Tasting Tomatoes

Why 'Tasting Tomatoes'?  When I was a child there was nothing more that I hated than TOMATOES!  I liked Ketchup and cocktail sauce.  I liked salsa on chips, but ONLY after I would dip it and then wipe the chip on the side of the dish to get everything off said chip.  I could eat pizza, but if I could see any of the sauce, I would scrape it off.
My grandparents had a summer home outside of Boone, NC and we would always go to Cafe Rustica for delicious Italian dinners.  That is where I was introduced to my Italian go-to meal....Angel Hair Pasta with Lemon, Butter and Fresh Parsley, please.  That was the only thing I would eat in any Italian restaurant for the first two decades of my life.  Poor Darby.  In Middle School and High School we would get together for group dinners before formal dances and I would always dread going because I knew what the main dish would be...Lasagna!  Gross. Tomatoes in every layer.  Just salad and bread for me, please.
But then something happened in college.  I stepped outside of my comfort zone and...I.Ate.Tomatoes!!!
I was at the Lake with my sorority sisters and they were making Southern sandwiches.  A slice of bright red tomato with a touch of mayo in between two soft slices of white bread.  Something about it looked so delicious!!  So I took a bite and never really looked back.  At first it was just a bit of BLT, without taking out the T.  Then it was Campbell's Healthy Request Tomato Soup with lots of black pepper.  Then a little more salsa on my chips.
And now, a decade and a half later, I am buying tomatoes every week at the grocery store.  So I like to think of how Tasting Tomatoes has helped me step outside my comfort zone more often.  You never know if your tastes have changed....
And that is what this blog is about.  Sharing my experiences (good & bad) and opinions about the things I am trying.  Follow me in my in my everyday 'adventures' of trying not to say "never."