Baked Cherry Tomatoes

Sorry...I know it's been a week since my last post. But the hubby wasn't home for dinner at all last week, 1/2 of us got a stomach bug...y'all understand, right? There's just no point in making a decent meal worthy of posting here if those events are happening at the same time. Anyway, I was thinking it was high time to post another recipe for a vegetable. Here it is...

I scored at Kroger last week. I needed some little tomatoes, and the cheapest ones were $2.99 a pint. Okay, not terrible... then I was leaving the produce section, and they had big, 2 pound containers of cherry tomatoes for $1.99! No way... I checked again, and it was true...I wasn't seeing things. A 2 pound container of cherry tomatoes for $1.99... Awesome! Turns out the deli accidently ordered a surplus of them, and had to sell them quickly (they use cherry tomatoes on the self-serve salad bar). Rebecca has been in heaven. She is the only kid in our house who will eat tomatoes; and she's been snacking on them like crazy. Still...I had to come up with a way to use up the rest of these gorgeous little babies.

When David and I were assigned a sponsor couple during our marriage preparation, we quickly became friends. One night, we were over at their house for dinner, and Rochelle made these baked chery tomatoes that were just fabulous. Of course, I got the recipe, and now I get to share it with you. Even if you're not crazy about cherry tomatoes, roasting them brings out all their sweetness, so you should give 'em a try.

Baked Cherry Tomatoes

2 dozen cherry tomatoes, washed, patted dry, and cut in half

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons parmesan cheese

1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil

1 1/2 teaspoons italian herb seasoning blend

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (trust me, it's just better!)

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a shallow bowl, combine the cheese, basil, italian herb blend, salt and pepper.

Pour the olive oil into another bowl, and dip the cut ends into it, then press into the herb mixture. Place cut side up on a rimmed baking sheet--I used a small baking dish.

Bake for 15-20 mintues or until the tomatoes are slightly soft and the cheese has melted.

I didn't make a full 2 dozen (only 17, which would be 34 halves), but David, Rebecca, and I ate them all in one night. David isn't crazy about tomatoes, but he loves it when I make these. So if you make 'em, maybe your man will eat his veggies too (technically, tomatoes are a fruit, but don't tell him!).

God Bless your table tonight!