Kalamata Olive and Feta Cheese Spread

First of all this is great because it is purple! And secondly it involves two of my favorite things...cheese and olives. My mom actually came up with this years ago. I will warn you that it is salty so you have to get just the right balance of spread and bread. But I love salt, so I do tend to use quite a bit.

INGREDIENTS

1 9.5 ounce jar pitted kalamata olives, drained
2 cups feta cheese, crumbles
1 loaf french bread, sliced

DIRECTIONS

Combine olives and cheese in a food processor and mix until well incorporated and it becomes a lighter shade of purple.

Serve with sliced french bread.

Tomato Pie

I made this as part of the What's Cooking Ingredient Challenge. I had my eye on this recipe for a while, and once again because of this challenge I was give the push to make it. It was incredible. I was unable to get my hands on homegrown tomatoes. But at $5 a pound I used heirloom tomatoes. I wanted to make sure I had a good quality tomato for this. My only problem was my bottom crust didn't cook all the way. Next time I will bake the bottom crust for a little while before piling in everything.

Adapted from Bakin' and Eggs, who adapted if from Christ Church Cooks

INGREDIENTS

1 double 9-inch pie crust (homemade or Pillsbury)
4-5 tomatoes, sliced
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1-2 large garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper, to taste

crumbled bacon

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix together cheeses, mayonnaise, garlic and salt and pepper in a bowl. Set aside.

Line a 9-inch pie pan with one pie crust, trimming sides if necessary. Layer half of the sliced tomatoes in the bottom of the crust. Sprinkle with fresh basil. Spread (or dollop) half of the cheese mixture over tomatoes and basil.

Repeat another layer of tomato, basil and cheese. Place second crust over the top of the pie and prick with a fork.

Bake for about 40-50 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. Check on crust after 20-30 minutes and cover edges of crust with foil if they are getting too brown.

Cool, slice and serve with crumbled bacon on top.

Yield: 6-8 servings

Tater Tot Casserole

This was inspired from the Duggar Family. It was actually pretty good! Its simple, quick and comforting on a busy night.

INGREDIENTS

half a bag of frozen tater tots

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 pound ground turkey

2 cups cheddar cheese

salt

pepper

garlic powder

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven according to tater tot directions (mine was 400 degrees).

Cook ground turkey, season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Drain if necessary. Add in cream of chicken soup and cheese. Mix well.

Transfer turkey mixture into an 8x8 baking dish. Neatly top mixture with tater tots.

Bake for approximately 25 minutes until tater tots are crispy to your preference.