Country Toh-may-toh - Toh - mah - toh

However you want to say it, homegrown is best.  Actually, I almost never buy tomatoes in the grocery store anymore. I would rather do without than eat the hot-house, plastic-looking, chemical tainted orbs that have next to no taste.  Once in a while, I do pick up an organic variety, but not often. 
     My niece in Albuquerque ruined me for anything less than the best; aka home grown tomatoes.  She and her husband have a garden in the North Valley and that's where I got my home-grown-tomato taste buds.
     My wee garden is doing okay. I'm still waiting on the squash, the New Mexico Chili is coming along and I have quite a few sweet banana peppers. At the suggestion of a dear friend, I did go out and play honey-bee; helped out the pollination of the flowers with a little brush.  I'm hoping . . .
     Although I haven't had a huge crop, the small tomatoes I have had have been delicious.  They are a nice dark red inside and so sweet.  I just finished a BLT (minus the L).  Whole wheat toast - bacon - mayo and a home grown tomato. 
     The variety that has worked best for me this year is a Better Boy; I would love to get my hands on some heirlooms - maybe next year.
     My dad often cooked for us on the weekends. He and my mom both worked during the week and they shared the chores.  He was a 'man before his time' .. I never heard about women's work and mans work in our home. If the pipes froze in the winter, and Daddy was at work, Mother went out to heated up the pipes.  If the dishes needed washing, Daddy knew what soap and water were for. 
     One of my dad's inventions was Bacon and Cottage Cheese on Toast; don't growl until you've tried it!!  It's almost as good as a BLT!
     Another of my favorite 'snacks' in the summer is a small bowl of Ice Cold Cottage Cheese with diced tomato on top.  Earlier in the week, I enjoy some homemade Chicken Salad with tomatoes. 
     I'm going to miss my fresh-from-the-garden tomatoes when winter sets in, but in the meantime . . .

Kudos to Lowes & More Country Lore

Kudos and grateful thanks to Lowe's ® on West Broad in Richmond Virginia. This crazy Country Gal lost her check book recently. In all honesty, I thought I had accidently thrown it away when I was paying bills. The return address on my checks was an old post office box number. With that and no telephone number printed on them, I wasn't worried about someone using the checks. Apparently the check book fell out of my purse, was found and handed over to some honest soul at the big store.  Lowe's sent the check book to the post office box that I had had closed over a year ago. The package was returned to Lowe's with the standard YELLOW post office label as the forwarding time had expired. Again, Lowe's mailed it to me, this time using the address that was listed on the yellow label. That, dear friends, is CUSTOMER SERVICE ... the kind we used to find in an old Country store or mercantile.

Moving on to more good Country Lore. Don't toss out that dried out bread, or even the heels. They can be salvaged. Dry them to crisp in a medium oven, then make bread crumbs in your food processor. Add a few dry herbs of your choice, such as: basil, oregano, parsley, ground pepper, garlic powder, onion power, rosemary, or sage. Use any combination that pleases your palate.

If life gives you dry French bread, make tasty French toast. Whip up an egg with rich whole cream adding a sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg and voila! Ready to cook and serve with butter and honey or maple syrup. For a real country touch, serve with molasses.

Kids fussy at the table? Be a party smarty with your kids. Instead of serving a ho-hum lunch, have a party. De-crust the bread and make their favorite sandwiches; PBand J, bologna, cheese or egg salad - what ever. Cut into triangles or fingers or rounds and call them party sandwiches. For even more fun, decrust the bread, and make sandwiches either 3 or 4 slices thick. Then slice into either fingers or triangles. An electric knife makes slicing easier, but is an option. However you slice it, you're the hero!  ©2010 Cat Brennan