By Vanessa Richins

When I was going to community college, I took an Italian cooking class.

I developed a love of olive oil, tomatoes, balsamic vinegar and more.

As I’ve grown older, I’ve started eating more fruits, vegetables and nuts.

I didn’t realize it, but I’m not far off from what’s called the “Mediterranean Diet”, of which I would personally consider the tomato a star. The name comes from the diet common to the areas, like Italy, around the Mediterranean Sea - fruits, vegetables, fish, legumes, olive oil and nuts. It’s been lauded for years as a way to a healthy heart.

Scientists are now saying that it may also be a key to a healthy mind. As the New York Times reports, “A study of over 10,000 Spaniards followed for almost four and half years on average found that those who reported eating a healthy Mediterranean diet at the beginning of the study were Read the rest of this entry »

By Vanessa Richins

Misty says:

“Hi, how would I freeze tomato sauce? Would you have any recipes? Thank you.”

Hello Misty! Freezing is a great way to preserve your tomato sauce for further use.

One advantage is that for me as a single girl, I can freeze individual portions so I don’t have to worry about opening a can that will take me a while to use and could go bad.

For instructions on how to freeze tomato sauce, I headed on over to Google and found Kalyn’s Kitchen. She’s a local woman here in Utah who writes about low glycemic index and carb foods. She had great instructions on how to freeze tomato sauce.

First, she says to Read the rest of this entry »

By Michelle Fabio

I recently read glowing review of the Chroma Type 301 F.A. Porsche Tomato Knife from Cook’s Den, which described it like this:

This is the most delicate knife in the Type 301 product line, with a forked tip intended for spearing the juicy slices of ripe tomatoes and placing them on plate or sandwich. The 301 alloy steel is very sharp and hard, so the tines of the fork are at risk of being damaged if overstressed.

This knife can be used for Read the rest of this entry »

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By Vanessa Richins

I am a very visual person.

Like many of you, I get a gleam in my eyes when a new catalog comes in the mail because I have been given a new treat.

The vibrant colors and shapes just pop off the page and keep me riveted.

I felt the same way when I discovered FoodGawker. It’s a website where people can submit their recipes to their directory. The page appears as row after row of luscious foods.

I decided to see what they had listed for tomatoes. Here are some of the recipes I suggest you try based on their picture :

Sun-Dried Tomato, Basil, and Parmesan Muffins

I think most of us think of muffins as sweet, but these will prove that savory is just as good. Sun-dried tomatoes are from heaven, as well as Parmesan cheese. Match it with basil and it’s perfection.

Pininoa Tomato Sauce

This is basically an Read the rest of this entry »

By Vanessa Richins

One of my favorite hobbies (besides my number one passion - gardening - of course!) is cooking from scratch.

When I was in community college, I took some cooking classes.

Italian cooking still reigns as my favorite course.

Many nights I will make my own tomato sauce to go with pasta. It makes an easy dish to serve to my friends.

However, people run into a problem if they ask for my recipe. I don’t use one - I just throw together whatever sounds good that day. It usually works out quite well.

Today I will describe my “recipe” on how to throw together your own tomato sauce.

It all begins with the tomatoes, of course. Paste tomatoes like Roma will make the best sauce. It will be especially flavorful if you use one of the heirloom varieties. Each tomato will make about 1/5 cup of sauce, so figure out how many you will need. I like to leave the Read the rest of this entry »

By Kira Hamman

Just when you start to think the tomatoes will never be ripe and you’ll be stuck eating zucchini and chard for the rest of your life, the cherry tomatoes throw you a bone.

Hallelujah!

I love cherry tomatoes.

Although they lack the glamour of the big guys, they more than make up for it in spunk. Maybe it’s because I’m only 5’2” myself, but I have a lot respect for things that come in small packages.

Cherry tomatoes, perhaps because they’re on the vine for a shorter time, seem to be less prone to pests and disease than their larger counterparts. Because they’re smaller and therefore have fewer seeds, they’re less Read the rest of this entry »