Sunday Doings 8/12/12

Today was a good day. The weather was nice- hot but not too hot or humid. Best of all I got alot accomplished! Oh how I love days like this!
First I want to share my excitement for a new "tea" that I have been enjoying the past few days. Those of you who know me, know that I am a tea fanatic, cant be without my tea! I am growing a lemon verbena plant, that is doing quite well, so I decided to research how to make tea from it. I was pleasantly surprised to find out its as easy as 1,2,3!

First, I picked about 3 fresh lemon verbena leaves right off my plant.

Next I placed them in my nifty tea travel mug.I added boiling water and let it steep for about 10 minutes.

Voila- in just 10 short minutes I had delicious hot lemon verbena tea which I really enjoyed. I read that lemon verbena tea is good for many health ailments. First it is said to reduce fevers, relieve sore throats, coughs and colds/congestion. It is also said to be a very good stress reliever, and to help you relax. I dont know about you, but I'm game for anything that can help releive stress and bring on a sense of calm! I am super excited that I now have the ability to grow my own "tea"!!! (yes its silly things like this that excite me...LOL)

I also received my weekly email from one of my favorite websites:
www.agardenforthehouse.com. It is a "blog" of sorts written by Kevin Lee Jacobs, and is chock full of great ideas for your home and gardens. Today he listed one of his favorite recipes for "tomato pie".  It is very simple to make, and delicious too!
Here is the recipe, and below that are pictures of my tomato pie from start to finish:

Classic Tomato Pie
Ingredients for one 9-inch pie
10 biscuits from a 7.5 oz package
2 large, perfectly ripe tomatoes, thickly sliced
Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper
Fresh basil leaves (as many as you like), sliced into thin strips
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup extra-sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Lightly spray a 9-inch pie plate with non-stick spray. Then press the biscuits against sides and bottom of plate to form a crust. Layer thick slices from 2 large tomatoes on the dough, and give them a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Then toss on a handful of freshly-chopped basil. Top the pie with one cup mayonnaise combined with one cup shredded cheddar cheese. Bake for 30-35 minutes on the middle rack of a preheated 375-degree oven. To insure a firm, not runny pie, let rest for 30 minutes before serving.

If you enjoy tomatoes, I highly recommend trying this tomato pie recipe. Its a great way to enjoy all of the extra tomatoes from the garden.