Tomato Pie

Is your garden overflowing with tomatoes??  

Mine garden is... full of tomatoes!  Usually, this time of year we head to the shore...just as my first tomatoes are really looking beautiful... and so many times in the past, I knew the deer were just waiting in the woods-- watching for me to leave so they could get my tomatoes while I was away on vacation... but this year (silver-lining- alert) I am here for the tomatoes.  I am here for the BLTs, and the salsa...  I am here for the tomatoes.

Is there anything better than a warm homegrown tomato??  --Maybe this tomato pie... 

The deer don't know why I'm cutting into their summer haul of my vine-ripened tomatoes.... but I am making it my business to harvest all that I can... more tomatoes=more tomato pie.  

I have the perfect tomato pie recipe for you...especially if you have too many tomatoes, just like me.

I made this pie last summer for the first time and I fell in love.  It's easy, and it makes such a great dinner in the summer.

Enjoy.  If you have a favorite tomato variety...let me know in the comments...I love trying new kinds.  Have you had a Green Zebra??  Those little green tomatoes are just wonderful too!!

Recipe: 

Peach and Blackberry Bramble Pie

I am no stranger to U-pick farms... and once I get started picking berries, or cherries, or apples,... I cannot stop...

So, you can imagine that I need a collection of great recipes to use up all the seasonal fruits and vegetables that I'm picking!

Behold this amazing pie...using the best peaches of the season and also the most delicious blackberries too.

We ventured out to a nearby farm early in the morning last week to pick blackberries... it was worth getting up early.  The farm is a beautiful slice of heaven...right in our own neck of the woods.

So...with my new basket of blackberries overflowing...I found it to be perfect timing that I was alerted to a virtual pie contest.  How perfect.   Fair season is canceled this year...but virtual fair season...that's something I can do!!  I got busy and whipped up this sweet little peach and blackberry pie...complete with a honey crumb-top and a pastry crust... it was like a slice of summer on a plate.  The folks at Jeni's Ice Cream agreed it was a "peach" of a pie and deserved some recognition too!!  Thanks so much for the pie-love Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams...I love ya right back!

For you, the recipe... be sure to get some ice cream in the house...the vanilla ice cream with the warm peaches and sweet berries made it feel extra special.  We could all use a "little extra special" in our lives these days...  this pie is the extra we all need. Enjoy.

Edible Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Sundaes!

Did you ever eat raw cookie dough??

I can remember my mom telling me NOT to gobble up her yummy cookie dough
as she was busy baking cookies...it was so tempting!!

Edible cookie dough is all the rage right now... it's an edible cookie dough craze!

My kids are all about the edible cookie dough...and we have paid top-dollar for scoops of this culinary delight while out on the town...and guess what??

We created this terrific recipe and it is as good as the "best" cookie doughs out there...and ours is homemade--and very easy to make!  Simple ingredients and you can customize it!!

The key to making the cookie dough safe to eat-- there are no raw eggs... and the flour is heat-treated...which is a fancy way of saying baked.  We bake the flour (a raw ingredient) to the temperature of 165 degrees.  This process will eliminate microbes that could harm you... we don't always think about flour being a "raw" ingredient...but it is.  Food safety is always important and the quick step of heating the flour to 165 degrees Fahrenheit is super simple!!

Heat the flour on a baking sheet (I love to use parchment...it makes pouring the flour into a bowl a breeze!)  Heat the flour to 165 in a 350-degree oven for about 10-15 minutes or until the flour registers 165 degrees.  Yes, you can also accomplish this step in the microwave too!!

Let the flour cool... if small clumps of flour form, break them up with the flat bottom of a measuring cup...easy.

This cookie dough is super-delicious just as it is, or you can dress it up with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or some fun add-ins.  Make it your own taste sensation!

For July Fourth, we added mini red, white, and blue candies... how sweet!!

Here's our recipe:

Watermelon Basket

Happy July!!

Do you LOVE a great table??  Extras??

I'm so glad...

I do too!!!

I'm extra, or so I've been told... at first I wasn't sure whether this term was, in fact, a compliment... after doing a little research on the matter, I'd say you can take it either way...  I'm taking it as a compliment, at least that is what I choose to believe.  "Extra" according to my definition is as follows:

  ex·tra (adjective) 

1.  describing a person who celebrates in an over-the-top manner more or beyond what is usual or expected or typically deemed necessary.  2. the exuberance, joy, and enthusiasm for the mundane or basic, satisfied only by adding details (ie: sprinkles, menus, coordinating paper products, place cards, confetti, hand-lettering, baubles, flower arrangements, party favors, candles, design elements, coasters, ribbons, garlands, centerpieces, tiered trays, baskets, place-settings, napkin rings, and or other visual celebratory enhancements that create an inviting and beautiful aesthetic. 3. one who achieves satisfaction and enjoyment from creating memorable events, meaningful holidays, and beautiful opportunities for family, friends, and acquaintances to enjoy carefully curated details. "Karri Perry is extra, and she wears it like a badge of honor as she adds sprinkles to her cupcake."

Always define who you are on your own terms 

and never be fearful of rewriting the 

definition when necessary.  

Xo. -Karri Perry

I cannot help myself when it comes to going the "extra" mile for holiday celebrations...I love all the little details.  The table... it's the main event... where our meal will take place...so I love to decorate the table too!!

 I began my July 4th table with a gorgeous paper runner from Hester and Cook.  Navy and white stripes laid a great foundation... I followed with fresh flowers, flags, super cute picnicware from Walmart.  The plates are from the Better Homes and Gardens line and are melamine...so perfectly picnic-ready!!  I made the napkin rings from paper towel tubes and ribbon...with the help of my hot glue gun.  Finally, we have bottled root beers for every guest... and to add to the fun... my Watermelon Basket!!  How extra is this?!

Speaking of details, this watermelon basket is the little extra detail that just makes me smile!!

Five Reasons to Carve a Watermelon Basket THIS Summer:

1.  It's so darn cute... it's extra, I'm extra and it will be extra cute on your buffet, or picnic table.

2.  Economics. Summer fruit is in season...especially melon, my watermelon basket was under $10!

3.  EASY.  Takes about 30 minutes! Using basic kitchen tools...you can transform your fruit!

4.  Healthy.  Extra fruit is always a good idea.

5.  It's FUN and not a "regular" fruit tray... and melon balls are somehow more delicious too!!

Get the recipe and directions here: