Rosie Makes A Tomato Casserole.

 Mr. Hawthorne came back from his family reunion

raving about a particular tomato casserole he had.
And this is from late July.

He really didn't offer up much of a description,

except that it was kinda sweet.

 

I decided to make my version of a tomato casserole,

hopefully to Mr. Hawthorne's expectations.

 And his expectations are quite high.

 I put a thin layer of extra virgin olive oil

 in the bottom layer of a 6" dish.

Add a heaping layer of sliced, homegrown tomatoes.

Something I didn't do which I wish I had -

peel the tomatoes.

I always peel my tomatoes.

Don't know why I didn't this time.

The skins are un-chewable and un-swallowble.

 Freshly ground salt and pepper.

 Add torn basil and dot with goat cheese.

 Another layer of  'maters, salted and peppered and ...

 ... marjoramed.

 Fresh mozzarella from the deli.

Scallions.

 Panko breadcrumbs.

 Crumbled Ritz crackers and a drizzling of extra virgin olive oil.

Bake at 350° for 25 minutes.

 I loved this.

Except for the tomato skins.

What a bother!

Mr. Hawthorne came over and tasted it.

"It's not sweet!"

The one thing he described 

this dish as being was sweet.
And I forgot the sugar.

So we sprinkled a little sugar over top.

Turned it into something else!

I think this would be even better

if you sprinkled maybe a 1/2 - 1 teaspoon sugar

over each tomato layer before baking.

Melted sugar is better.

 Excellent!

 Except for the skins.

Rosie's Garden.

Welcome to Rosie's Garden.

Let's take a walk-through.
Shall we?

This is cardinal or cypress vine.

Hummingbirds like it.

The heart-shaped leaves on the right

are my moonflower leaves.

I got a late start on the moonflowers this year

and they're not blooming yet,

but when they do bloom,

I'll take time-lapse videos of the blooms opening up.
I know.
You must be positively giddy now!

I have quite a healthy mushroom crop.

Grass needs cutting.

Gomphrena or globe amaranth.

Ruellia.

These spread everywhere.

If anybody wants some,

come and get 'em!

Gerbera daisies.

Penstemon or obedience plant.

I'm more than happy to share these with you.

I need to pot this stuff up
and have a dock-side sale.

Little froggie lives in my flower pot.

Zinnias in the front

with castor bean plants in the background. 

Not sure about this one.

Looks like a fall-blooming crocus.
And it ain't even fall yet.

Pretty rose.

Birdhouse gourd vine.
Some things come up
and I let 'em grow and go.

 I have a sniper in my garden.

 Three months ago,
when the Foodie Girls were visiting,
I enlisted their help in making a succulent chair.

 Take an old chair.

 Wrap the back in chicken wire and coconut fiber.

 Add in a potting mixture of
1 part sand,

3 parts plant mix
 (not top soil and not with fertilizer built in),

and a handful of ozmacote.

 Tuck in a variety of succulents.
Have pruning shears to cut out the wicker
to make room for the plants.
Pack in the soil mixture.

 I'm waiting for the plants to un-shock themselves.

 Many thanks to the Foodie Gals

(of FoodiesUntie blogdom)

for your help!

This is the chair 3 months ago.

And this is my chair today.
It has filled in quite nicely.

Shall we move on to other areas in the garden?

 Cockscomb or celosia.

I'm thinking about taking all my celosia heads
and making a wreath out of them.
Like these:

Except I'm not an Arts and Crafts Person.
And this would be Painful for me.

 Another type of amaranth.

The seeds are edible.

Can anyone offer any recipes?

 Dahlia.

 Passion flower.

 Castor bean.

 Yellow celosia.

 Lord Baltimore hibiscus.

 Gaillardia or blanket flower.

 And roses.

 

 Thank you for visiting with Rosie in her Garden.