Mr. George's Tomatoes are in!

I got home one night this week and found a plastic bag full of tomatoes hanging on my door knob. So after a couple of days of tomato sandwiches and tomato gravy I started worrying about my tomatoes turning. We spent today hanging out and watching cooking channel and Jamie Oliver gave us an inspiring show on tomatoes. So here's what we had for dinner:

Tomato Orzo Gratin

Wash and place in a roasting pan 3 pints of tomatoes. add 3 tbsp of olive oil, 1 tbsp of rice wine vinegar salt and pepper. Roll tomatoes around to coat and roast for about 30 minutes at 350. Peel tomatoes (it's ok if you don't get all the skin...I call that "texture") and put into an oven safe baking dish. Add a handful of chopped herbs (I used basil and parsley). Strain tomato leavings and discard the seeds. Mix a tablespoon of flour into the tomato "juice." Add 1/2 milk, 1/2 cup of gouda and 1/2 cup of chicken stock. Add 1/2 cup of orzo and pour over tomatoes. Cook covered for about 20 minutes. Uncover and top with mozzarella and prosciutto and bake for 10 minutes.

This would have worked without the prosciutto...but what the hell, it was delicious.

Grilled Veggie Orzo

My friend Michele is a massage therapist, yoga instructor, Reiki Master and *gasp* VEGETARIAN! I know..I know. We've found common ground without me force feeding her bacon. She's a beautiful person and an amazing friend. I made tonight's recipe with her in mind.

While red bell pepper, zucchini and yellow squash are roasting on the grill, cook 1/2 cup of orzo pasta (I used whole wheat). Mix together 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar, 1 tbsp lime juice, salt and pepper. Dice 2 tomatoes and the roasted vegetables and toss with the dressing. Add drained orzo. Toss in a hand full of herbs (I had basil and parsley) and allow everything to get friendly for about an hour.

We had this with a grilled cheese sandwich...provolone, cheddar, jack and havarti. Perfect summer dinner.