This One Is A Keeper!

One more recipe and I will change my blog themes for awhile. This is one of those recipes that has been around forever - chances are, you already have it. However, it is so damn good that I plan to make it once or twice a month from now on. The leftovers are as good as the day you make it, and it is something that doesn't have to be measured precisely. Also, check out my thoughts below for ways to change it. If you haven't taken my advice and put your name on the mailing list to get the Penzey's catalog, you should: www.penzeys.com.

Cheesy Tomato Bake

3/4 sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
(I use a blend that you can get at the grocery store...if you have a Trader Joes nearby, get their "quattro formaggio" and use about 1 cup and a half, skipping the cheddar)
salt and pepper to taste
2/3 cup milk
2 cups biscuit baking mix
2-3 tomatoes, chopped
1 zucchini or yellow squash, shredded
3 tsps. or Penzey's Pasta Sprinkle, or some oregano, basil, and parsley

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish. In a medium bowl, mix milk and baking mix until roughly blended. Pat into the bottom of the baking dish (wet your hands to make it easier to pat dough across bottom of dish). In a large mixing bowl, stir together sour cream, mayonnaise, cheeses, salt and pepper. First, sprinkle tomatoes and squash evenly over baking mix layer. Then, spoon the sour cream/cheese mixture over the top and gently spread out to cover surface. Sprinkle Italian herbs over top. Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Let cool about 10 minutes before serving.

You could add sauteed onions, sliced turkey, chopped water chestnuts, small broccoli flowers, cubed pepperoni and a drizzle of pizza sauce, or whatever else you have on hand. Experiment with the ingredients your family likes. As long as you make the milk and biscuit mix base, I think you could put anything in the middle before topping with the sour cream mixture. Watching calories? Use light sour cream and mayo and reduce your cheese. Finally, I think this could be easily cut in half to make a 9x9-inch dish (although you really should make the bigger size and live on the left overs), or doubled to make enough for a potluck.

Let me know how this works for you. We love it!! The first 5 people who email me their thoughts before August 10, 2009 will receive a complimentary container of Penzey's Pasta Sprinkle (subject to availability and access to your mailing address...allow time for shipping, please).