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Necessity... the mother of invention. - Plato


Omit and substitute! That's how recipes should be written. Please don't ever get so hung up on published recipes that you forget that you can omit and substitute.
~ Jeff Smith, the Frugal Gourmet

Mr. Willie's Apples and Judy's Tomatoes and Beautiful Red Pepper

Although Larry and I were busy trying to accomplish some much need cleaning and clearing around the house and yard yesterday, I did manage to get in a bit of cooking, mainly because I had fresh produce that needed using. The problem was, I kept not having something I needed. Determined not to go to the grocery, I forged on, making omissions and substitutions as I went!

I had let Judy know at church the other day that I was out of tomatoes. For those of you who may be lifting an eyebrow and questioning my good Southern manners, she had told me to let her know if I wanted more, which makes my asking completely acceptable. (Is it any wonder Northerners have such a hard time learning all the nuances of the Southern culture?! Bless their hearts!) Let me say, that is a truly good friend who will share their first fresh tomatoes of the season with you. It is an even better friend who will share their coveted last tomatoes of the summer. Judy is the best of friends, as she has shared from her bounty from beginning to end! Thank you, Judy!!

Larry's Tomato and Bacon Sandwiches

I used this batch of Judy's tomatoes to make one of my all-time favorites - Homemade Tomato Soup! Larry isn't big on tomato soup, so I decide to make him one of his favorites, homegrown tomato and bacon sandwiches. I had everything ready when I realized we were out of "loaf" bread, known in other areas as "sandwich" bread. We had some left-over rolls from when Mitzi and girls came by on Sunday night. I thought - "why not give it a try?" Larry said they were very tasty with the lightly-salted tomatoes, a dab of mayo and a couple of pieces of fried bacon.

Besides the tomatoes, Dude had brought me some apples he had picked at Mr. Willie G.'s a few days ago. They are just right, a little bit tart and a little bit sweet - a perfect combination! I used the apples to make Apple Nut Bread. I used a recipe I found at Marvelous Recipes. I love that Emily encourages people of all ages to cook and experiment with their culinary skills!

I had made a batch of this yummy bread on Wednesday, using Emily's recipe as written. But, when I made it on Thursday, I had to make a few changes due to lack of ingredients. I'll post Emily's original recipe and my altered one, too.

For supper, I made the meal originally scheduled for Wednesday - Southwestern Skillet Chicken and Sister Schubert's Rolls. Because our week had been a bit hectic, I had not bought the boneless, skinless chicken breasts the recipe calls for. I substituted a bag of my pre-cooked, chopped chicken from the freezer. We all thought it worked well!

Along with Emily, I encourage you to branch out and try some new things with your recipes. You never know what great dish you may create!!

Below are posts for yesterday's cooking!

Many Blessings and Happy Cookin' ~ Connie
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Comments

  1. SoutherncookAugust 14, 2009 at 3:24 PM

    Connie,

    Thank you for visiting my Foodie Friday blog and I will come back to visit yours often. The Baked Ziti that I posted also freezes well. It can serve about 6-8 people but sometimes I place it in an 8x8 freezable container for another time if there is just the two of us which I should have said on that post.

    Carolyn

    ReplyDelete
  2. JaneAugust 14, 2009 at 5:39 PM

    Hi Connie!
    Thank you for visiting my blog. I truly appreciate your comments.

    Your blog has lifted me...Jer. 29:11 is one of my favorite verses...declares that GOD loves me and has plans far beyond what I an see. Thanks for the reminder.

    Your blog is delightful...filled with great ideas, delicious sounding foods, and Southern Charm (Yes, I am a southerner who was once transplanted to PA and had to deal with people who did not know what "soda" was (baking soda, of course...not soft drinks or COKE!)

    I'll be checking in soon...
    Jane (Artfully Graced)

    ReplyDelete
  3. The Desperate CookAugust 14, 2009 at 7:57 PM

    Don't you just love a good friend? That is great that she shares her garden with you.

    I am always substituting in a recipe. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Your tomato soup looks great!!!

    ReplyDelete

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