This summer has been an interesting one for my small garden along the fence in my backyard. The tomatoes started strong, but haven't ripened until now. Finally, after what seems like months of tending to them and watching them grow, I have more than I can eat! Excited to finally have a harvest, I decided to come up with a fun way to use them. I'm sharing two delicious recipes inspired by sun-ripened tomatoes. I'm hoping you can share them with your loved ones or use any of the recipes to bless a friend or family member in need of a meal!

If you have a bounty of tomatoes from the garden and don't know what to do with them, here is an easy way to store them. First, blanch them to soften the skin, and then soak them in cold water until the skin comes off easily. Second, slice them in half and squeeze out the seeds and watery pulp, leaving only the flesh. Third, cut the tomatoes into cubes and add them to a pan to simmer until the water gently boils off. (This will give you a thicker, chunkier "sauce." ) Once cooled, you can move them to quart-size freezer bags and store them in your freezer until ready to use. For more information on how to blanch, peel, and store tomatoes, click here! Use as you would for any recipe that calls for diced tomatoes.

I enjoy making this spaghetti sauce because it's easy to double, allowing me to create a large batch for freezing and storing.

Zucchini is another vegetable I had a bountiful supply of! A few weekends ago, we spent the weekend at the Chesapeake Bay, only to return home to find my zucchini had grown exponentially large! Not wanting to waste it, I decided to give a friend's post on Facebook about turning zucchini slices into personal pizzas a try! You could easily use the spaghetti sauce I shared above as the pizza sauce, or simply use sliced tomato and roast it on top of the zucchini.

Click here for the full instructions on how to make your own Zucchini Pizza Bites! I love the addition of pepperoni or prosciutto! They make a delicious, gluten-free meal!

Do you have a bounty of tomatoes or zucchini from your end-of-summer garden? Even if you don't, making these recipes with store-bought vegetables is equally delicious! I hope I've inspired you to use the bounty of the garden to share a nourishing meal with a loved one!