Summer Tomato Meals

It’s summer time and for us that means loading up on foods that we rarely eat in the off season.  While we eat some grape or cherry tomatoes, we rarely buy tasteless slicing tomatoes, we generally only eat the Malibu Pole Green Beans that come from the Mennonite market although we might cook a mess or two of something else, and we keep a bag of frozen corn in the freezer for use in soups and such but eat none fresh.  While off-season okra tastes the same, it’s just always been a summer dish for us.

So here are some tomato meals that we have eaten recently in addition to the usual tomato sandwiches, tomato and cottage cheese, etc.  First up is Roz’s Italian Cheesy Tomato Pie with Buttermilk Biscuit Crust which Cindy made for the first time and it was delicious.

Fresh Tomato Tart With Dijon And Gouda

After the tomato pie our next effort was a repeat of a tomato tart that we made back in 2023.  Cindy agreed to cook this meal and she made a very good tart for us and here are her before and after baking pics.

Individual Tomato Pies

We have made individual tomato pies many times in the past but for this batch, I decided to kick them up a little by adding sliced ham and crispy bacon pieces and I only made four.

Individual Tomato Pies

The ingredients:

4 buttermilk biscuits (we used White Lily frozen ones)

Pam

Dried Basil or Italian Seasoning 

Sliced ham

Sliced tomatoes for 4 Biscuits

Salad Supreme by McCormick

Crumbled bacon

½ cups of grated sharp cheese

1/3 cup Mayonnaise (Dukes for us)

Grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Spray foil lined cookie sheet with Pam.  Space thawed biscuits and flatten.

2. Spray biscuits with Pam and sprinkle with Italian Seasoning.

3. Add sliced ham.

4. Add chopped bacon to taste.

5. Peel (we didn't peel) and slice tomatoes ½“ thick and place a slice on each biscuit.  

6. Sprinkle tomatoes with Salad Supreme.

7. Mix the cheese with mayonnaise and spread one fourth of it on top of each tomato then sprinkle heavily with parmesan cheese.

8. Bake at 350 degrees until biscuits are done (about 15 minutes).  Do not let the biscuit get too brown.  Do not be skimpy with spices.

They were delicious as expected and we all liked the ham and bacon addition.

Photos can be slightly enlarged by clicking on them and the blue words are links.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

7/27/25 final meal date

Turkey (And Ham) Club Sliders

We were planning to have a big Chef’s Salad for our Friday card group, but since the lettuce parasite scare was going on, we switched to sandwiches and decided to use Pam’s recent recipe for Turkey Club Sliders but when Bev advised that she preferred ham, my first thought was to make half the sliders with each.  But then I just decided to use both on all of the sliders.  I also made a double batch of the mayo and changed the slider assembly process a little but the original can be found by clicking on the above link.

Summer Meal And Best Corn On The Cob Cooking Method Then Another Summer Meal

Bev had made a trip to the Mennonite farm market and we decided to have a summer time meal for supper.  So, the meal was Malibu Green Beans cooked with Benton’s country ham, cucumber salad, and boiled corn (sort of). I had recently read an article on Serious Eats about the best ways to cook corn on the cob.  I think it’s a must read if you like this dish and I opted to give the cold start method a try.  The article also discusses using salted water but I decided to wait until next time to try it.

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW IF YOU MOVE TO (or Visit) THE SOUTH & MY WEIGHT LOSS

 Things You Need To Know If You Move To The South

1. A possum is a flat animal that sleeps in the middle of the road.

2. There are 5,000 types of snakes and 4,998 of them live in the South.

3. There are 10,000 types of spiders. All 10,000 of them live in the South, plus a couple no one's seen before.

4. If it grows, it'll stick ya. If it crawls, it'll bite cha.

5. Onced and Twiced are words.

6. It is not a shopping cart, it is a buggy!

7. Jawl-P? means: Did you all go to the bathroom?

8. People actually grow, eat, and like okra.

9. Fixinto is one word. It means I'm going to do something.

10. There is no such thing as lunch. There is only dinner and then there's supper.

11. Iced tea is appropriate for all meals and you start drinking it when you're two. We do like a little tea with our sugar. It is referred to as the Wine of the South.

