Tomato Pie

One of our family Thanksgiving staples is tomato pie.  I got this recipe from my super-amazing mother-in-law (who also happens to be a fantastic cook), which I think is a variation of a Southern Living classic. I'm not 100% sure, but want to make sure credit is given where it's due!  :)

We've discovered this is a perfect side for Thanksgiving (it goes SO well with the turkey/gravy/mashed potato combo), but is even better when you've just pulled the tomatoes off the vine in a garden!

Ingredients

1 (9") deep dish pie shell (unbaked)
5 large tomatoes
3/4 cup mayo
1 1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
Salt
Pepper
Basil (dried)
Garlic powder


Directions

Bake pie shell 10 minutes at 375 degrees.  Remove from oven and slice tomatoes.

Take your fingers and remove seeds from tomato slices.  (This helps the pie from becoming watery.)  Layer tomatoes in shell, sprinkling each layer with salt, pepper, basil, and garlic powder.

Combine mayo and cheese.

Spread mixture on top of tomatoes.

Bake at 350 for 35 minutes or until top browns.  Let pie stand for at least 5 minutes before serving.

You'll love it!

Our Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!

Yesterday was BEAUTIFUL - sunny, mid-50's, and super "autumny" - a perfect Thanksgiving day!  I decided to kick off the day at my new gym, Gymnasium, to try and ward off some of the damage that would be done later that afternoon.  After one of the most grueling workouts I've ever done, I felt totally ready for the massive dinner we were sure to consume.  :)  Today, however, I'm incredibly sore.

After getting cleaned up, we packed up some food and the pup and headed over to Ann and Terence's house to cook dinner.  We've done Thanksgiving with Ann and Terence the last few years, but were excited to double our numbers this year, adding Ann's Dad, Terence's Dad and Mom-in-law, and friend Jerin!

This year's menu consisted of a turkey & gravy, stuffing, Gruyere mashed potatoes, tomato pie, sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts with bacon,  butter beans, cranberry sauce, and rolls.  Believe it or not, we actually cut the menu significantly this year - last year was even more crazy!

We kind of destroyed the kitchen...

Starting the stuffing!

Cooking away!

So ready to eat!

Dessert was a pumpkin cheesecake, a sour cream apple pie, and gluten free chocolate cookies.  As if we needed anything else to eat!

The pups were very interested in the apple pie

After dinner, the massive clean-up began and the pups played while everyone slid into their food comas and watched some football.  

Terence is a master dishwasher.

Toby LOVES it when the massive basket of toys gets turned over on the floor!

Sara came over to investigate what all the fun was about.

The dogs were VERY interested in the turkey carcass.

"Little Man" wanted to play backgammon too!

Krentz family!

Assarsson side! 

Terence, Ann, me, Jerin, and Travis

Hope you all had a happy Thanksgiving!

Cinnamon Sugar Acorn Squash

If every vegetable I ate could be roasted, I'd be the happiest girl.  I love roasted veggies...like...LOVE them!  One veggie I'd hadn't tried my hand at was the acorn squash, so earlier this week, we gave it a shot.  Here's what we did.

Ingredients

1 acorn squash

1-2 Tablespoons butter, softened

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

Salt

Cinnamon

Directions

Wash and cut your acorn squash in half.  Remove seeds and the stringy insides, then score the insides with a knife.  (Be careful cutting and scoring your squash - they are really hard to get into!)

Soften (almost melt) 1-2 Tablespoons of butter and brush on the edges and across the inside of the squash.  Sprinkle with salt.

Put one tablespoon of brown sugar in the center of each half.  Using the back of your spoon, press the brown sugar so it coats the inside.  Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Fill a baking dish with 1/4 - 1/2 an inch of water, and place the squash halves in the dish, cut side up.

Bake 60 to 75 minutes or until fork tender.  Then scoop out the squashy deliciousness!

Sweet Curried Veggies with Rice

Happy Meatless Monday!  In honor of the unofficial weekly holiday, I decided to share one of our favorite vegetarian recipes - Sweet Curried Veggies with Rice!

If you're not so sure you can do without meat, just throw in some chicken and you can still enjoy it while remaining a carnivore.  This recipe makes 4 whopping big servings (about 6 cups total).

Ingredients

1 large yellow pepper

1 large onion

24 ounce bag baby red potatoes

2 cups baby carrots

1 cup Yellow Curry Sauce (I prefer Trader Joe's Thai Yellow Curry Sauce)

1/2 cup water

Olive Oil

Garlic powder

Basil

Salt

Rice

Directions

Cut onion & pepper into strips and saute in olive oil, salt, garlic powder, and basil until onions are barely translucent.

Quarter potatoes, and half baby carrots.

Add all your veggies to a pot and season with additional garlic, basil.  Add 1 cup curry sauce and 1/2 cup water and cook on low for 25-30 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.

If you decided to add chicken, you'll probably need to add an additional 1/2 cup curry sauce & 1/4 cup water.

Serve over rice!

SO good - you'll love it!  What's your favorite vegetarian recipe?

Also, an update from Saturday's blog about the bird that flew into our house.  Last night, as I was coming inside from taking Toby out, he tried to come in again!  I bent down to take Toby's collar off, and BAM - he flew into the door above me three times.  We may have to start taking Toby out the back door until this crazy bird simmers down.

There's a bird in our house!

Last night, like any other night, Travis took Toby out before we ate dinner.  This time, however, the little bird that lives in our porch light got confused and instead of flying away when the light came on, it flew into our house.  When Travis came back into the house, I heard a "LAURENNNNN!!!  We have ANOTHER BIRD!!!!", so I came running.

Last year at about this time, we had the same issue.  Last year's bird wasn't mad...this year's was.

Toby thinks it's hilarious when there's a bird in the house and chases it as it flies around, jumping up on the furniture trying to get a better look at it.  Here's a little video of what it looked like in our house - so funny.  (Sorry I tilted the camera half-way through...I don't know what came over me.)



Eventually, we locked Toby in the bedroom and opened the front door.  Our awesome neighbor, Paul, happened to be outside and heard us (me) squealing, so he brought over a net to see if that would help.  Turns out they had a bird in THEIR house the night before!

We resumed our positions from last time - one holds a blanket between the living and dining rooms to try to keep him from flying all. over. the. house, and the other tries to "shoo" him through the mudroom and back outside.  This time it didn't work as well (mostly because he was super scared and angry) and he swooooped at us over and over.

Eventually, after 5 or 6 minutes, he realized we were trying to help him and found the front door.

What a night...

Wanna see some more cute pictures of Toby?  Check out the blog about the Halloween Dachshund Meet-Up on Boston Common and the Cape Cod Doxie Day!