Sun-Dried Tomato Spread is a classic Italian treat and can be used on a piece of bruschetta or toasted bread, as a condiment for a sandwich with prosciutto cotto and provola, and even spooned into a sauce for added flavor.  Our version is made with, among other ingredients, homemade olive oil cured sun dried tomatoes, parsley, and red pepper flakes. Sun-Dried Tomato […]

Tomato season is just about to kick off here in our part of the country and we thought we’d share our favorite ways to use the ripe and luscious vegetable (specifically, Eight Things to Do with Tomatoes ).   I’m sure everyone would agree that the tomato season doesn’t last long enough and when it does arrive you one can […]

Olive Tomato Tapenade Tapenade has its origins in the south of France and usually consists of finely chopped olives, capers, anchovies, and extra virgin olive oil.  In Provence, tapenade is spread on thin toast or bread and is consumed as a light snack or hors d’œuvre. Our black olive and tomato tapenade recipe is a variation of our standard tomato […]

Christine from our Facebook fan page recently asked if we had a marinara sauce recipe and my quick answer was that we haven’t documented it on the site but we make it consistently during the summer months.  Christine’s question also made us think deeply about the difference between tomato sauace and marinara (and there are many), not touching on the further differentiation associated with […]

I almost hugged our TV last night.  Well, I didn’t exactly get up off the couch to embrace our electronic box because I was under a fleece blanket and several layers of wool and cotton and getting up would have meant losing the precious body heat trapped in my vicinity.  What prompted the urge to hug our TV was the 4th […]

Lazy, weekend, lunches are one of the small pleasure in life and I define a lazy lunch as a simple plate of food (with little to no manipulation), fresh, crunchy, bread, and a bottle of exquisite wine (psychologically, get an exquisite bottle of wine for under $20, there are fabulous wine deals out there if you stay away from California, […]

Along with making our own wine and sun dried tomatoes,  my family also cans fresh plum tomatoes every August for use throughout the year.  The canned tomatoes are used mostly for making tomatoe sauce.  Canning your tomatoes produces a better tasting tomato sauce and, of course, saves you money over the long term (especially after you’ve owned the canning equipment for several years). Tomato […]