12. Backwards and forwards means I know everything about you.

13. The word jeet is actually a question meaning, 'Did you eat?'

14. You don't have to wear a watch, because it doesn't matter what time it is, you work until you're done or it's too dark to see.

15. You don't PUSH buttons, you MASH em.

16. Y'all is singular. All Y'all is plural.

17. All the festivals across the state are named after a fruit, vegetable, grain, insect, or animal.

18. You carry jumper cables in your car for your OWN car.

19. You only own five spices: salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning, Tabasco, and ketchup.

20. The local papers cover national and international news on one page, but require 6 pages for local high school sports, motorsports, and gossip.

21. Everyone you meet is a Honey, Sugar, Miss (first name), or Mr (first name)

22. You think that the first day of deer season is a national holiday.

23. You know what a hissy fit is..

24. Fried catfish is the other white meat.

25. We don't need no dang Driver's Ed. If our mama says we can drive, we can drive!!!

26. You understand these jokes and forward them to your Southern friends and those who just wish they were from the South.

AND one more:

27. Why did the chicken cross the road? To show that stupid possum that it CAN be done!

Weight Loss Update

I’ve now been on Zepbound for 19 weeks (as of 7/13) and have lost nearly 50 pounds (2.6 lbs/wk) – should have been more but didn’t lose anything during the two weeks that included our trip to Nebraska.  I believe I understand that these drugs don’t make you lose weight but make it easier to do what you need do to lose weight – eat less calories.  If I eat slow, it makes me feel full with not much food and I’m never hungry – can go all day without eating.  Unless we want the leftovers for another meal, Bev and I have begun sharing meals in restaurants and I often don’t eat all of my half.  I don’t miss eating anymore but I do miss my wine which I have cut out partially for weight loss but more so for a different medical issue.  I don’t have a specific weight loss goal in mind but I’m sure I’ll know it when I get there and I already like that my shirt size is now down by one X.  It's hard to find pics of the before me as I tried to avoid them but here are a couple to give you an idea.  

Here I am at this point and sad to say that after a nearly 50 lb. loss, when I exit the shower and look in the mirror (no pic of this to share), my belly is definitely smaller but I’m still huge so still a ways to go.  The negative to the weight loss is that without the fat pooching out the wrinkles, I'm looking older.

Photos can be slightly enlarged by clicking on them and the blue words are links.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

7/13/25 event dates

The Trip Home – Days 8,9,10

Since we had a longer drive (500 miles) on Sunday, we got on the road early and had an uneventful drive from Sioux City to Aurora IL.  There had been lots of good-to-see road work with I-70 being widened all across MO, and nearly all of the work we saw was a total road replacement with concrete rather than asphalt.  Properly maintained to prevent water freezing damage, concrete can last many, many years.

Going thru Aurora is not exactly the most direct route home but it did take us for our likely last visit to the Wurst Kitchen that I’ve mentioned many times on here.  We took coolers with us and ended up getting about 30 four-link packages of frozen sausages.  Son Eric lived near there for several years and we would utilize family trips to keep our sausage supply coming but he has since moved and I was hating the prospect of no longer getting this delicious sausage but I was happy when they told us they now ship.

For supper in Aurora, we went next door to the Two Brothers Roundhouse Restaurant where we had eaten at and I blogged about back in 2018.  Bev had the Roundhouse Burger and I had the Pan-Seared Walleye (not unusual in restaurants near the Great Lakes) and we each enjoyed our meals.

