Boyisms {and Tomato Pie}

The Boy spent some time with my mom & dad over the July 4th holiday.  Every summer he stays with them for about a week.  He starts asking about this visit near the end of every school year.

The Husband & I took a boyless mini vacation on July 4th to the Woodlands, TX to see Tab Benoit, a wetlands activist and blues musician who will move you with his lyrics...especially when his lyrics are about coastal Louisiana.  Maybe I'll tell you more another time.

The Boy is not an overly loud kid guy, but it sure was quiet without him.  (P. S. he is not a kid.  P. P. S. someone is reading over my shoulder)  He is a non-stop source of one-liners, quick wit, and humorously honest observations.

We find ourselves quoting "Boyisms" when he's gone.

(I've taken to writing them down in a notebook, but he doesn't know that.  Except now he does because he's reading over my shoulder.)

Notoriously indecisive, I teased him one day, "what in the world are you ever going to do if you have to choose between two girlfriends?"

"I'll choose the one who's hotter."
Duh, mom implied.  He's 11.  Did I mention?

He gets caught up in language--colloquialisms especially.  Often tries to invent his own.  One day I asked him how he was doing.  He sighed the heavy sigh of a man who's lost it all.  "I'm halfway to twice as bad."

Then he tried to explain the mathematics behind his statement.  Hee-lar-ee-ous.


And there's Tomato Pie.
Poor baby can't stand it.  But he'd never say for fear of hurting my feelings.
Instead he asks, "Umm...sometimes does your food just taste ummm...too rich?"

"It tastes too rich" has become our code for "I don't like this crap."

The basic recipe: chives scattered in a pie shell.  Topped with sliced tomatoes seasoned with salt, pepper, and basil.  Spread with a mixture of mayo and sharp cheddar (which skeeves me out if I think about it too much, but it's actually really good.)

I thought maybe adding bacon would be a game changer.

It wasn't.  It was still "too rich" for him.  Guess bacon can't fix everything.

Tomato pie is versatile.  Sometimes I use chives, green onion, or garlic chives.  Sometimes dried basil & oregano.  Sometimes fresh.  A mixture of cheeses could be used.

It's one of my summer favorites.  It is rich, but not "too rich" for me.


Print it

Basic Tomato Pie
adapted from Sandy

3-4 medium tomatoes
pie crust to fit a 9" pie plate
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar
1/4 c chopped chives
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
heaping 1/2 tsp dried basil
paprika (optional)

Preheat oven to 425.

While oven heats, peel the tomatoes, gently squeeze them to remove the seeds and juice, and thickly slice. Pace on layers of paper towels to drain.

Place pie crust in oven and bake for 5 minutes.  Remove and lower oven to 400.

Mix together the mayonnaise and cheddar and set aside.

Scatter the chives over the bottom of the crust.  Place a layer of tomato slices on top.  Season with salt, pepper, and basil.  Add another layer of tomatoes.  Spread the cheese mixture over the tomatoes.  Sprinkle paprika on top (optional)  Bake for about 35 minutes.  Remove from oven and let sit for about 20 minutes before slicing.

*Try chopped green onions or garlic chives in place of the chives.  If using bacon, cook and drain 4 slices.  Crumble and use 3 slices in the pie and 1 on top of the cheese mixture.  Fresh basil can be used in place of dried.


linking with:
Food On Friday: Tarts & Pies @ Carole's Chatter