in my garden.  I brought them in, put them on my counter and then tried to figure out what I wanted to do with them.

Fall Harvest Chowder #PumpkinWeek

This chunky, vegetable packed chowder is made extra creamy with the addition of pumpkin puree.  It is one delicious bite of goodness after the other.  A perfect way to enjoy all of the end of season produce before it is gone.

Welcome to the first day of Pumpkin Week 2020......

Rustic Elegance; Fall Vegetable Soup paired with Cremant #SoupSaturdaySwappers #Winophiles

Disclosure:  I received samples of Cremant Wine for purposes of pairing and tasting notes to be included in this blog post.  All opinions, thoughts and content are completely my own.

This soup, made with ingredients that I had on hand in freezer, pantry and refrigerator makes for a tasty, nutritious, rustic meal.  I added a touch of elegance by popping open a bottle of bubbly Cremant Rose.

Join me as Soup Saturday Swappers pairs up with the French Winophiles in my post today.......

Celebrating the Harvest with Eggplant Lasagna and J Lohr #MerlotMe #WinePW

Each October we celebrate #Merlotme with our Wine Pairing Weekend group.  This event was started by California wineries after the movie, Sideways, disparaged Merlot wines causing  a decline in sales of this wonderful varietal that deserves much more respect than it gets.

The past two years, when celebrating this event, I have served three wine and food pairings in one post.  You can find my Triple Wine and Food pairing from 2015 here and my #Merlotme Trifecta from last year here.

This year I am changing things up a bit.  Today I am showcasing a bottle of J. Lohr Merlot.  I will be showcasing the other wines in upcoming posts so stay tuned.

I want to mention right here and right now that I was buying J. Lohr long before they ever sponsored any event in which I participated.  While I love having sponsors and getting free samples, I love my readers more.  I did not get any monetary compensation in this event by J. Lohr or any other sponsor.  My opinions, in this post, and in my entire blog are purely mine.

I am always, always, always excited to have J. Lohr sponsor our events.  Mainly because I love their wines and purchase them quite often.  I know that if I have J. Lohr available in my wine fridge, I can open it for guests or take it with me as a host gift, knowing that it is going to be wonderful.

Their vineyards and winery are located on Paso Robles, California, close to where my brother resides.  A visit to my family in California is not complete without a visit to at least one winery and Paso Robles, more often than not, is where we head.

J. Lohr sent a fact sheet along with their bottle of wine. This wine was harvested over a 2 week period beginning September 10, 2015.  It is fermented in stainless steel tanks and then matured over a 12 month period in barrels made of 22% new oak.  This wine is recommended to be opened upon release but has potential to improve over the next 5 years.

Frank and I enjoyed the wine on a Meatless Monday when I served up this cheesy, ooey, gooey eggplant lasagna.

I had been over Kim's and she gifted me several eggplants from her garden.  I knew, from past experience, that the eggplant/tomato combination has paired well with J. Lohr and I am smart enough not to tamper with success.

This pairing was no exception and did not disappoint.  I'm sure it has something to do with the fact that the eggplant, tomatoes and grapes are all harvested during the same time period.  

The wine was deep, dark and vibrant both in the glass and on the palate.  It complemented the earthy sweetness of the eggplant and tomatoes.  I think this wine would be great with pizza too.  

We enjoyed it well enough that we are hoping to pick up a case and open a bottle every 6 months to see if, in fact, it does improve with age. Stay tuned for that little experiment.

Eggplant Lasagna

2-3 small eggplants, ends cut off and thinly sliced

1 qt. Marinara, homemade or your favorite brand

6 oz. fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

1 c. ricotta cheese

1 egg

1 t. Italian herb seasoning

3 oz. parmesan cheese, shredded or grated

Whisk together the ricotta, egg and Italian herbs. Place a small amount of marinara in the bottom of an 8" square baking pan to cover.  Layer 1/3 of the eggplant slices onto the sauce, followed by 1/3 of the ricotta mixture, 1/3 of the Mozzarella and 1/3 of the Parmesan.  Repeat 3 times.

Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake in a preheated 350* oven for 45-55 minutes, until eggplant is very tender.  Remove foil and place under the broiler for a few minutes until top is browned and bubbly.  Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing into quarters to serve.  Print Recipe

Let's join the rest of the #WinePW group as we celebrate #Merlotme

• Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm shares “Celebrating the Harvest with Eggplant Lasagna and J Lohr #MerlotMe” 
• David from Cooking Chat shares “Pork Tenderloin with Blackberry Merlot Sauce” 
• Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares “A Paddling of Duck(horn)s” 
• Gwen from Wine Predator shares “3 Merlot from Sonoma with Colorful Fall Pasta #WinePW” 
• Sarah from Curious Cuisiniere shares “Individual Beef Wellington Paired With Merlot Wine” 
• Jeff from FoodWineClick! shares “Grill Braised Brisket with Duckhorn Merlot” 
• Nicole from Somms Table shares “Many Merlots Make Marvelous Mediterranean Meal” 
• Jane from Always Ravenous shares “Roasted Pork Loin with Brandy Prune Sauce Paired with Merlot” 
• Nancy from Pull That Cork shares “A Fall Pairing for Merlot” 
• Jill from L’Occasion shares “Merlot, the Busy One” 
• Cindy from Grape Experiences shares “#MerlotMe and Savory Chicken and Mushrooms”
• Michelle from Rockin Red Blog shares "Celebrating Napa and Sonoma with #MerlotMe"

Mixed Berry Sorbet #CranberryWeek

This is my second offering in this celebration that we call #CranberryWeek, hosted by Caroline's Cooking and A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures.   We have folks blogging each day this week about the amazing cranberry and recipes that feature this tart little gem. You can search #CranberryWeek to keep up to date and follow the #CranberryWeek Pinterest board for more cranberry inspiration.

Monday, I shared a recipe for Brussels Sprouts with Cranberries that would be a great side for your Turkey dinner.  I love hosting Thanksgiving and gathering around the table with family and friends. I spend a lot of time on my menu, desiring the dinner to be a relaxed and happy time for everyone present.

We will have fruit, nut and cheese platters set out for our guests to enjoy with cocktails before dinner is served.  When we are seated and have thanked God for all the many blessings we have enjoyed throughout the year, dinner will start with soup and salad, followed by this wonderful sorbet that I am sharing with you today.  When serving a formal dinner, I like to offer a sorbet before the entree to cleanse the palate and prepare the guests for the main event...in this case...Roast Turkey with all the trimmings.

This sorbet is easy and quick enough that you can serve it up tomorrow at your own Thanksgiving Feast.  Whatever your Holiday plans, I hope that you have a wonderful day and I look forward to seeing you on Friday when I return with my final #CranberryWeek recipe.

Don't forget to stop by and see the other great cranberry inspired recipes that the group is sharing. You will find the links following this recipe.

Mixed Berry Sorbet

1/2 c. freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2" piece fresh ginger root, peeled and quartered
3/4 c. sugar
1 (12 oz) pkg. fresh or frozen cranberries
3 c. frozen mixed berries with kale, partially thawed
1/2 c mint leaves
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 c. ice cubes

Place all ingredients in into a heavy duty blender or food processor and puree until smooth.  Transfer to a freezer container and place in freezer.  Remove from freezer 15-20 minutes before serving.  Print Recipe