We have been eating and making the famous Kentucky Hot Brown Sandwiches for several years now and when our day two trip home took us thru Louisville, KY, a plan was born.  We decided to stay at the Brown Hotel in downtown so we could try the original and compare it to others.  Per the internet: “A Hot Brown sandwich is an American hot sandwich originally created at the Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky, by Fred K. Schmidt in 1926. It is a variation of traditional Welsh rarebit and was one of two signature sandwiches created by chefs at the Brown Hotel shortly after its founding in 1923.”

So, after getting into our very nice period decorated room, we headed to the Lobby Bar and Grill for this famous meal experience. 

We began with an adult beverage.

Since we were still eating light, we decided to share a small Caesar salad and the Hot Brown – First pic is from the web followed by the one we ate.

The ones we make are somewhat different as the hotel version has a one inch thick piece of turkey and ours is about half that, which seems like plenty.  Their tomatoes lay beside the toast but we put ours on top and they have two crossed slices of bacon on top but we chop ours as it's easier to eat.  Finally, after eating one at a different restaurant, we now add a little country ham to ours.

For breakfast the next morning, we went downstairs to J Graham's Cafe.

I had the “THE CLASSIC $22 - Two Eggs Cooked to Order Choice of: Toast, English Muffin or Biscuit, Breakfast Potatoes, Bacon or Sausage, and it was delicious and huge but I forgot the pic.  Bev just had a fried egg and breakfast potatoes and everything was very good.  Not sure if I’ll ever stay again in Louisville but if I do it will be at the Brown Hotel as it was a lot like staying at the Greenbrier in WV in terms of elegance and service.  

We have now stayed at The Brown Hotel and the Greenbrier in White Sulfur Springs, WV and eaten at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, CO and the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC.  Now that we have sold the motorhome, I'm hoping to hit a few more of these nicer places while we are still able, beginning with the Inn On Biltmore Estate.

Everything about this trip worked well except for locking the keys in the car and we each gained a pound – probably not too bad for a ten day vacation trip.  Most of the roads were good and there was a lot of road work being done, which I'm glad to see.

Photos can be slightly enlarged by clicking on them and the blue words are links.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

6/22- 7/1/25 event dates

Kathy And Keith’s Wedding

After being together for several years, circumstances were finally right for Keith and Kathy (daughter) to get married and they chose a beautiful outdoor spot overlooking the Missouri River at the South Sioux City Marriott Hotel where we all stayed.  The wedding was scheduled for 4:30 pm and the early part of the day was spent with the wedding party ladies getting their hair and makeup professionally done at the hotel.

Prior to the wedding ceremony, the guests were treated to hors d'oeuvres and drinks.

Then it was on with the wedding preformed by the minister from their church in Texas who made the trip just so she could marry the two of them.  This is me walking Kathy down the aisle and delivering her to Keith with a kiss on the cheek.

A few shots of the ceremony then the wedding party.

We were all worried about the guests sitting in the hot sun but the weather was perfect – overcast with a low 80’s temp.  Any finally the reception which included a buffet supper was held just inside from the wedding location.

We are all very happy this day was finally arrived and I have to believe Kathy’s smile muscles will be sore for a couple of days.  It's such a pleasure to now have Keith as a member of our family.

Photos can be slightly enlarged by clicking on them and the blue words are links.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

6/27/25 event date

Nebraska Trip Days 2,3,4,5

When we got up the on the morning of day 2, we drove down the street to fill up with gas for the next leg of the trip and Bev went in the convenience store for a pick-up.  When I opened my wallet to retrieve my credit card, I discovered it missing and decided I must have left it at the restaurant so I asked Bev to get their phone number from the car only to discover it was locked with the keys in the ignition but we had no idea how.  So, we called AAA and they had us on the road in about 20 minutes – not bad, so disaster avoided.

