Tomato pie made by Cousin Donna. Karen Schneider photo

This morning, I sat on the deck with my coffee and enveloped myself in the golden light of another September day. My thoughts went to the recipes I would write about this week.

As always, I want to share food ideas that are simple and to the point. Fancy has its place in the world, but let’s face it, most of us don’t make every day a big event. Much of the time, we’re just looking for something tasty and filling that’s also easy and economical to prepare.

Yes, it’s fun to try all those cooking techniques posted on social media, but there’s something comforting and familiar about rifling through our beat-up cookbooks and stained, handwritten recipe cards. When we do that, I believe we’re looking for more than a recipe. We’re searching for a memory, a feeling.

And as we go through the familiar preparations, we’re thinking of the first time we ate that delicious thing, who made it for us or who we made it for, whose kitchen we were in or who was with us in ours. We remember the conversation, the laughter and the warmth.

On that note, it was Cousin Donna who shared her Tomato Pie recipe during one of her annual summer visits to Maine. She was here again recently, and of course, we indulged in huge slices of this pie that is simply made with thin layers of the best, ripest tomatoes we could find and our favorite pepperjack cheese.

A pie crust, bread crumbs, seasonings, butter and patience are all you need to add to those two main ingredients. Allow the tomato slices to relax on paper towel layers for a good spell before the pie is put together. This beautiful dish that can be served as a main or a side is best served after a cooling/settling time of 30 minutes. Leftovers can be gently heated in a 300 degree oven or an air fryer. (It’s great for breakfast with a couple of eggs!)

Before we segue into apple season (and don’t forget the pears!), let’s indulge in some of those gorgeous peaches. My daughter, Katie, gifted me with some of these blushing orbs from her prolific trees, and I’ve been eating a couple every day.

I especially like to slice peaches into my morning oatmeal, but today, I had time to go all out and make a hot, bubbly crisp.

This is an excellent breakfast food, too, by the way!

Cousin Donna’s Tomato Pie

• 4-6 large, ripe tomatoes
• 12-ounce block pepperjack cheese or cheddar cheese, grated
• 2 teaspoons dried herb of choice
• Pinch of red pepper flakes, optional
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup fresh Parmesan, grated
• 2 tablespoons butter
• Unbaked pastry for 1 pie plate

An hour or two before you’re ready to make the pie, slice tomatoes as thinly as possible and place on layers of paper towels to drain. Cover with more paper towels and press gently.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place pastry in a deep-dish pie plate. Layer tomato slices, grated cheddar cheese and seasonings in the pastry-lined dish. Sprinkle top with Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs, then dot with butter.

Bake for 40-60 minutes, until tomatoes are very soft, the pie is bubbling with most juices cooked away, and the crust and top are golden. The time will vary depending on how thick the pie is. Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before serving. Yield: 8 servings

Peach crisp

• 4 cups fresh peaches, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup cold butter, cut into small cubes
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup walnuts, almonds or pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange sliced peaches evenly in a buttered 8-by-8-inch baking dish.

Mix flour, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon and salt in a bowl using a pastry cutter until crumbly. Fold in oats, then sprinkle mixture evenly over peaches, pressing down lightly.

Bake until golden brown and the peach juices are thickened and bubbling, about 30 minutes, testing to be sure peaches are tender.

Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then serve with vanilla ice cream or a swirl of heavy cream. Yield: 4-6 servings

Karen Schneider cooks and writes in the village of Cundy’s Harbor. You can reach her at iwrite33@comcast.net or (207) 504-0545.