More Cranberry Inspired Recipes

• Braised Short Ribs with Hoisin-Cranberry Sauce and Asian Coleslaw from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Cranberry & Cornbread Stuffed Pork Chops from Books n' Cooks
• Cranberry Borscht from Palatable Pastime
• Cranberry Glazed Pork Loin from Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Cranberry Lemon Curd Tart (No Bake, GF) from Caroline’s Cooking
• Cranberry London Broil from Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Cranberry Mustard from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Cranberry Vanilla Bean Donuts from Hostess At Heart
• Grilled Brie with Cranberries from Full Belly Sisters
• Honey Roasted Orange Ricotta Crostini from Take Two Tapas
• Orange Cranberry Turnovers by The Bitter Side of Sweet
• Panko Crusted Chicken with Maple Cranberry Sauce from Family Around The Table
• Sweet Heat Cranberry Spread from Cooking With Carlee

Spiced Pear Bundt Cake for #BundtBakers

This is the perfect Fall desssert.  Chock full of pieces of pear, spiced with cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg then covered with a caramel glaze.  Perfect for your dessert table on Thanksgiving or at your next dinner party during the holiday season.

Welcome to this month's edition of #BundtBakers.  Each month we get together with like-minded bloggers and bring you lovely bundts that were created based on a theme chosen by one of the members.  This month's theme was pears, chosen by our host, Lauren, of Sew You Think You Can Cook.

I was very excited about this theme because I LOVE pears and was the proud owner of two glorious pear trees until we moved last month.  Those pear trees, along with my cherry and peach tree, are one of the things I will miss about my old home.  We will put in some fruit trees here in the Spring but it will take a few years to reap the benefits of our labor.

Each year I would have such an abundance of pears that we couldn't possibly eat them all.  So I would preserve them making jams, and pear halves in syrup and pear butter.  I had one quart of pear butter left in my pantry, so I pulled it out to use in this wonderful cake.

My pear butter is spiced with wonderful Fall flavors.  If you are not lucky enough to have pear butter in your cupboard simply puree a couple ripe pears with 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice. You will have more than you need for this recipe but you can enjoy it on your toast for breakfast during the week.

I would average about 4 sink loads of pears every other year and 2 sink loads on opposite years.

That is a lot of pear butter!!!

I adapted this recipe from Betty Crocker for this month's event.  I used my pear butter instead of pureed pears and pumpkin pie spice.  I served it up for dessert at an engagement party that I hosted.

It was a huge success and is it any wonder? Look at those lovely chunks of pear enfolded by that beautifully spiced cake and topped with a creamy, decadent caramel.  Who could resist?

Spiced Pear Bundt Cake

adapted from Betty Crocker

3 c. flour

1 1/4 t. baking soda

pinch of salt

1/2 c. pear butter

2 lg. ripe pears, cored, peeled and diced

3/4 c. canola oil

2 c. sugar

3 eggs

1 t. vanilla

1/4 c. butter

1/2 c. brown sugar, packed

dash of salt

1/3 c. heavy cream

1 c. powdered sugar

In large bowl of stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the pear butter, canola oil and sugar at medium speed until combined.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.  Beat in vanilla. Add the flour, baking soda and salt to the bowl and mix on low speed until moistened. Increase the speed to medium and beat until combined.  Return the speed to low and stir in diced pear.

Pour the batter into a bundt pan that has been treated with baking spray.  The batter will be thick, spread evenly in the pan.  Place bundt in a preheated 350* oven for 55-60 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center removes cleanly.  Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before removing from the pan.  Allow cake to cool completely.

Combine butter, brown sugar, dash of salt and heavy cream in a medium sauce pan.  Cook over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil.  Boil for one minute.  Remove from heat and let cool for about 10 minutes before whisking in the powdered sugar until smooth.  Pour over cooled cake immediately before it hardens.  Print Recipe

More Wonderful Bundts with Pears

Almond Pear Bread Pudding from Food Lust People Love

Bundt Cake de Pera y Almendras from La Mejor Manera de Hacer

Fresh Pear Bundt Cake with Vanilla Glaze from The Queen of Scones

Honey and Walnut Pear Bundt Cake from Sew You Think You Can Cook

London Fog & Pear Bundt Cake from All That's Left Are The Crumbs

Orange Pear Bundt Cake from Basic N Delicious

Pear and Date Bundt Cake with Caramel Mascarpone Sauce from kidsandchic

Pear and Hazelnut Bundt from Jane's Adventures in Dinner

Pear and Port Bundt Cake from Palatable Pasttime

"Pear"fect Rum Raisin Cake from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice

