A Roasted Tomato Love Affair

I bought a couple of cartons of cherry tomatoes at the grocery store. Mainly because they were on sale, but also because they were pretty. Reds, and yellows, and orange... oh my! Fall on my plate.

Problem is, I wasn't sure what to do with them. I love them fresh, but not enough to pop them like candy. After all, the season has changed. It's fall now. If it's not covered in melty cheese, or spread over a rustic sourdough, or baked and carb-y and hot and cozy, I'm not eating it. (I'm only kind of joking).

In a desperate attempt to save-the-tomatoes before they went bad, I ended up slow roasting them whole for like two hours, and stirring them in with some brown rice pasta and fresh parmesan.

So good. I was pretty happy with my efforts.

So, I did the same thing a couple weeks ago -- bought two cartons of cherry tomatoes with the intention of making fresh fall-y sauce, or something super delicious to serve over pasta. Yeah, never did it. They were still sitting on my counter, so I got out my laptop for the perfect roasting recipe. The last time I roasted the tomatoes, they were really good -- but they didn't quite caramelize like I thought they would. I knew there had to be something I could do better this time.

They were still sitting on my counter, so in order to avoid them going bad, I did a quick search for some easy recipes that called for, like, two pounds of cherry tomatoes. (I overbuy, clearly).

Found this one, and I was inspired. I didn't have garlic, so I subbed rosemary and some extra salt + pepper. Mixed with quinoa, this time, and some fresh shredded parm.

Jackpot.

Perfection. Cutting them in half allowed them to cook MORE, and caramelize like I wanted. I love all things rosemary, so the added flavor of the herbs was amazing. I added the tomatoes, a splash more of EVOO and some fresh cracked pepper to quinoa, and my favorite lunch was born.

Now, when I go to the store and there are fresh cherry tomatoes, I don't hesitate. I've been exploring some more recipes to try with roasted tomatoes (any tomatoes, not just cherry!), and have collected them here for you.

You're welcome.

Happy roasting!

- Baked Parmesan Tomatoes

- Roasted Tomato Pesto

- Quinoa Salad with Roasted Tomatoes

- Slow-Roasted Balsamic Tomatoes

- Roasted Tomatoes With Mushrooms + Grilled Bread

- Roasted Tomato Caprese Panzanella (by my favorite food blogger!)

- Roasted Tomato Caprese Grilled Cheese (her again)

- Roasted Tomato Caprese with Avocado

- Creamy Roasted Tomato & Basil Soup

QUICK RECIPE FOR ROASTING if you don't want to click the link, above:

1. Preheat over to 225º, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
2. Halve the cherry tomatoes and place them on parchment paper, skin-side down
3. Drizzle EVOO
4. Sprinkle with a little bit of sea salt and fresh, cracked pepper
3. Add fresh or dried rosemary, or any other herb you love

Goodbye, Summer

I can't handle the heat anymore. I sweat when I curl my hair. I'm done with tank tops and shorts; I want oversized sweaters and fuzzy socks and to leave my hair down so my neck doesn't get cold.

I'm ready for Hocus Pocus on ABC Family, and cold night meals, like chili and cornbread or a hearty stew. I'm ready for the few weeks out of the year where I'd rather order hot drinks at Starbucks, just because of the coziness of it all. I'm ready to live in leggings and Hunter Boots. That's still ok, right? Because if it's not... well. I'm probably going to do it anyway. I'm ready for fall TV. 4pm sunsets. Rainy nights and the drone of windshield wipers.

I flashed back today to Halloween night of last year; Amelia tore into the house in her Minnie Mouse costume before she headed off to Trick Or Treat at the church. We listened to Christmas, because it's sort of an unspoken rule that thinking about Christmas officially begins on Halloween night. I was just crossing the threshold of getting uncomfortably pregnant, and we were busy trying to get the nursery built before the holidays hit. We went to Safeway on Canyon and bought stuff to make homemade french dips and crockpot hot chocolate.

Those are my favorite nights. I love a good, hot summer... but I'm an autumn girl at heart.

For some autumn goodness, check out: http://blanketsandteablog.tumblr.com/. It's like my happy place, for real.