Not a cooking/baking blog but….

It seems the past few posts have all been food, baking, cooking and all but I can’t help it, it’s just that time of year. So you’re stuck looking at pictures and reading and drooling a bit, that is until canning season is over with and that is coming to an end soon. All that’s left is apples and they aren’t quite ready yet, my friend say it has to freeze first before we can start picking and using. Me, well I’ve always just picked when I’m ready but since I don’t have apples of my own, I’ll patiently wait.

So I’ve told you all about green tomatoes, tons and tons of them. Well I just can’t let them go to waste by rotting on the vines. I have some in a wagon, some in my kitchen and they are slowly turning. The ones on the vines are trying but it’s just not warm enough but yet they keep trying. So I’ve been asking around for green tomato recipes. The past two days I have tried two different ones. A Green Tomato Bar and Green Tomato Bread.

The Green Tomato Bars were a huge hit and I almost lost taking any pictures to share with you. I have just one picture, the last bite in the pan but it does give you an idea what it looks like and you can guess how it tasted.

The recipe is:

4 cups green tomatoes chopped finely and then set in a strainer to drain for a while

2 cups brown sugar (I used dark brown sugar this time and it had just a little molasses taste)

2 TLB Lemon Juice

1 tsp lemon extract (I didn’t have this so used real vanilla)

3/4 cup soft butter (again I didn’t have just butter so used 1/2 cup butter, the rest cheap-o tub-o-butter)

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3 cups oatmeal

Combine the tomatoes, 1 cup brown sugar and lemon juice in sauce pan and simmer 20-25 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in extract.

Cream butter, rest of sugar. Add rest of ingredients and mix into a crumble.

Layer crumble on bottom, press down, add tomato mixture then top with last of crumble.

This makes a 9x13 pan. Bake at 350* for 35 minutes. I used a dark pan so of course the sides got a  bit darker but not burnt flavor just dark.

ENJOY!!! The kids loved it, my uncle said it tastes like apple crisp, my daddy loved it and said a bit like date bars. Jim said apple crisp but missing the whip cream (diet means no whip cream in this house), Mike wasn’t sure but said he liked it and yes I can make it again so that’s that.

In just a little bit I have another recipe I’ll share with you. My grandma’s Green Tomato Bread. It’s still baking and I want to share all with you so will do that in just a little bit.

Take care and have a blessed morning.