Pear Pecan Coffee Bundt Cake from Patty's Cake

Pear Spiced Bundt Cake from I Love Bundt Cakes

Pear Streusel Crunch Cake from Noshing with the Nolands

Pumpkin Pear Bundt Cake from Making Miracles

Roasted Pear & Walnut Spice Cake Bundt from Brooklyn Homemaker

Salted Caramel Pear Bundt Cake from Tartacadabra

Spiced Pear Bundt from A Day in the Life on the Farm

Fried Green Tomatoes for a special edition of #SecretRecipeClub

I am a little sad writing this post.  This is the very last special edition of the Secret Recipe Club. Next month, I will be writing my very last Secret Recipe Club post ever on my regularly assigned Monday.

Some of you may not be aware of this but my blog did not originally start out as a foodie blog.  It was more of a journal that I used to document my Life with Mom for whom I was caretaking during her final years as she we struggled through her battle with dementia/Alzheimer's disease.  I did share some recipes as well as the rest of my everyday life here on the farm but not nearly as many as I share currently.  I didn't belong to all the fabulous food and drink groups that I since have joined.

It all started with my friend, Amy, of Amy's Cooking Adventures.  Amy belonged to SRC and I read her blog faithfully.  I asked for information and found that I could request to join as soon as I had at least 100 recipes on my blog.  So, I started focusing more on food and soon I was accepted into this club.  That decision introduced me to all the other cooking groups to which I belong.  Needless to say, SRC holds a very dear spot in my heart.

When I first joined SRC, it was so large that there were 4 groups and a waiting list to be able to join.  As the years have gone on our numbers dwindled and we were downsized to 3 groups but given the opportunity to join in on special events during the months that held 5 Mondays.  These special events were assigned a theme and the blogger to whom you were assigned was not necessarily from you group.  It gave us a chance to meet members of the other groups and I enjoyed that very much.

This final Special SRC theme is Fall Dishes and I was lucky enough to be assigned to Kate of Thyme for Cooking.  Kate was born here in the Midwest area of the USA.  Since then she has spent time living in Ireland, Andorra ( a tiny country between France and Spain) and is currently residing in France.

Kate has an extensive library of recipes.  Knowing that I would get lost and confused without a roadmap, I decided to make a first course from Kate's blog.  That narrowed it down some but it was still a vast amount of recipes from which to choose.  Since our theme was Fall Flavors and I had decided to go savory rather than sweet.  I went to her subset of First Course Vegetables.

When I think Fall foods my mind turns to squash, cabbage, pumpkin, pears, apples, etc.  I started perusing the starters that Kate offered and found a Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese Polenta dish that sounds amazing.  The warm Acorn Squash and Walnut Salad also sounded delicious to me. Baby Pumpkins filled with Creamy Spinach nearly won the toss for this month.  In the end, I came across Kate's recipe for Fried Green Tomatoes, and my decision was made.  Our son in law, Pierre, had just given me a huge bag of late season tomatoes that were still green.  When I saw this recipe I knew that I wanted to make this popular dish that I had never tried.

I used Kate's recipe just as written, except that I seasoned the flour with salt and pepper, added some water to the beaten egg and made 8 slices of tomato as there were 4 for dinner and I wanted 2 slices per person.  You start by slicing the tomatoes and cheese.  Then you create a dredging station of seasoned flour, beaten egg and cornmeal.  The entire recipe only takes 10-15 minutes and it was a great starter that I served in lieu of a salad.

Make sure you stop by the other SRC Fall recipes being shared today.  You will find them right underneath my recipe.

