Tomatoes

I grew tomatoes in my garden for the first time this year. I wasn't nearly as successful as I had hoped. But here in Ohio, with a farmer's market on every corner, there is no short supply...
My friend Val learned how to can tomatoes from her father, and this year she taught me. She trucked all her supplies over to my house last week, and we had a blast making a mess...

I have to be honest. It was a lot of work (mostly done by Val) and I had to get more tomatoes than I ever imagined. I can't wait to use these this winter!! The fruits of her labor...ha...

I shared a jar with my sweet neighbor Kelli, who is a killer cook. She and her husband are also great gardeners, with a ton of tomatoes. She shared another interesting technique with me for roasting tomatoes, and I wanted to pass it along...

Core and slice your clean whole tomatoes tomatoes. Spread them out on a cookie sheet. Add sliced onion (or not), garlic cloves (don't leave that out), and drizzle with olive oil. Add fresh basil or dried, and kosher salt. Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for an hour...

Here's the before picture...

Your house will smell heavenly, trust me on this. Your neighbors and friends who stop by will want to invite you to dinner. Your husband will ask what smells so good, and so will the kids...

Your mixture will reduce, and when you take it out of the oven, it will be soft. Place your mix into a bowl and smash it with a potato masher (I love mine from Pampered Chef). My neighbor Kelli peels her skins, but I didn't--so you be the judge.

I know--the picture isn't great. But the lasagna my family enhaled this evening was the best I've ever made...

Give it a shot!! Let me know how it goes, too...