Impossible Tomato Broccoli Pie - finally!

Well, I finally got the Impossible Pie made! It looks great, doesn't it? See the tomato slices peeking out of the top in the first picture? The only thing I would change is to chop up the tomato slices and drain them better because the overall pie was a bit wetter than it should have been. I'm assuming because of the water in the tomatoes. I also might be able to compensate for that liquid with a little more self-rising flour.

I tried leeching the tomato slices by salting them in a colander, but they didn't really drain. I also added diced onions and some broccoli florets. I put some onion powder in the batter along with some parsley flakes. I still wanted some salt on my own serving because it was a little flat, but I'd rather under spice than over spice. 

I also might lean towards Italian seasoning next time maybe with some pepperoni added on top. The cheese was just enough for this recipe. I'd also rather use a sweeter onion next time than the strongly flavored and fragrant one Deb bought that I had diced and frozen. Even cooked, it's not my favorite flavor.

I didn't pre-cook the broccoli and it turned out good. Because the pieces were small, they cooked all the way through. But, I would definitely want to dice up the tomatoes next time. These tomatoes were pretty fibrous, so they were on the tough side as far as being able to cut through them with my fork. They were plenty cooked, but near the center, they held fast and didn't want to break down completely. Not sure what kind of tomatoes these were, but that might have played a role in it. Maybe next time I'll use the Tommies Snack Tomatoes instead.

So, here's what I did to make this. 

3 medium tomatoes, sliced after coring

3/4-1 cup broccoli florets

1 cup shredded cheese (I used Colby/Jack)

diced onion to taste (I had about 1/4 cup)

3/4 cup self-rising flour

3 eggs

1 3/4 cups milk (I used reconstituted powdered milk)

Any other seasonings you are inclined to add - I used onion powder, parsley flakes, fresh ground pepper and a bit of salt.

Spray a 9" casserole dish with PAM (or equivalent). Prepare the veggies if they aren't already. Layer the tomatoes and broccoli (you can use zucchini or other veggies, too). You can also add a bit of Parmesan cheese here as well. Spread the shredded cheese over the vegetables. Mix up your batter with the flour, eggs and milk. Add seasonings if you want. Pour the batter over the cheese and veggies without stirring, other than to make sure they're covered. Place in a 400° F oven and cook for between 35 & 40 minutes. I took mine out after 35 minutes and allowed it to sit. It was nicely browned, but I wonder what five more minutes might have done for the excess liquid.

So, I hope you try this and maybe even experiment a little. This method of casserole making has just so much flexibility!

Dinner on Paul's last night in New Jersey

I've got to tell you, I don't want Paul to leave in the morning. I'm almost hoping the expected storm will cause his flight to be canceled. I know he'll still go, but I'm hoping he'll see it as a sign that he should be here and not back in Utah. It's not that I don't want him to keep his promise to his sons to come back so they can go fishing. I do want him to do that. But, his life has improved here in a way it hasn't, and probably can't, in Utah.


He'd been unemployed a full 99 weeks (his unemployment ran out while he was here). No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get work out there. He supported his children and the mother of the youngest on his unemployment. When that ran out, they moved in with her parents (and the six or so kids they still had living at home). That was just too many people in close quarters. Everyone was fighting, so Paul, Nina and Taylor came back here.


That didn't last long. First, the local schools flat out refused to allow Taylor to attend school because they didn't have FIVE proofs of residence. Impossible to do since they weren't renters here and the utilities are partly in the name of our landlords and my daughter. The best they could do would have been two proofs. The state says a child cannot be denied attendance for lacking proof of residence, but they wouldn't budge. So, Taylor didn't start school in August (which is when Utah starts) and didn't start school in September (which is when we start in NJ). It wasn't until we'd bought tickets for their return to Utah (just Nina and Taylor) that we learned of the change in state law where you can choose your child's school. She could have attended in the neighboring town's school district and only needed ONE proof of residence, per state law.


In the meantime, Paul and Nina broke up, so he stayed put and got a job here through a mutual friend of him and his sister. The owner of the company as said that if he returns, the job is still there for him with full benefits from day one. Considering he hadn't been able to find work out there before, and knowing just what the overall culture is like there, I don't expect that he'll get anything decent, so here is where the work is.


Anway, tonight's dinner consists of baked chicken breasts (with different toppings), Brussels Sprouts, broccoli (just a little for my daughter) and French style green beans. Not the fancy rolled chicken I had considered making with the flavored cream cheese filling, but still decent. I'm satisfied. Paul seems to be satisfied. It remains to be seen how Deb will view it since she's not home yet.


I used Thai Green Coconut cooking sauce, Cilantro & Citrus Mexican Salad Dressing and powdered Ranch dressing mix all separately on the 8 pieces of chicken (four breasts cut in half). Because the Thai sauce was garlicky, I assigned that to Paul who likes garlic. I took a Mexican topped piece and Deb's are the Ranch Dressing pieces. I did take one of them, but there are two left. I enjoyed it. Paul said he did, too.


I totally forgot to take a picture when I first took the chicken out of the oven, so here is one of what's left on the baking pan.

Honestly, it still looks good to me!