On a trip to Toronto in summer, I shared my recipe for homemade tomato and onion cheese pies...a southern favorite!...with a friend's daughter.  Ana and I made dinner with the garden tomatoes and sweet vidalias from a nearby Canadian farmer's market. The pies were juicy fresh, colorful and oh so good!

Here's my recipe for you to try. I made it simple for times when you are rushed, but here in Canada and most times, I make my own pie crust from scratch.

(Two cups of all-purpose flour, 1/2 tsp. salt, 200 grams of butter chunked and worked in by hand until beads form, and enough of ice water...about 2-3 Tsps.  to make a soft dough which you roll out on a floured surface and then pinch as you like to make the edges of your pie crust)

Natalie's Summer Picnic

Tomato Pies

1. Brown lightly at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes, two pie shells (I like Marie Callandar’s the best).

2. Next, sauté I large sweet Vidalia onion sliced thin, in 4 Tbsp. butter. After they are nicely softened, add in 2 Tbsps. Of mayonnaise (I love Duke’s!)

3. Divide these up and layer them in the bottom of the hot pie shells. Add 1 Tbsp. of McCormick’s Vegetable Butter Seasoning or another vegetable seasoning blend that you like (this one has sesame seeds which go well with the tomatoes and cheese).

4. Now layer in half of one large red and half of one large yellow tomato sliced very thick which have been lightly salted and allowed to drain on paper towels for about ½ hour to remove a bit of the excess water.

5. Add a liberal layer of sharp grated cheddar cheese and the remaining layer of tomatoes.

6. Then more cheese of course!

7. For these two pies, I used a 2 lb. pack of Sargento sharp cheddar, but you can use any cheese that you like in yours.

8. Lastly, sprinkle the top of the pies with another Tbsp. of the same vegetable seasoning blend.

9. Bake for 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees. The cheese should be bubbly and golden.

10. Makes two pies. They can be served hot as a main dish with accompaniments like fruit and soup for a light lunch or dinner or at room tempeture as a side dish taken to any casual friendly gathering indoors or out.

11. Do not freeze or you will get soggy pies, but they can be refrigerated for about two days if you want to make them ahead.