2 1/2 pounds roma tomatoes, halved lengthwise
4 cloves garlic, smashed
2 medium-sized sweet white onions, diced
1/3 cup olive oil
salt, pepper
1 tablespoon Herbs de Provence (or Italian herbs, or other herbs if you prefer. If you use thyme or rosemary or some othe “woody” herb, remove any stalks or stems before the blending step.)

Put the halved tomatoes cut side up in a sheet cake pan or other pan with high sides (at least 2″). If possible, make it just one layer.

Spread chopped onion on top of the tomatoes.

Drizzle olive oil all over contents of the pan. Use the pretty-good stuff. You don’t need the best olive oil for this application.

Salt and pepper liberally, sprinkle herbs on top.

Put in a 400 F oven for 45 minutes. You can go longer if you want sweeter onions and more intense tomato taste.

Scoop and pour contents of the pan (there will be a lot of liquid in the bottom) into a big bowl where you can use my favorite kitchen gadget - the immersion blender.

Blend the sauce a lot or a little according to your tastes. If you have a food mill you can pass the sauce through it to remove the tomato skins. They don’t bother me, but some people dislike their texture quite a bit.

If you don’t have a food mill and hate the tomato skin texture, you can start the recipe differently by scoring the tomatoes while they’re whole with an X at either end, and briefly blanching them until the skin begins to come away. Peel the tomatoes, halve them and continue the recipe.

This is way too much work for a casual sauce for me, so I just deal with the peels that, as I said, don’t bother me.

Simmer the sauce in a large skillet and reduce over medium heat until you reach the desired thickness. Taste, and adjust seasonings. If the tomatoes you had were too tart, you can add a little sugar (but just a little, please) to balance the sauce. More herbs are also welcome at this step.

If serving on pasta, stir the cooked pasta into the sauce immediately after boiling the noodles so they can soak up the flavors.

The resulting sauce has a concentrated tomato flavor, sweetness from the onions and tomatoes, and just a touch of pungency from the garlic. Once you’ve got the basic recipe down, you can add red pepper flakes if you’d like it hotter, olives, parmesan, basil, roasted red peppers, just about anything.

from toomanychefs.net

You can use the pumpkin puree in any recipe that calls for canned puree too. As a general rule, 3 pounds of fresh pumpkin will yield about 3 cups of mashed and cooked pumpkin.

Bake:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Rinse the pumpkin under cool water to rid the skin of any residual dirt and dry well with a clean towel.
3. Cut the pumpkin in half. Remove the seeds and stringy fibers with a metal spoon or ice cream scoop. Save the seeds for toasting, if you like, and discard the innards.
4. Rub the cut surfaces with oil. Place them, cut side down, in a roasting pan and add 1 cup of water to the pan.
5. Bake in the oven until the flesh is tender when pierced with a knife. This takes approximately 90 minutes.
6. When tender, remove the pumpkin halves from the oven and place on a flat surface to cool.
7. Once cool enough to handle, but not cold, scoop out the pumpkin flesh.
8. Puree the pumpkin in a food processor, in a food mill, with a hand held blender or by hand.
9. Pumpkin flesh holds a lot of moisture. Line a sieve or fine mesh colander with paper towel or a coffee filter and set over a deep bowl. Let drain for about 2 hours and stir occasionally.Boil:

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
2. In the meantime, rinse the pumpkin under cool water to rid the skin of any residual dirt and dry well with a clean towel.
3. Cut the pumpkin in half. Remove the seeds and stringy fibers with a metal spoon or ice cream scoop. Save the seeds for toasting, if you like, and discard the innards.
4. Cut the pumpkin into evenly-sized smaller pieces and peel.
5. Add to the boiling water and cook for about 25 minutes or until the flesh is tender when pierced with a knife.
6. Puree the pumpkin in a food processor, in a food mill, with a hand held blender or by hand.
Steam:

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil that will hold a vegetable steamer or colander.
2. In the meantime, rinse the pumpkin under cool water to rid the skin of any residual dirt and dry well with a clean towel.
3. Cut the pumpkin in half. Remove the seeds and stringy fibers with a metal spoon or ice cream scoop. Save the seeds for toasting, if you like, and discard the innards.
4. Cut the pumpkin into evenly sized smaller pieces and peel.
5. Place the pumpkin pieces in a steamer or metal colander and over the boiling water. Cover and let steam for about 50 minutes or until the flesh is tender when pierced with a knife.
6. Puree the pumpkin in a food processor, in a food mill, with a hand held blender or by hand.
To Freeze:

Once the puree has cooled entirely, place in freezer containers or ice cube trays. Leave room at the top (headspace) of the containers or individual ice cube compartments. Label, date and freeze the puree for future use.

from thedailygreen.com

2 cups of cooked, pureed pumpkin (or you can use a 15oz can of pumpkin if you don’t want to use fresh)
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp ground cloves

Combine all ingredients in crock-pot and stir to mix well. Cook on High for 3 hours, stirring occasionally. It will thicken as it cooks. Do not let it burn or stick. After it is done, fill the pint jars or 1/2 pint jars and seal. Process in water bath canner for 40 minutes.

from organicgrocerydeals.com

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups shredded fresh pumpkin
• 1 cup toasted pumpkin seeds

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Sift the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together.

