Kumato Tomato Quiche

I first saw Kumato tomatoes in Aldi a couple of years ago, and decided to give them a try since I had never heard of them.  They’re now my favorite tomato.  They’re not the easiest tomato to find.  I can’t usually find them anywhere other than Aldi, and Aldi doesn’t always have them.  I make sure I buy them whenever they’re available.

You can read a little more about them here if you’re not familiar, and prefer to learn about them before you try them. 

















Kumato tomatoes are delicious!  I love them in salads, on tuna sandwiches, on bagels with garlic and herb cream cheese, and in this quiche.  Really, I haven’t found a way I don’t like them.  Don’t worry, if you don’t have Kumato tomatoes you can substitute Roma tomatoes in this recipe. 

Kumato Tomato Quiche

1 prepared pie crust

2 garlic cloves, pressed

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 tsp olive oil

9 eggs

½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

3/4 cup cottage cheese

1/4 cup half and half

1 tsp basil, plus a little more for sprinkling

½ tsp oregano, plus a little more for sprinkling

Salt & pepper to taste

2 - 3 Kumato tomatoes, thinly sliced, OR Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced

Heat the olive oil in a small frying pan, over medium heat, and saute the onion, with the garlic, and a little salt, just until the onions begin to brown.  Remove from heat, and allow to cool.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, and stir in the cheeses, half & half, basil, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste.

Spread the pie crust into a pie dish, and lightly sprinkle with some basil and oregano.

Once the onions have cooled completely, stir them into the egg mixture.  If you add hot onions to the egg mixture you will end up with a really gross partially scrambled egg concoction, so make sure they’re cool before you add them.

Pour the egg/onion mixture into the pie crust.

Top with the tomato slices.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 50 - 60 minutes, until set through.  Test the middle with a small knife or toothpick to make sure it comes out clean.

Enjoy!

Have you tried Kumato tomatoes?  What is your favorite kind of tomato?

Music Monday: Friends Theme Song

Today is International Day of Friendship.  This link takes you to a short blurb about the day, but the even shorter version is that it’s a day to promote friendship and peace.  We could probably use a lot more days like this! 

I thought it would be the perfect day to share the theme song from Friends.  Aside from being one of my favorite TV series, ever, I really like the theme song.  And it’s a happy song to start your Monday off with. 

I’d also like to take the opportunity to thank you for your online friendship over the years.  Some of you have been visiting and commenting for years.  I really appreciate you taking the time, and all of your kind words over the years.  Happy International Day of Friendship! 

Christmas In July? August?

Don’t worry, I’m not trying to rush Christmas.  I think we’ve established that I love Thanksgiving way too much to ever do that!  I have noticed, however, that I never post very much between Thanksgiving and Christmas, despite my best intentions.

There are a few Christmas posts I’ve wanted to do for years now, and just haven’t gotten around to, so I’ve decided to start writing and scheduling some Christmas related posts now.  It’s part of my plan of doing things this year.

I start my Christmas shopping really early.  In all honesty, I actually had a few Christmas presents for this year purchased before Christmas Day last year.  I’m not sure if that makes me prepared, or a little too obsessed.  When do you start your Christmas shopping? 

So how soon is too soon for Christmas related posts?  A few of them are gift wrapping ideas, and a few DIY gifts that take a little time.  I don’t think they’d be particularly helpful or useful posted a week or two before Christmas. 

 There seems to be a core group of you who regularly read and comment, so it makes the most sense to me to just ask you.  After all, you’re taking valuable time out of your day, so I’d like to make sure it’s a pleasant experience for you.

The main ideas I’m tossing around are:

• A few, maybe two or three, Christmas posts a week, starting the day after Thanksgiving.  

• One Christmas post a month starting in August, and probably finishing up around the beginning of December, most likely with a few posts during the first week of December.

I don’t have an exact number of posts yet since I’m in the early stages of writing them.  I’m also not a math person, so probably wouldn’t break it down into exact numbers even if I did.  And I’m certainly open to other scheduling ideas.  Like I said, I’d like for them to be useful. 

So what say you, visitors to my little corner of the blogging world? 

Thrifty Thursday - That’s Not A Very Good Sale

I’ve been meaning to share this picture for almost a year now.   I never thought I’d see something like this in person, so I had to take a picture when I did.  Nick and I were in Wal-Mart, and not being much of a math person, I confirmed with Nick that I hadn’t misread something. 

Nope.  The clearance price is actually higher than the original price.  I assume it was the result of some poorly thought out rearranging, but it did make me think about how easy it is to get sucked in by a sale. 

I know I’m guilty of seeing “sale” and thinking “must buy”.  I guess this is a good lesson not to buy something simply because we’re told it’s on sale.  Aside from being something we may not need, or have the money to spend on, it may not be much of a bargain anyway. 

What about you?  Are you a sucker for a sale?  Have you seen any unfortunate sign placement like this in person?

We Have Blackberries!

We were able to pick blackberries from our own backyard over the weekend.  We planted the bush last year, and were fairly certain that Duke destroyed it, but to our delight it came back this year.  And now we have blackberries.

We had more berries than this, but we both ate while we picked, so this is all that made it for the picture.  We have lots more berries that aren’t ripe yet, so it looks like we’ll be enjoying blackberries for a while.

I’m ridiculously proud of these.  It’s our first time growing berries, so I’m pretty excited.  It still amazes me when we plant something and it grows and produces food.   There’s just something so satisfying about walking out into your own backyard to pick what you’ve planted and grown yourself.  And I love blackberries. 

We plan to add another blackberry bush next year, and maybe try a raspberry bush, too.  You can’t have too many berries, right? 

Are you growing any berries?  What’s your favorite berry?  If you have an abundance of blackberries, and are looking for a way to use them, here’s a recipe for Blackberry & Mint Green Tea. 

Music Monday: Cravin’ Melon - Sweet Tea

Yes, folks, there’s actually a song about sweet tea.  If I had a theme song, I think this would be it.  Aside from the fact that it’s about my favorite beverage, it’s a great song.  Listen to it, I think you’ll like it.

Here’s a link to my sweet tea recipe, just in case the song left you wanting a nice glass of sweet tea. 

Is there a song about your favorite beverage?

Throw Back Thursday - Baby Howard

Howard is probably our most photogenic cat, and definitely has the best poses.  My phone is filled with pictures of Howard, and most people who visit our house end up taking a few pictures of Howard while they’re here. 

I’ve realized that I very often include a picture of Howard when I don’t have another picture to go with the post.  He’s adorable, and there’s no shortage of good Howard pictures, but I’ve never shared any of his kitten pictures.  Howard is eleven, and I’ve been blogging for six years, so he was all grown up before I started sharing pictures of him here. 
So, for Throw Back Thursday, I give you Howard’s kitten pictures, while I take a little stroll down Memory Lane.

Howard definitely fit a lot more places when I first brought him home from the shelter:

He didn't mind the incredibly small TV in my teeny, tiny studio apartment:

And lastly, one of the very few pictures of Howard being still when he was a kitten.

Have a great Thursday!  The weekend is almost here!

Music Monday: Beach Boys - God Only Knows

We watched Love Actually over the weekend.  For about the millionth time.  I love that movie!  If you haven’t seen it, do yourself a favor and watch it. 

The opening scene is one of my favorite scenes ever, and I can’t watch it without getting a little teary eyed.  It’s a good cry, though.  The video is short, only a minute and 17 seconds, so I’d encourage you to watch it.

The last scene plays one of my favorite songs, Beach Boys God Only Knows.  I just love this song!

So what about you?  Have you seen Love Actually?  Did you like it?  Are you a Beach Boys fan?