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It’s about tomatoes today. Did you know tomatoes are really a fruit and not a veggie? As far as I’m concerned, they’re a veggie. Just a bit of tomato  info for you since some recipes call for one pound of tomatoes. That would be four medium globe tomatoes. One pound of tomatoes, peeled and seeds removed, equals about 1-1/2 cup of tomato pulp. Twenty-five to 30 cherry tomatoes equals about one pound. If you pick your tomatoes before they’re red ripe, store them at room temperature. Don’t ripen tomatoes on a window-sill in direct sunlight as the sunlight softens them but doesn’t help them to ripen. A good spot to ripen them is in a brown paper bag, closed tightly. The tomatoes give off ethylene-gas, a natural ripening agent in all fruit speeding up the ripening process. The same goes with bananas and other fruits as well.

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Let’s do recipes. This tomato soup is delicious.

FRESH TOMATO SOUP
1 c. (2 long ribs) diced celery
1 small onion, diced
1 medium carrot, shredded
1/2 c. diced green pepper
1/4 c. butter
4-1/2 c. chicken broth, divided
1 qt. (4 c.) peeled and diced fresh tomatoes
1/4 to 1/2 t. curry powder
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
4 t. sugar
1/4 c. flour

Saute celery, onion and green pepper in butter in large heavy saucepan. Add four cups of broth and next five ingredients; heat to boiling. Reduce heat; simmer for 20 minutes. In a small bowl, blend flour with remaining 1/2 c. broth until smooth. Stir gradually into soup, stirring constantly.  Cook until slightly thickened, stirring often. Makes two quarts.

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This bread is perfect to serve with soup, spaghetti, lasagna or the ever popular goulash.

TOMATO CHEESE BREAD
Sour Cream Topping:
1 medium onion, minced
2 T. butter
1/2 c. sour cream
1/4 c. mayo
1 c. grated cheddar cheese
3/4 t. salt
1/4 t. each, pepper and oregano
Pinch of leaf sage

Bread:
2/3 c. milk
2 c. biscuit mix
3 medium tomatoes, peeled, sliced 1/4 inch thick
Pinch of paprika

Prepare topping by sauteeing onion and butter in a small skillet until tender. Put remaining topping ingredients in a bowl; blend in sauteed onions; set aside. In a medium bowl, combine milk and biscuit mix to make a soft dough. Turn dough onto a well-floured surface; knead lightly for 10-12 strokes. Pat dough over bottom of buttered 9x13 inch baking pan, pushing dough up sides of pan to form a shallow rim. Arrange tomato slices over dough. Spoon on topping: sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting into squares. Makes nine to 12 servings.

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This recipe is especially for homemakers who make home-canned tomatoes.

CORN & TOMATO CASSEROLE
3 strips lean bacon
1/3 c. minced onion
3 T. diced green pepper
2 c. frozen sweet corn, thawed
2 T. brown sugar, optional
1 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
1 t. dried basil leaves or 1 T. snipped, fresh basil
2-1/2 c. home-canned tomatoes, drained and chopped

Topping:
2/3 c. each, herb flavored stuffing mix and grated cheddar cheese

In a large skillet, fry bacon until crisp; remove bacon with a slotted spoon, saving the drippings in the skillet. Put bacon on paper towel. When cold, crumble bacon into bottom of a greased 1-1/2 quart casserole. Add onions and green pepper to bacon drippings; cook over medium heat until tender. Add last six ingredients to onion mixture. Cook 10-15 minutes. Pour over bacon in casserole. Top with stuffing mix and cheese. Makes six servings.

Note:  If you don’t have home-canned tomatoes, substitute 1-15 oz. can petite diced tomatoes, draining most of liquid.

Thought for the Day: An apology is a good way to have the last word.

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