In a separate bowl, mix the sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla. Combine both mixtures and fold in the shredded pumpkin and pumpkin seeds. Once the ingredients are all incorporated pour into a non- stick 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan. If your pan is not non- stick coat it with butter and flour.

Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. At this point a knife inserted into the middle of the loaf should come out clean. Cool for 15 minutes and turn out onto a cooling rack. Cool completely. For muffins temperature should also be 325 degrees F., but bake for 30 minutes

from foodnetwork.com (Alton Brown)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups (210g) flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 cup (200 g) sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (1/4 L) pumpkin purée*
1/2 cup (1 dL) olive oil
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 cup (1 dL) chopped walnuts

* To make pumpkin purée, cut a pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds and stringy stuff, lie face down on a foil or Silpat lined baking sheet. Bake at 350°F until soft, about 45 min to an hour. Cool, scoop out the flesh. Freeze whatever you don’t use for future use. Or, if you are working with pumpkin pieces, roast or boil them until tender, then remove and discard the skin.

Method

1 Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Sift together the flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda.

2 Mix the pumpkin, oil, eggs, 1/4 cup of water, and spices together, then combine with the dry ingredients, but do not mix too thoroughly. Stir in the nuts.

3 Pour into a well-buttered 9×5x3 inch loaf pan. Bake 50-60 minutes until a thin skewer poked in the very center of the loaf comes out clean. Turn out of the pan and let cool on a rack.

Makes one loaf. Can easily double the recipe.

from simplyrecipes.com

Ingredients:

4 cups seeded watermelon chunks and juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh spearmint
1 tablespoon sugar
1/3 cup white wine
1 (1 1/2 inch piece) fresh ginger root, sliced 1/8-inch thick
Spearmint sprigs for garnish

Instructions:

In blender, blend all ingredients except the ginger. Add the ginger slices and chill the soup several hours. Remove the ginger slices. Serve the soup garnished with mint sprigs.

Servings:

Serves 4

from watermelon.org

1 (9″) baked pie crust
1 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
5 med. to lg. tomatoes, sliced
Salt & pepper
1/2 tsp. oregano
1 c. chopped green onions
1 c. mayonnaise
2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
2 sm. tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 c. cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 400 degrees. When heated, reduce heat to 325 degrees. Drain sliced tomatoes on paper toweling for 15 minutes. Sprinkle bottom of crust with 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese. Cover cheese with 2 layers of tomatoes, using half of the slices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, 1/4 teaspoon oregano and 1/2 cup onions. Repeat layers.In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise and cheddar cheese and spread over layers. Top with Parmesan cheese. Decoratively arrange remaining tomato slices on to of tart. Bake 50 minutes. Tomatoes may be juicy but this is normal. Serve at room temperature. Serves 6 to 8. Can be prepared in advance and chilled. Bring to room temperature.

from Cooks.com

Preparation – Select firm, ripe tomatoes with deep red color.

Raw – Wash and dip in boiling water for 30 seconds to loosen skins. Core and peel. Freeze whole or in pieces. Pack into containers, leaving l-inch headspace. Seal and freeze. Use only for cooking or seasoning as tomatoes will not be solid when thawed.

from - National Center for Food Preservation

12 servings

Active Time: 30 minutes   Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 12 14-by-18-inch or 24 9-by-14-inch sheets phyllo dough
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon plain dry breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons prepared pesto
• 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese, (about 4 ounces)
• 1 large red tomato, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1 large yellow tomato, cut into 1/4-inch slices 
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 10-12 small basil leaves

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a 17 1/2-by-12 1/2-inch baking sheet with parchment paper. Lay one large sheet of phyllo on the prepared pan. (If using the smaller size, slightly overlap two sheets on the pan to form a rectangle.) Keep the remaining phyllo covered with plastic wrap or wax paper and a damp kitchen towel.
2. Lightly coat the phyllo surface with oil using a pastry brush. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon breadcrumbs. Repeat this step, layering the remaining phyllo on top. Brush the final sheet with oil. Carefully roll about 3/4 inch of each side toward the center to form the outer rim of the tart.
3. Using the same brush, paint pesto evenly on the surface of the tart. Sprinkle about half of the crumbled feta cheese over the pesto layer. Arrange tomato slices, alternating colors, over the pesto layer; season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.
4. Bake the tart until the crust turns brown and crispy, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes.
5. To serve, lift the parchment paper and slide the tart onto a cutting board or large platter. Scatter basil leaves on top. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Tips & Notes

• Make Ahead Tip: Bake the tart up to 8 hours in advance; cover and refrigerate. Transport it directly on the baking sheet. Pack basil leaves separately in a plastic bag. Reheat the tart at 350° for 10 to 15 minutes, or until warmed through.

• Thaw frozen phyllo in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours or overnight before preparing the recipe.

~ 12 beets (any variety)

1 medium red onion

1/2 cup Cidar Vinegar

1/2 cup Red Wine Vinegar

1 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp of Kosher Salt

2 quart size jars

Roast, steam or boil beets until tender.  Use the tip of a knive to test beets. 

Slice beets and onion.  Place in in jar, alternating layers.   In small pot, add both vinegars, water, suger and salt.  Bring to a boil and pour over beets. 

Store in refrigerator for at least a week before using.  Or can for use over the winter!!!