Fried Green Tomato Casserole

I love, love, love tomatoes - especially home grown ones like the ones from my parent's farm. I also really enjoy cooking. This might sound crazy, but cooking is therapeutic for me. Sometimes I get in a rut and cook the same things over and over. But lately I've began to try to new recipes again. I found this recipe and tried it on Friday.

The recipe is Fried Green Tomato Casserole. Though I tweaked the recipe a bit with three additions or changes.

Original Recipe

Ingredients:

• 6 Medium green Tomatoes, Sliced
• Salt and pepper to taste (I added Italian seasoning)
• 1 Cup Ritz cracker crumbs
• 1 Cup sharp Cheddar cheese (I also added shaved Parmesan cheese with the cheddar)
• 6 Tablespoons of butter

Layer half of the sliced tomatoes in a greased, shallow baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add half the cracker crumbs and half the grated cheese. Cut butter in small pieces and place on top of crumbs. Layer the other half of tomatoes, salt & pepper, cheese, cracker crumbs, and the remaining butter. Baked covered in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes; uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes until brown. Serves 6

My tweaks:

I didn't really need or want an entire casserole, so I cut the portion down. I only used one greenish/yellowish tomato. I cut it into slices and put in a greased 8"x8" pan. I coated them with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning (Italian seasoning is a favorite and thought it would be a great addition). Then I sprinkled each slice with cheddar and shaved Parmesan cheese (I guess I was aiming for an Italian dish, because the additions I kept adding were Italian). I crushed up about 6 or 7 Ritz crackers. I placed the crumbs on top of the cheese. Last, I cut little pieces of butter and placed them on top of the crackers. I baked the tomato for 30 minutes but probably should have baked them a little less. It didn't have as much as a "crunch factor" as I had wanted. The greener the tomato, the longer it should bake. My tomato wasn't that green. But it was sooo yummy anyway! This would make a great appetizer if you were having some friends over for dinner.

Simple, yet delicious!!

All the ingredients you will need (butter, cheese, tomatoes, cracker crumbs, salt & pepper).

Voila! By the way, I didn't bite off the piece in the upper right corner. It had a little brown spot that I cut out before baking.