Fried Green Tomatoes

slightly adapted from Thyme for Cooking

4 green tomatoes, sliced into 1/4" slices

1 T. olive oil

1/4 c. flour

salt and pepper to taste

1 egg

1 t. water

1/3 c. cornmeal 

8 slices fresh Mozzarella cheese

Heat olive oil in an oven safe pan over med high heat.  Place flour in a shallow bowl, season with salt and pepper.  Place egg and water in a second shallow bowl, beat with a fork.  Place cornmeal in a third shallow bowl.  Dredge the tomato pieces in the flour, dip them in the egg mixture and then dredge in the cornmeal.  Fry in the hot oil about 3 minutes, flip over and top with each with a slice of cheese.  Fry about 2 more minutes then place under a broiler until the cheese is melted.  Print Recipe

An InLinkz Link-up

Brown Sugar Pumpkin Apple Loaf for #BreadBakers

Pavani from Cook's Hideout is hosting this month's Bread Bakers.  Pavani chose a theme of Fall Fruits and Vegetables.  I love cooking and baking seasonally so this was the perfect theme as far as I'm concerned.

In fact, I have just gotten done celebrating #AppleWeek and #PumpkinWeek and I was still excited about this theme.  I still had apples from the 1/2 bushel I bought for apple week even though I had made Caramel Apple Martini's, a Chopped Apple Salad , Apple and Nut Drop Cookies and an Apple Pie Skillet.  I just love apples, especially Honey Crisp which is only available at this time of year.

During Pumpkin Week I had made some Brown Sugar Pumpkin to use in Empanadas.  I had some leftover so I put it in the refrigerator knowing that it wouldn't go to waste.  I used some for smoothies and then I saw that Bread Bakers was coming up with the Fall theme and did a little happy dance around my kitchen.

I really enjoyed this bread.  It was pumpkinny and appley and not overly sweet.  I think the addition of nuts would be welcome but my hubby doesn't care for nuts in his quick breads so I didn't include any.  The Brown Sugar Pumpkin is easy to make and is a wonderful dessert all on it's own.  You can have dessert one night, breakfast the next morning and still have enough for smoothies, cookies, cakes whatever calls out to you.

Should you not want to make a batch of Brown Sugar Pumpkin, although for the life of me I don't understand why,  just increase the sugar in the recipe to 1 1/3 cups, increase the water to 1/2 cup and add a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice or a mixture of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.

Brown Sugar Pumpkin Apple Loaf

1 2/3 c. flour
2/3 c. sugar
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t.salt
1/4 t. baking powder
1 c. brown sugar pumpkin
1/4 c. water
2 eggs
1/3 c. safflower oil
1 large Honeycrisp apple, peeled, cored and diced

Place all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined.  Pour into a 9x5" loaf pan that has been treated with baking spray.  Bake in a preheated 350* oven for 75-90 minutes.  Print Recipe

Check out what our fellow bakers have come up with:

• Apple & Olive Oil Boulé from Food Above Gold
• Apple Cider Muffins from A Baker's House
• Apple, Pear and Persimmon Stuffed Brioche from A Shaggy Dough Story
• Baked Cauliflower Breadsticks from Sneha's Recipe
• Broccoli Burger Buns from Herbivore Cucina
• Brown Sugar Pumpkin Apple Bread from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Chilli and Cheddar Potato Rolls from Mayuri's Jikoni
• Easy Apple Banana Bread from Food Lust People Love
• Figs Quick Bread from Basic N Delicious
• Harvest Bread with Sweet Potato from Cook's Hideout
• Kartofel Khleb - Russian Potato Bread from Ruchik Randhap
• Potato Bread Rolls from Gayathri's Cook Spot
• Pumpkin Challah from Passion Kneaded
• Sauerkraut-Nut Bread from Palatable Pastime
• Savoury Potato Rose Rolls from Sara's Tasty Buds
• Spiced Apple Star Bread from Hostess At Heart

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the #BreadBakers home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send Stacy an email with your blog URL to foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com.