Tomatoes in a pie? That.is.awesome.

Get the details about Yummy Mondays HERE.

A few weeks ago, I ran across this picture:

which was labeled as Tomato Pie, and thus jumped out at me.  I pinned it to my recipe board.  

I love tomatoes.  There is nothing more perfect in summer than a big, fat, ripe, red, juicy tomato.  I love them plain with salt.  I love them paired with cottage cheese.  I love them on a cheddar and tomato sandwich.  I just plain old love them.  I should start a garden, but every plant I touch dies.  I digress.

The pie.  It's a tomato pie, people.  It looks and sounds amazing.  So I went on over to Scissors and Spatulas and grabbed the recipe.  I don't want to steal it from her, and I only altered a very few things, so I just tell you what I added, and you can go there for the full recipe.

Oh, it's tasty my friends.  It is tasty.  I added mushrooms and because I didn't have fresh oregano, I just used dried.  I also think I may have overdone it a little on the cheese (never thought I'd be saying THAT...) but I didn't measure it out, so that's probably why.  And that's that.

Why mushrooms you ask?  Because it just seemed right.  I mean, look at this:

I wanted to pair it with something - it didn't seem like an entire meal by itself.  So I came up with this super simple and light pasta dish.  AMAZINGLY everyone at the table (aside from myself) decided that this pasta was the star of the dinner.  I was voting for the tomato pie, obviously, but was completely outnumbered - much to my amazement.

Creamy Parmesan Pasta with Roasted Asparagus

1 bundle of fresh asparagus

1 T olive oil

1 lb pasta of your choice.  I prefer angel hair.

2 T butter

2 T flour

1 C cream or whole milk

1/2 C parmesan cheese - crumbled (the good stuff, not the cheap green shaker)

1 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp dill weed

1/4 tsp onion powder

Prepare the asparagus by snapping off the reedy ends.  Discard.  Lay the tips out in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Brush with the olive oil and put under the broiler for about 8 minutes, or until the asparagus is bright green. Boil some water in a pot and add the noodles, cooking them per package instructions to al dente.  While they are cooking, melt the butter in large pot.  Add the flour and combine with a whisk to make a paste, or roux.  Cook for about 1-2 minutes.  Add the cream and stir until incorporated.  Cook until thickened and just barely bubbling, stirring frequently.  Lower the heat and add the parmesan cheese.  Mix it into the sauce until smooth.  Add the seasonings and remove from heat.  Add the al dente noodles and mix together until the noodles are coated.  Top with the asparagus and serve warm.

It was pretty good, and the sauce was mild so it didn't compete with the tomato pie.  mom and dad loved it, the kids scarfed it down and mr has laid claim to the leftovers.

For dessert, I decided to turn again to my pinterest board.  I just love that place for ideas when I'm stuck.  I saw these a few weeks ago as well.  I've been meaning to try them for a while now, and finally had all of the ingredients.

And unfortunately, not the best pictures... BUT, you can go to Chef in Training to see some scrumptious photos that will surely whet your appetite.  I fully admit to eating too many.  I like them more than the traditional s'more.  Is that sacrilege?  I don't care.  It's true.  GO HERE to get the recipe and don't blame me if you miss it.  I took them out of the oven and couldn't wait - as usual.  So this mess is supposed to entice you:

Ha!  Obviously it's better if you wait a bit for them to cool.  If you can.  Did you know I have never once tried marshmallow fluff before?  It's true.  Consider this my conversion.

*Be sure to check just below for all the fun parties I link to!