Sundried Tomatoes

Ok, so it's been awhile since I have been on here.  I haven't been cooking much around here, and when I do, its a lot of repeat recipes.  Once we move to the new house and I have a gas stove again I think I will be more in the mood to experiment in the kitchen.  Until then I thought I would share this little gem my husband and I figured out recently.

Any of you out there enjoy some good sun-dried tomatoes?  I sure do, the are probably one of my favorite ways to eat tomatoes.  Among the hundreds of ways I will eat them of course.....I love to just eat slices of tomato with a bit of salt on them....or in caprese salad...or homemade spaghetti sauce.  The list can go on and on.  So anyway---back to the original subject.  Sun-dried.  They are SO DANG EXPENSIVE at the store.  So why didn't I think of making them at home before?  Because I am crazy, I guess.  It's not like we ever have a shortage of tomatoes in our family, we both love them and try to grow them in our garden.  In addition to the pile we get from our parents.  So here seemed a good idea to try.

Here's what we found out after doing a bit of research.  Very simple.  You will need:

a cookie sheet
some tomatoes (any kind, though romas work well for this because they have a higher flesh to seed ratio)
some wax paper or parchment
a glass pyrex baking dish (just a clear glass 13x9 will do)
    OR a hot car left in the sun all day.  (seriously, I am not kidding here)

Directions:
Wedge your tomatoes.  Place wax paper on the cookie sheet and then top with tomato wedges.  Place in the sun.  Cover with pyrex dish, or place on the dashboard of your hot car while you're at work all day.  Let  stand for about 10 hours.  Check them, flip them over if needed, and let them dry the rest of the way.  When they are done, seal in an airtight ziplock bag, or in a jar with some garlic and basil and olive oil in the fridge.  Will last up to 6 months in the fridge, or the same in the bag in your cupboard.

Lastly, EAT THEM.  Any way you want.  On salads, with pasta, with chicken...the possibilities are endless. ENJOY!