Tomato Blessings

I was given a bunch of roma tomatoes last week, courtesy of my sister's father-in-law and I immediately knew I would be making tomato sauce to freeze for my winter recipes.  Oh, how I love pulling homemade tomato sauce anytime of the year, but especially during the winter months!  Here is the process I went through...

 Chopped tomatoes over medium heat, waiting for them to release their juice...

 My herb pot needed cleaning out, the basil was about done, so, into the pot it went along with a little sage, some garlic and onion salt.

 How's this for color!

Still waiting for the juices to release...

Sneaky vegetable alert:  I did add zucchini and a few pods of okra.

Don't tell anyone, they'll never know when it's pureed.

 Oh, the sweetness of the juice...

I cook it down at this point, puree it and freeze.

Well, I didn't exactly freeze it right away.

I added some to my cottage cheese the next day and had a wonderful lunch!

I cut the rest of my basil into a bouquet.

The smell is divine and the basil will send out roots and last a long, long time.

As always, thanks for stopping by.  I enjoyed your visit and hope you did too!  

Linking Up With
(You know you can click on these links and be transported to some wonderful blogs!)
Coastal Charm
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
Between Naps on the Porch
No Minimalist Here
Savvy Southern Style
Fishtail Cottage
The Brambleberry Cottage
Ivy and Elephants 
 

Some Summer Lovin'

Today, the post begins with a picture instead of  words.  I think this picture rocks and I took it myself!  I'm not a proud photographer, but sometimes everything just lines up for us amateurs and WOW does it ever surprise me.  If you're a photographer and could tell me how I did this, I would love you forever.

This is my first tomato of the season!  I am super excited and hope the weather cooperates--last year it was so hot in Kansas we couldn't grow tomatoes, or much else!  It was too stinkin' hot for this girl.

These are going to be red peppers!  Yeah!  The recent hail did beat the leaves up decently, but, at least I've still got peppers growing.  Gotta love Kansas weather.

This is the herb pot this year and we're already harvesting fresh herbs for the many, many salads we eat--sometimes they even make it into the cooking!

Did you know gardenias are edible?   I even found a recipe for gardenia ice cream!  I may pass on that, but, oh my goodness, does this make the deck smell like you just walked into heaven!  My deck chair is right by this magnificent tree and all I have to do is breathe and enjoy.  I adore this plant...I just hope I can keep it alive!

Hope summer is treating you well, even though it's not officially summer until next week.  It never hurts to celebrate the good things in life a little early and then enjoy them longer than expected, right?

Thanks for reading and enjoying the goodness of life with me.  Till next time...

Linking Up With

Primp

Savvy Southern Style

Very Merry Vintage Style

Coastal Charm
No Minimalist Here
The Brambleberry Cottage
Common Ground 
The Charm of Home 
The View From Right Here