Today's Tips:

• Even though we use a tomato mostly as a vegetable, it is really a fruit. What makes something a fruit or a veggie? It is a fruit when the edible part is the seed and a veggie is when the edible part is the stems, leaves or roots.
  
• When you buy tomatoes, let them sit at room temperature for a couple of days to ripen. Then, when fully ripe, they can be refrigerated.
  
• If you freeze strawberries, rhubarb or anything like that, pre-measure them before freezing in amounts you need for your favorite recipes.
  
• If you don't have time to make zucchini bread, shred the zucchini, steam it 1-2 minutes until translucent and drain. Then measure the amounts you will need for your favorite recipes into freezer containers and freeze.
  

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Today's Recipes:

This recipe makes a really nice side dish, especially if you need to add a little color to your menu.

Tomato Casserole

8 medium tomatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
8 slices of bread, cubed with crusts removed
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. of margarine or butter, melted
1 tsp. each of salt, thyme and dried basil
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Place tomatoes in a greased 9x13 pan. Top with bread cubes. Mix butter and spices and pour over tomatoes and bread. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until tomatoes are tender.

Out Of The Ordinary Hamburgers:

Jalapeño Burgers I

4 jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. cilantro
4 Tbsp. Cajun seasoning
1 lb. ground beef

Mix ingredients together. Grill or fry.

Jalapeño Burgers II

1 cup jalapeños, seeded and chopped
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese
1 lb. ground beef

Mix jalapeños and cream cheese. Make beef into thinner patties, because you will be using 2 together. Place 1-2 spoonfuls of jalapeño mix on one patty and top with another patty. Grill or fry.

This next recipe takes an ordinary burger and makes it extraordinary. It is a great way to use that small amount of leftover baked or boiled potatoes. The next time you are making potato salad, you can cook an extra potato or, if your are mashing potatoes, save one back to use for this recipe.

You can try a lot of different twists to this burger, which I will list at the end of the recipe.

More Than Just a Burger

1 potato, cooked and shredded
1 cup Swiss cheese
1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced or chopped
2 lbs. ground beef
1 pkg. onion soup mix

Mix hamburger and soup mix. Form into about 14-16 patties. Mix potato, cheese and mushrooms together. Place a spoon full of potato mix on one patty and top with another one. Seal with fingers and grill or fry until done.

Different Twists:

You could use frozen hash browns for the potatoes. Just fry them before adding to the cheese and mushrooms.

In place of the Swiss cheese, mushrooms, and potatoes,you could use cream cheese and sun dried tomatoes for the center mix and then top with an avocado when ready to serve.

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P.O. Box 844, Andover, KS 67002