Marinated Tomatoes

You know how plants wilt and die when a villain walk pass them in cartoons?  If I were a cartoon character, I would be one of those villains.  I am horrible with plants.  You would think that if I ccould raise a child then it wouldn't be too challenging to grow a plant.  Wrong.  Somehow I manage to kill almost every plant that was unfortunate enough to have been under my possession.  Let's be honest, growing up I rode on more subways that I had walked on grass so perhaps it's a good thing we live in Arizona--this way my rock garden wouldn't stand out too much.

But then I've always wanted an herb garden.  There's something about cutting fresh herbs from the plants and cooking with them that makes me happy.  So with a little bit of courage and lots of hope, I bought a basil plant from Trader Joe's last time we were there.  The good news is that the plant is still alive.  It has actually grown quiet a bit!  To celebrate, I decided to make a couple recipes with fresh basil and here is one of them.

This is so yummy.  I love it on grilled baguette.  It's heavenly.

Marinated Tomatoes on Baguette
From The Pioneer Woman

1 cup Canola Oil

1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar

4 Tablespoons Sugar

1 teaspoon Salt

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

3 whole Green Onions, Sliced

1/4 cup Chopped Parsley

18 whole Basil Leaves (chiffonade)

1/4 teaspoon Ground Thyme

2 cloves Garlic, Minced Finely

2 pounds Tomatoes, Cut Into Quarters (if Big) Or Halves (if Small)

1 whole Baguette, Sliced

1 clove Garlic, Peeled

Combine all ingredients except tomatoes in a large glass bowl. Whisk to combine, then add tomatoes.

Allow to marinate for at least 3 to 4 hours, several hours if possible. Tomatoes will give off liquid as they marinate.

Use leftover tomatoes to make bruschetta: slice baguette and brush slices with olive oil. Grill on a skillet or grill pan until golden. Rub slices with garlic cloves. Top with tomatoes, allowing juice to drip on the bread.