We drove to Oak Grove, MO for our next night as we wanted to eat at PJ’s Family Restaurant for the third time and have onion rings and chicken fried steak.  As is often the case with nostalgia creep, the meal was good but less so than we remembered.  We each ate two of the seven large onion rings (judge by Bev’s IPhone), then I ate about a third of my steak, some cottage cheese, and a few bites of potato and I was full.  Here are a couple of shots and the big plate of disks is Bev's side order of fried zucchini – you won’t leave this place hungry.

The last outbound trip leg took us the Kathy and Keith’s home to spend some quality time with them and look over their extensive house remodeling (mostly on the outside).  No Pics taken but one I wish I had gotten during the drive.  We were driving up I-29 in Iowa, a little north of Omaha and approaching an exit when there appears a sign announcing "Ski Area" and it cracked me up - there is snow skiing in Iowa?  When I got home, I did a web search to discover Crescent Hill At Hitchcock Ski Resort with a hilltop elevation of 1500' and a vertical drop of 300'.  For comparison, Colorado's Aspen Mountain has a vertical drop of 3267'.

On Thursday, we all made the hour drive to the Marriott in South Sioux City, NE to begin the wedding festivities beginning with a family and close friends supper at 4 Brothers Bar & Grill just across the Missouri River in Sioux City, IA.  

No food porn taken.

Friday was the day before the wedding and it was spent on errands, relaxing, a trip to the spa for the ladies and final wedding plans, including a rehearsal.  Then we went to the Soho Kitchen & Bar for the rehearsal dinner which included families, friends and the wedding party.  This is Kathy and Keith, flanked by Keith’s daughter and son in law, enjoying themselves.

Since we are eating less, Bev and I opted to share a Caesar Salad and the "MIDWEST PORK TENDERLOIN $18 - A HUUGE hand-breaded, crispy golden center cut pork tenderloin served on a toasted bun with lettuce, tomato, onions, and pickles. A Midwest classic-crispy, juicy, and way bigger than the bun!"  We thought it would be similar to the one served at the Maryville Hot Rod’s Diner.

But to our surprise, they really meant HUUGE.

I ate one of the pieces protruding from the bun and Bev ate about half of the sandwich after cutting off the other piece.  I’ve never seen anything like this.

The dinner went very well and everyone seemed to have a good time visiting and eating from Soho's eclectic menu.

Photos can be slightly enlarged by clicking on them and the blue words are links.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

6/23- 6/26/25 event dates

Dockside Grill And A Trip To Nebraska For A Special Event – Day 1 to Cape Girardeau, MO And Supper At Top Of The Marq

Our daughter Kathy and her boyfriend (fiancée) have been together for several years and have now decided it’s time to get married in Sioux City, IA and since she wanted me to walk her down the aisle, I thought we should go.  We opted to drive rather than fly and go to their house in Hartington, NE first to have a look at their home renovations before going to Sioux City - about an hour east.  It’s over 1000 miles to their place and in our younger days we would have made it a two trip but not anymore so we decided on three days at about 350 miles each day.

But before leaving for the trip on Monday, we decided to eat out on Sunday to prevent a kitchen clean up and to have leftovers for supper.  Since it was Fathers Day, to beat the crowd, we headed up early to Dockside Grill At Tellico Marina which is a place we really like and I’ve blogged about before and it’s only about 10 minutes away.  We got there about 10 minutes after they opened and at least five tables were already full.  Since it is owned by the same person as Countryside Restaurant, I can go there and get my favorite, awesome, fried catfish which I did for this meal and the only protein side dish they had was baked beans so I got two of them.

That is two giant pieces of fish and I ate about ¾ of one and about ¾ of one of the beans so plenty left for supper and maybe for breakfast as well.  Can you believe they serve all of that food for $15 especially at a place like a marina.  Bev had a smoked, fried boloney sandwich with tater tots at $11 and Pat had the catfish PoBoy with mac & cheese for $12.

