Tomatoes Out Our Ears - Baked Tomatoes

Fall is here!  I love this time of year - it's my favorite season, and the chilly morning air, sweaters and boots, harvest veggies, and smell of campfire make it AWESOME.  It is also the end of summer, where my tomato plants no longer stand tall, but are bent over, heavy with fruit that I am not sure will make it to ripen or not. So we have been picking them like crazy, and everyone else seems to have the same idea.  We had some friends give us a huge crate of them, and of course, the CSA basket is always full of them each week.  I have canned spaghetti sauce and salsa, made a million salads, caprese pasta, and we STILL have tomatoes coming out of our ears.
Last night I made Baked Tomatoes, which is the easiest possible side dish to make, yet brings out the amazing flavor of a good tomato. It also goes well with pretty much anything.

Baked Tomatoes:
It does not matter how many tomatoes you use, so take your pick.  I normally eat one half or one full tomato during a meal; Kevin can eat up to 2 full tomatoes himself.  I made 3 tomatoes last night (6 halves).

Tomatoes
1 tsp Olive Oil per tomato
pinch of Basil (fresh or dried) per tomato
1 Tbs Parmesan Cheese, grated (optional) per tomato
Salt & Pepper

Simply slice your tomatoes in half horizontally (so there is a top half and a bottom half).  There is no need to core them, just wash and cut.  Put the tomato halves in a baking dish, and pour the olive oil over the tomato halves.  Sprinkle with basil, salt and pepper to taste.  If you are using parmesan (I did not last night because we didn't have any, but I do many times because everything is better with cheese), sprinkle that on top as well.  Bake the tomatoes for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees.
Enjoi!