Home Cooks Online

Tomatoes. Photo: JarsemIt’s been 100 degrees lately, and the only thing moving around here are the tomato plants. And cucumbers, zucchini and peppers. It’s even been too hot to grill, so a lot of the cooking going on in my kitchen has been the cold kind. A little chopping and drizzling I can handle. Slow-roasting meats, not so much. One of the great things about having a garden is that you don’t really have to go to the store. Food just magically appears. So rather than complain about too many tomatoes, I am being a good lazy cook and finding simple, tasty things to make with them. Here are some tomato recipes for those of you who also have an abundance.

Make a homemade tomato salsa

Fake a pizza. Slice tomatoes, zucchini and peppers from the garden, and top a garlic-and-oil rubbed baguette. Sprinkle with basil and grated cheese. Broil a few minutes until crispy looking.

Easy cheese-tomato sandwich. Toast bread. Top one slice with cheese and put in toaster oven until just melted. Put cold sliced tomatoes over the melted cheese and season with oregano, salt & pepper. Add remaining piece of toast.

Easy one-pot dinner: Tomato Pasta

Make a Peach and Tomato Salad

Try Cornmeal Crusted Green Tomatoes

Make a homemade tomato sauce

Grill Green Tomatoes

Bake Roasted Tomatoes

Cook an easy Pasta with Tomatoes, Parsley and Garlic

That should keep you busy for a while.