Side Note:  I hate when bloggers pretend like they don’t watch tv.  Like if they post about television shows their readers will be disappointed in them.  I think that is so dumb.  I love television and I don’t care if that sounds trashy.

So it doesn’t matter whether or not you love Mad Men as much as me, Mad Men Yourself.  It is quite fun.

This is me.

This is my husband, Ben.  He loves Mad Men too, although I doubt he will ever bring it up in conversation.

I love freebies, so I decided to share a few of my favorite free downloads from the blogosphere.

1. Free Turquoise Meets Gold Labels here from Little Sightings via iDIY
2. Free Mailing Labels here from Creature Comforts
3. Get the Free Birdy Notepad here and the Dream Catcher To Do here both from A Print A Day
4. Get this lovely calendar here from Something Hiding in Here via Wren Handmade
5. Super Cute Recycling Labels here from Jinjerup

Ingredients

• 4 tomatoes peeled and sliced (Fresh tomatoes from your garden will work best!)
• 1/2 cup chopped green onion
• 1  frozen pizza crust (The kind that comes in a can like frozen biscuits.)
• 1 cup  shredded mozzarella (I actually only had a tiny amount of mozzarella, so I had to add shredded Colby-Jack cheese.)
• 1 cup shredded cheddar
• 1 cup cream cheese
• Salt and pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the tomatoes in a colander in the sink in 1 layer. Sprinkle with salt and allow to drain for 10 minutes.  This may take longer than 10 minutes.   Make sure and don’t over salt them.

Unroll your pizza crust and place in your pie pan.  Use about half of your tomato slices to line the pizza crust.

Sprinkle with salt,  pepper and green onions.

Combine the grated cheeses and cream cheese together.  I tried softening the cream cheese by placing the container of cream cheese in warm water which worked a little bit but I eventually had to just microwave it about 15 seconds.

Spread mixture on top of the tomatoes.  I also sprinkled the remainder of my leftover cheese on top.

Bake for 30 minutes or until lightly browned.

Slice and Serve!

Because of my recent tomato explosion, I feel the need to cook, bake or do something with all of the tomatoes I have on my kitchen table.  So Ben and I made salsa and also a tomato pie for True Blood Sunday.  I wasn’t really happy with my tomato pie but I tried it again last night and will post about it tomorrow.  I have been waiting to make my own salsa from my own tomatoes and bell peppers since we planted our garden.  I don’t care that the rest of the ingredients came from the grocery store because the tomatoes were so great and my bell peppers look fake because they are so beautiful.  For whatever reason, bugs don’t nimble on bell peppers and I like that.  We don’t use any pesticides in our garden.  So I am aware that insects and worms like tomatoes just as much as I do, but for whatever reason they are not into bell peppers.

For True Blood Sundays, my friends and I usually make Louisiana or vampire inspired dishes.  Although salsa isn’t really  a Louisiana or vampire inspired dish, making salsa from your own vegetables is a very southern thing to do.

Overall I thought our salsa was really good.   I love how fresh it tasted!  While making salsa for the first time I also learned how to peel a tomato.   Peeling tomatoes is actually really easy and I had no idea.

Peeling a Tomato

1. Wash your tomatoes and take the stems off.
2. Cut an X on the end without the stem.
3. Boil enough water to submerse your tomatoes.  Once the water starts boiling place them into the water.
4. After a few minutes, use a slotted spoon to place your tomatoes into a bowl of cold water.
5. Let them sit a minute or so then pull the skins right off.

Check back tomorrow for my tomato pie!

We have  yellow tomatoes (Lemon Boy),  red tomatoes in about every size (Campari, Grape, Better Boy and Early Girl to be exact)  and  heirloom tomatoes (Cherokee Purple and Brandy Wine).  We also have an eggplant and four bell peppers.  I love having a garden!

This is the first Bell Pepper I picked from our garden! Isn't it pretty?

Lead Singer Craig Finn

Craig Finn (Lead Vocals), Tad Kubler (Lead Guitar), Galen Polivka (Bass) and Steve Selvidge (New Guitar player from Memphis- Back Left)

Tad Kubler and Galen Polivka (Back left)

Dan Neustadt

The keyboard player gave me his set list which only made my night better.

Craig Finn, Steve Selvidge, Galen Polivka, Tad Kubler and Bobby Drake (From Left to Right)

I really love vintage postcards.  I especially love when they have been mailed and have a little note on the back or maybe a fun vintage stamp.   I love the idea of someone receiving the postcard and liking it so much that they kept it forever.

Pirates Alley in New Orleans, LA

I had no idea why they called it Pirates Alley until I read this card.

I love that this postcard refers to New Orleans as America’s Most Interesting City.  I would have to agree.

Notice this postcard is from 1909.

This post card reads:

Dear Friend,

I got your card this morning.  You just call for me here in the hospital anytime just ask some of the nurses in the office.  They will tell you I am on the third floor.  Just come anytime.

Your Friend,

Lena

Today I was in a car for 5 1/2 hours.  Part of the 5 1/2 hours included rain and a car hydroplaning out of control on a bridge in front of us.  When I got home, I discovered that our cable provider’s recent channel lineup change resulted in the addition of AMC and specifically Mad Men.  Tonight AMC is showing a Viewer’s Choice Marathon of Season One episodes.  Next Monday, July 12th is the Viewer’s Choice Marathon of Season Two.  Monday July 19th is the Season Three Viewer’s Choice Marathon and the new season starts July 25th.

Tonight is a good end to my holiday weekend.