A Surprise Indeed: Marinated Tomatoes

Last weekend, I did an extreme overnight trip to North Carolina (one of those trips where the travel takes longer than the visit). But it was for a very good reason: my Mom's birthday.

You see, now that our family is distributed among three cities and two sets of holidays, it's very hard for us to all find reason and time to get together. My brother, his wife and son were visiting, and since everyone was there, I thought I'd do a surprise trip.

I called my Dad to let him know I'd be arriving about 10 minutes prior to entry. The secret was kept, and mom was thrilled, right down to the point where she needed a beat or two to recognize me (what we aren't looking for we often don't see...). We all enjoyed the surprise.

And my timing was especially perfect, because that night was a dinner party! My favorite. We'd be eating at the big dining room table, and the kitchen counter and refrigerator were already brimming over with items mom had prepared in advance. There would be dad's ribs, with his special rub and specialer mop sauce, tomato salad, strawberry shortcake, and if I knew my parents, a cocktail hour that would generously linger past an hour, complete with all sorts of delicious nibblies, that on other nights would constitute dinner.

I went to the fridge to help mom a bit...perhaps I'd whip the cream for the shortcake in advance. No cream. And, I gasped, some intruder has put non-fat Land-o-Lakes faux cream in the fridge. "Mom! Someone put weird fake cream in the fridge! COME QUICK!"

"Oh honey, I didn't know you were coming. That's actually my cream."

I gave her a Scooby Doo head tilt. I was processing. Could my Mom actually be the kind of person who eats, nay, PURCHASES fake cream?

Let's try this again. "Then is Judy bringing over the cream for the shortcakes?"

"No, honey." A look of grave concern and guilt. I remember this look. This was the there-isn't-a-tooth-fairy look. And with one swift motion she opened a secret panel in the refrigerator door and produced: Cool Whip.

There was really nothing left to say. My Mom, was the daugher of a man who pioneered the organic movement in the 40s and 50s; a man who always had fresh fruits and vegetables that he had grown himself, even while living 10 stories high in a condominium in Florida; this man had birthed a woman who allowed Cool Whip and non-fat cream in her house, and she had birthed me. At least they say it skips a generation.

I was afraid to open any other doors for fear that more food atrocities might be revealed. I mean, this put so many things into doubt. Was my dad really my dad? Does this mean I won't get pregnant from sitting on a toilet seat? Where would this end?

It ended with the delicious Marinated Tomato Salad my mom served with dinner. Delicious in a I-hope-she-didn't-put-MSG-in-that way. Deliciuos in a please-don't-tell-me-there-are-dried-onions-in-that way. Delicious in the way that I still get weak thinking about pre-packaged rice with the little flavor packets.

I asked mom if there was anything special in it; I was afraid there was something foreign to me that rendered this particular salad cosmic. I could barely finish chewing before asking the question; it was THAT good.

"Oh this? It's Kay's recipe from our local cookbook," says mom, smirking.

"Really? Have you ever made it before?" I asked.

"Sure did! In fact, last time I made it, I made it just for you when you came down to visit. Before you put a fork in, you asked to see the recipe. Then you refused to eat it because it had too much 'weird stuff'', yes I think that was in your fresh-herbs-only phase. I'm so glad you're giving new things a chance."

So along with my MSG, I ate a little crow. I asked Mom for that tomato salad recipe, and here it is. Complete with a byline, admissions of mistakes, and a Glad testimonial.

MARINATED TOMATOES
From the "Tea to Greens Cookbook" compiled by Lockwood Folly Women's Club and contributed by Kay Teagardner ( a friend and fellow bridge player).

4 large tomatoes, cut into wedges
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tsp. parsley flakes (I think I used 2 tbsp. the night you were here, oh well)
1 tsp. chopped onions (I use scallions)
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. coarse ground pepper

Arrange tomato slices in a shallow container. Combine remaining ingredients; mix well and pour over tomatoes. Cover and marinate in refrigerator several hours or overnight. Yields 8 servings.

(I sometimes serve these over a bed of lettuce, or sometimes all by themselves. I don't use a shallow bowl to marinate. I use a Glad container that seals well and I can turn over and over during the marination.)