And now for the trip.  We took our normal route to the Northwest with the first six-hour leg taking us to Cape Girardeau, MO and since there was no reason to get there early and we were gaining an hour, we left home around 11am Monday and left Cindy, Pat, and the pups in charge on the home front.  The drive went smoothly except in rained for about 2/3 of the trip which lowered the temperature to 62F and we were both dressed for 80F – I didn’t bring any clothes with long sleeves but Bev said she may have a light jacket in the big suitcase if we can dig it out.

That first night of the trip, we stayed at The Courtyard By Marriott in downtown so we could just walk across the street and eat at the 4.7 star Top Of The Marq restaurant .  We got there shortly after five and it was pretty empty but by six, the place was humming. 

From this 7^th floor restaurant, the muddy Mississippi River could be seen out the window.

Bev enjoying a cocktail.

They specialize in Social (small) Plates and I went with one of them while Bev ordered an entrée.  She decided to get risky and order Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps: sautéed Thai chicken, carrot sticks, chopped cucumber, chopped cashews, green onion, served in romaine boats, sweet chili sauce, peanut sauce, $19.Turns out to be a worthwhile risk as she really enjoyed it.

I had the Hangar Steak: medium rare, sliced, marinated hangar steak with chimichurri and two bean citrus salad, $17.  I thought mine was very good and satisfied my desire for plenty of protein.

Photos can be slightly enlarged by clicking on them and the blue words are links.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

6/22/25 event date

Creamy White Chicken Enchiladas And Black Beans

Instead of a weekly get together for cards, it is now monthly but it still includes supper and for this meal I was looking for dishes high in protein and can be cooked in advance or while we are playing cards.  As luck would have it, two of my blogger buddies had recently posted dishes that fit the bill.  Dennis posted a recipe for Creamy White Chicken Enchiladas on his “Ask Chef Dennis” blog which contained chicken and dairy for the protein.  And for a side I went with Pam’s recent post for Spicy Black Beans from her “For The Love Of Cooking” blog where the beans are the protein source.  Cindy made the enchiladas and I made the beans (the easy part by far).

Day Trip To Crossville For Bird Houses And Lunch With Friends

Several years ago, at an RV rally in Crossville, TN, we bought a few bluebird houses from a representative of the Cumberland County Bluebird Club and we stationed them around our property.  Since bluebirds are very territorial, it is suggested they be placed at least 100’ apart, which we did.  Starting last year, tree swallows took over some of the houses and since they are bug eaters, we decided to welcome them.  The swallows are also territorial so they also need to be spaced out but after some research, I learned they can co-exist in close proximity with bluebirds and the houses for the two of them can be 25’ apart.

With this new knowledge, we decided to make a trip to Crossville to get six more houses from the bluebird club along with two of the predatorproof poles for our on hand bird houses – the ones the snake invaded.

Since we were going to Crossville, we didn’t want to pass up an opportunity to see friends Diane and Milo so we arranged the visit around their schedule then we met for lunch at the Beef & Barrel Restaurant & Lounge.

We got there early and were the only diners at that time (Pat still using a walker from her knee replacement).

I forgot to have the server get a pic of us at the table but we spent the first 20-30 minutes visiting before we got around to ordering.  I couldn’t find a decent menu pic on line so I took my own pics of it – still not great but better than online.

Bev and Pat each had a Reuban Sandwich with one side.

Diane ordered the Chicken Pesto Sandwich and a side.

Milo chose the Patty melt with a side.

And to maximize my protein and minimize calories, I ordered the Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich and a side of Steamed Broccoli.

I ate all of the broccoli and less than half of the meat from the sandwich – no bread.

The Verdict:

I believe everyone enjoyed their meals and we enjoyed the visiting even more.

Bird Houses

Following the meal, we drove to the upper end of the Fairfield Glade community to pick up the bird houses and poles which filled up the back of our car.  In addition to the predator guard, they have an easy installation system where a piece of re-bar is driven into the ground then the aluminum pole just slips down over it.

Photos can be slightly enlarged by clicking on them and the blue words are links.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

6/17/25 event date