Your Place or Mine?

Hot Summer Nights!

Light and Easy is on the menu tonight!

Southern Favorite.......Tomato Tart (or sometimes called "pie")

Olive Pasta Salad

These extremely easy but impressive dishes are also great for a brunch, shower or as a light side dish to your barbecue! 

Tomato Tart

1 ready-made 9 inch pie shell (found in the freezer section)  

1-2 Large Tomatoes

1 8 oz. package of shredded mozzarella cheese

3 tbls. chopped green onion

3 tbls. chopped fresh basil 

1 tbsp of E.V.O.O (extra virgin olive oil)

salt/pepper, to taste

Shredded Parmesan cheese 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees (this dish is worth using your oven in the summer!)

Let your pie shell sit out for a few minutes to thaw right before you are ready to start. (take a fork and poke bottom of pie shell a couple times, this will prevent the shell from "swelling" during baking.)

Slice tomatoes into 1/4-1/2 in. slices and place on paper towel to drain while preparing filling.

Spread the mozzarella cheese evenly on the bottom of the pie shell

Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese

Sprinkle chopped fresh basil and green onion over cheese

Place the sliced tomatoes on top of the pie, arranging to cover as evenly as possible 

salt/pepper

Sprinkle top with Parmesan cheese

Drizzle with olive oil

Bake for 30-35 mins. (check pie at 25 mins. in case your oven cooks hot like mine!)

 Slice in wedges and serve warm or at room temperature. 

Olive Pasta Salad

16 oz. package of pasta ( I used the tri-color curly pasta)

16 oz. of Olive Salad ( I used our locally made Boscoli brand, you can find it in the olive/pickle section in the grocery store)

6-7 oz. of Shredded Parmesan Cheese

1/4 c. of chopped green onion

1 jar of Salad Sensation seasoning (reddish mix, find it in the seasoning section of the grocery store)

Cook pasta, drain well and put in a large mixing bowl

Add jar of olive salad

Add Parmesan cheese, reserve some to sprinkle on top

Add chopped green onion

Add seasoning mix ( I don't recommend adding any other seasoning until you taste, seasoning mix and Parmesan cheese should be sufficient!) 

Toss together and sprinkle top with Parmesan cheese.

Chill for at least 2-3 hrs or for best results make ahead of time and chill overnight in refrigerator.

The olive oil will thicken when the pasta salad is chilled, take out of refrigerator 20 mins. before serving!

 To make this dish a main course, just toss in cubed cooked chicken(a rotisserie chicken from the grocery works great!) or cooked/grilled shrimp (if you use shrimp from a shrimp boil cut back on the seasoning mix!). 

Use your special dishes, garnish and...Enjoy!