Friday Friend Recipe #81 -- Bacon Cream Cheese Stuffed Tomatoes

 

Friday Friend Recipe #81-- Bacon Cream Cheese Stuffed Tomatoes

Making my way thru my Friday Friend Cookbook, one recipe at a time.

What is the Friday Friend cookbook: I have about 50 of my closest friends and family on an e-mail forum which I called the Friday Friends (from all over the county). At first, most of them didn't know each other, (they knew me) but over the past 15 years, we've answered and shared silly--and serious---questions, exchanged Secret Santa Christmas gifts, had a dieting contest in which we paid a $1 a week and that money went to a scholarship fund for a Friday Friends son's memorial scholarship, and we went on a great vacation for my 52 birthday.

 

AND, we contributed recipes for a cookbook.

I was looking at the cookbook the other night and I said, "I should make every recipe in here for my blog."
The Handyman--who knows me better than I know myself (this happened to be a question on the Friday Friend forum once---does your spouse/partner know you better than you know yourself?)--said,  "you'll never, EVER do that."
WELL---maybe I'll show him!  Maybe I will.

Which brings me to this... recipe #81

My Favorite Mother-in-law, Teresa Belcher's,

Bacon Cream Cheese Stuffed Tomatoes

 

Can I say "ugh"?

Not because these weren't good---they were.

But because they were hard to stuff!!

If someone else were to stuff them, I'd eat them every day!

Fresh cool tomatoes---Mmmmmm.

Cream cheese and bacon?   Double Mmmmmm.

 

If you have the time (it really didn't take THAT much time) and want something special, then make these.

They are Yummy!

Bacon Cream Cheese Stuffed Tomatoes

Teresa Belcher

Pasco, Washington

 

3 pints cherry tomatoes, tops removed

2 8-oz pkgs cream cheese, softened

12 slices of crisply cooked bacon

1/4 c. minced green onion

1/4 c. minced parsley

1/2 t. Worcestershire sauce

 

Hollow out tomatoes with a melon baller. Beat together: cream cheese, crumbled bacon, onions, parsley and sauce.

Stuff mixture into tomatoes.

 



This will be my favorite Mother-in-Law's 3rd appearance from the Friday Friend Cookbook.

 

We are game players.   Board games and cards. (we are exciting like that)

BUT, our friend Barbara Brown  (the editor of the PRINT copy of the Friday Friend Cookbook. The one who originally typed them all up)  is a HUGE game player. 

One cannot compete with her or her family.

 

Here is a picture of my favorite little old Italian mother-in-law, Teresa Maria Solaro Stone Belcher, and Barb at my house about 15 years ago.

I think it was my son Luke's graduation, and he will be 36 in a few months, so, 18 years ago maybe.

Anyway, (I get side-tracked with my own reminiscing)  we were getting ready to play some games!

These were the teams!  Spouse against spouse!

below are (from left to right)

The Handyman,  Barb,  One of my favorite brothers-in-law, Mikey, then my dad Mike and the Handyman' Mom, Teresa.

As you can tell they were the winners!

Then the LOSERS!

My father-in-law, Phil, Cherrie Lou Who--oops, do I see a bird? (sigh.  You really have to watch her) me with the game on my head and then my mom, with her head hidden in my back, and Barb's husband Doug.



 These guys are sore winners!!

 

Down with them!

 

 

 



I don't know if you remember, but the last time I did a FF recipe post from my mom, I wrote about her 1959 memory? (see it here)

So, today, I'll write what my mother-in-law wrote for her answer:

(but again---don't think these things are sad.  We are very happy with how our lives have turned out)

 

 

From my favorite mother-in-law:

In 1959, I was married to Dick Stone and lived on Merrill Ct. in Richland, Washington.  Had Rich(aka The Handyman) and Eva and in February that year, LeAnne was born.

Life was pretty much the same as it had been in 54, 55, 56, 57 and 1958.  In about May of that year I discovered that Dick was in love with a woman named Myrtle. Things started to fall apart with the marriage.

 

 

Yes, it does seem like a really, horrible, no-good, very bad year.

But it got better.

Dick and Teresa went on to have 2 more children before the marriage ended.

(Cherrie Lou Who and Greg)

Then they divorced.

Each married again to wonderful people.

Teresa, my favorite Mother-in-law, married Phil (who had been their neighbor in earlier times--it's beginning to sound like  a soap-opera) who had 3 children, Barbara, Ron and Carla.

And they had another son together, Scott (of the famous Sassy Meatballs, see here)

 

Dick met and married Patricia (Pat) who had 3 daughters, Marsha, Nancy and Lori.  They had a son together, Mike.

 

As divorces and mixed families go, they were all one big happy family.

It took some time, but it finally got there.

In fact one year, a few years ago, Rich's dad, Dick and Pat were traveling and they found themselves in Washington state so stopped in on* Rich's mom, Teresa and Phil, to visit and catch up.

 

(*The Handyman's dad is a "stopper in"  "just drop by" kind of guy. I am still not used to this---even after 37 years of marriage.  I am not spontaneous and it is very HORRIBLE for me to have people just pop in.  But I love him, so I learned to deal with it.)

 

Geez.  I just wrote Rich instead of the Handyman.

He once told his elementary school teacher that he was one of 13 siblings.

And that's pretty much how he has felt. Does feel.
And that's why we feel blessed that life turned out the way it did.

My favorite mother-in-law used to write a Family Newsletter--back in the day before we all used email.
(sigh)
I miss those days. Actually I miss the family newsletter!

 

 

HA!  I sent her a recipe.
Imagine that!
That's my story.