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Carol's latest book, Gluten-Free Cooking for Two, is now available. Designed for small households, each perfectly-proportioned recipe serves two people. You will eliminate unwanted leftovers and reduce waste when you cook right-size meals with the 125 recipes in this book. Enjoy!! Celebrate with me!!! Gluten-Free Cooking for Two has won two awards: named one of ten "Best Gluten-Free Cooking Books in 2017" by Healthline.com and won a Silver Medal in the 2017 Living Now Book Awards in the "Natural, Nutrition, Organic, Vegetarian" category.
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Where in the World is Carol?

Carol's in the kitchen, cooking up recipes for her next cookbook and www.CarolFenster.com

Watch for Carol on "Creative Living with Sheryl Borden," a PBS-TV show airing on your local PBS station during 2017-2018.

Join Carol at the National Western Complex, Expo Hall level 2 in Denver on April 21,10:30 am during the GFAF Expo Conference. See you there!

Oven-Dried Tomatoes: Easiest Way to Preserve

I would like to tell you that I spent all day canning bushels of tomatoes, but I didn’t. Summer is over, yet my tomato plants insist on producing a few lingering tomatoes?not enough to make jars and jars of tomato sauce, but too many to let die on the vine.

Oven Dried Tomatoes

Oven Dried Tomatoes: easy and delicious

You may have a similar situation: perhaps you bought a whole pint of tomatoes, yet only used half. Or, a neighbor gave you a sack of tomatoes and you can’t eat them all right now. I have the answer: dry them in the oven. Yes, you can freeze them but that breaks them down into mush when they thaw. Instead, drying preserves their shape and beauty, plus…their flavor is intensified because the moisture is gone, leaving behind more flavor.

I grow mostly cherry, grape, pear, and Roma tomatoes in my pots because I like smaller tomatoes. To dry them here are the steps I follow:

Oven-Dried Tomatoes

by Carol Fenster

[1] For small tomatoes, such as cherry, grape, or pear: Cut the tomatoes in half, toss with enough olive oil just to cover, and spread them out on a parchment-lined baking sheet. For Roma tomatoes, cut in quarters (lengthwise). For larger tomatoes, cut in ¼-inch rounds. If you like additional flavor, sprinkle with a little dried basil, oregano, or marjoram. But I like to leave the tomatoes plain so they are versatile. Salt is optional.

Tomatoes ready for drying in the oven.

[2] Place the baking sheet on the middle rack of a preheated oven. A setting of about 200°F is ideal. If you have a convection oven, use that setting. Or, use a dehydrator specially designed for drying food and follow directions provided by the manufacturer. The amount of time it takes depends on the size and moisture of the tomatoes, so watch carefully. It is best to be at home when drying tomatoes so you can check on them frequently.

[3] When the tomatoes are dried and shriveled (but before they burn), cool the tomatoes completely on the baking sheet on a wire rack. Then freeze in resealable freezer bags. Use them in soups, salads, sandwiches… any recipe that needs dried tomatoes. I especially like adding them to a gluten-free quiche for color and flavor. I rarely soak them in water to reconstitute, but you can if you like.

You will thank yourself later this winter, believe me!!