Mmmm Monday -- Country-Style Tomatoes

Yay! It is finally the time of summer when tomatoes are ripe! After lamenting over the pathetic tomatoes at the grocery store that we buy for most of the year I simply can't get enough of fresh grown tomatoes! Taste of Home had quite a few tomato recipes in last months issue and I couldn't wait to try a few. This weekend I made country-style tomatoes and they were so good! Now, my family didn't all agree with me but they enjoy fresh tomatoes and will eat them like an apple and so cooked tomatoes just don't appeal to the majority. Thankfully we had company and they helped me eat these up and I also did halve the recipe.

I can't get enough of garlic and so the filling was just perfect!

Country-Style Tomatoes

4 lg. tomatoes
1 8 oz. pkg.creme cheese, softened
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1- 1/2 tsp. minced fresh basil
1 garlic glove
1/4 t. salt
1/4 cup flour
1 cup panko (Japenese) bread crumbs
1 egg
1 T. milk
3 T. butter
3 T. olive oil

Cut each tomato into four thick slices; place on paper towels to drain.

Beat the cream cheese, parsley, basil, garlic, and salt until blended.

Spread cream cheese mixture over eight tomato slices and top with remaining slices making a "sandwich".

Place flour and bread crumbs in separate bowls. In another bowl, whisk egg and milk. Coat the top and bottom of each sandwich with flour, dip into egg mixture, then coat with crumbs. (This is a little messy!)

Heat butter and oil over medium-hot heat in skillet. Fry tomato sandwiches in batches for 3 -4 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve immediately.