Welcome to our first post, guys! First of all, I need to have a sentimental moment to THANK all of you for your willingness to support this project! This is seriously such an exciting thing for me, and I am so pumped to start cooking the recipes you guys have questions about! Cooking is so therapeutic to me, and I enjoy it so much, and I am so excited to be able to share this passion with you all! So THANK YOU, my dears! Now! On to big and tasty things!
Before I asked you all to pin some recipes you would like to see tested, I chose one to start us off with. I am a huge fan of bruschetta. Like HUGE fan, guys. Something about that blend of tomato and basil... Okay, maybe I'm just a ginormous fan of basil. I grow basil on my porch because there is something almost magical about a fresh basil leaf. I use basil in anything I can. And just being able to walk outside and pick as much basil as I want?? Pretty much the best thing to happen to my recipes.
Before I asked you all to pin some recipes you would like to see tested, I chose one to start us off with. I am a huge fan of bruschetta. Like HUGE fan, guys. Something about that blend of tomato and basil... Okay, maybe I'm just a ginormous fan of basil. I grow basil on my porch because there is something almost magical about a fresh basil leaf. I use basil in anything I can. And just being able to walk outside and pick as much basil as I want?? Pretty much the best thing to happen to my recipes.
So if you get nothing else from this post, you should be running out RIGHT NOW to buy some basil seeds and start your own batch. You can go now, I'll wait right here....
Back to the bruschetta! This Balsamic Bruschetta recipe caught my eye because it has balsamic vinegar included in it, and I was really curious what that would do to the tomato! I knew it would add that yummy sweet balsamic flavor to it, but in my head I thought there would be some kind of chemical reaction to the acidity of the tomato, somehow breaking it down and adding a slight carmelization. I looked it up and could find NOTHING about what it would do to it. If any of you are closet scientists out there, let me know! SO I just had to try it out.
I won't lie, I did change this recipe just a tad due to my own flavor preferences. I used mozzarella cheese instead of Parmesan, I used a sourdough loaf instead of french baguette, added a bit of onion, and I added spinach leaves. The last addition I did because you can add a good amount of iron to the recipe through spinach without altering the taste, and I am in need of a bit more iron. Tip number two of the post, you can add spinach to pretty much any Italian recipe without altering the flavor. So sneak your kid's serving of iron into their pasta!
Back to the bruschetta! This Balsamic Bruschetta recipe caught my eye because it has balsamic vinegar included in it, and I was really curious what that would do to the tomato! I knew it would add that yummy sweet balsamic flavor to it, but in my head I thought there would be some kind of chemical reaction to the acidity of the tomato, somehow breaking it down and adding a slight carmelization. I looked it up and could find NOTHING about what it would do to it. If any of you are closet scientists out there, let me know! SO I just had to try it out.
I won't lie, I did change this recipe just a tad due to my own flavor preferences. I used mozzarella cheese instead of Parmesan, I used a sourdough loaf instead of french baguette, added a bit of onion, and I added spinach leaves. The last addition I did because you can add a good amount of iron to the recipe through spinach without altering the taste, and I am in need of a bit more iron. Tip number two of the post, you can add spinach to pretty much any Italian recipe without altering the flavor. So sneak your kid's serving of iron into their pasta!
The recipe doesn't go into detail about what they do with their bread slices, so I started by spraying one side of the slice with cooking spray, then placing sprayed sided down onto a baking sheet. You can also brush it with some olive oil if you're into that kinda thing. Put slices into a preheated 350 degree oven for until nice and crisp, about 7 minutes.
Start by chopping 4 tomatoes (the recipe says 8 but I didn't want a whole mess load of food...), half of an onion, and 2 cloves of garlic.
Start by chopping 4 tomatoes (the recipe says 8 but I didn't want a whole mess load of food...), half of an onion, and 2 cloves of garlic.
Then chop up about 1/3 cup of basil (7-8 medium sized leaves) and 1/4 cup of spinach. Put all chopped ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Add 1 Tablespoon of blasamic vinegar, 1 teaspoon olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Mix together throroughly. Top the toasted side bread slices with the bruschetta mix, so the mix doesn't soak the bread.
Now the recipe ends there. You can stop and call it good there and I'm sure it will be amazing. But I like my veggies roasted. And melty cheese. And All-American yumminess. So I topped my bruschetta with mozzarella and put it in my still hot oven for about 10 minutes so the veggies got roasted and the cheese got melted. Then I topped a few with a fresh leaf of basil (see before mentioned obsession with basil).
Now the recipe ends there. You can stop and call it good there and I'm sure it will be amazing. But I like my veggies roasted. And melty cheese. And All-American yumminess. So I topped my bruschetta with mozzarella and put it in my still hot oven for about 10 minutes so the veggies got roasted and the cheese got melted. Then I topped a few with a fresh leaf of basil (see before mentioned obsession with basil).
Ladies and gentlemen. This recipe is a hit. Make it. Love it. Eat it. Don't share. Okay, maybe share with the people you REALLY love, but that's it. I could have eaten the whole batch if my stomach wasn't screaming at me to stop putting stuff in it after 3. This is a perfect recipe for a light lunch, appetizer, or snack for you and a few friends. The balsamic vinegar seems to aid in a beautiful carmelization in the oven, and really adds a sweet zing to the already amazing flavors. Also, this recipe received the stamp of Hubby Approval. Which is a huge deal, to me. ;)
Thanks, again, to all the lovely people who are participating in this project! Please continue to stick around and keep pinning the recipes you would like me to try! I've seen a few get put up there and I'm enjoying seeing what you guys are interested in!
I will continue to update the website and the Facebook and let you guys know as each post goes up! I plan on posting a new recipe each Sunday, but may do more than just one a week depending on the time I have for more!
Until next post, send me your pins and I'll send you the wins!
I will continue to update the website and the Facebook and let you guys know as each post goes up! I plan on posting a new recipe each Sunday, but may do more than just one a week depending on the time I have for more!
Until next post, send me your pins and I'll send you the wins!
Balsamic Bruschetta
Servings: 6 (2 slices a serving)
Total Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
12 slices french bread (Jess used sourdough)
4 roma tomatos
1/2 white or red onion
2 cloves garlic
8 leaves fresh basil (few extra for garnish)
1/3 cup spinach (Jess' addition)
1 Tbs balsamic vinegar
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese (topping if desired)
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray slices of bread with cooking spray (or brush with extra olive oil), and place sprayed side down on a baking sheet. Place in hot oven until toasted, or about 7 minutes.
2. Chop tomatoes, onion, garlic, spinach and basil, leaving a few basil leaves for topping if desired.
3. Put all chopped ingredients in mixing bowl, then add balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly.
4. Top the toasted side of the sliced bread (as to not soak bread) with bruschetta mix.
5. Optional: Top bruschetta with mozzarella cheese and put back into the oven for additional time to melt cheese and roast veggies, about 10 minutes. When out of oven, top with whole basil leaves.
6. ENJOY!
Servings: 6 (2 slices a serving)
Total Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
12 slices french bread (Jess used sourdough)
4 roma tomatos
1/2 white or red onion
2 cloves garlic
8 leaves fresh basil (few extra for garnish)
1/3 cup spinach (Jess' addition)
1 Tbs balsamic vinegar
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese (topping if desired)
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray slices of bread with cooking spray (or brush with extra olive oil), and place sprayed side down on a baking sheet. Place in hot oven until toasted, or about 7 minutes.
2. Chop tomatoes, onion, garlic, spinach and basil, leaving a few basil leaves for topping if desired.
3. Put all chopped ingredients in mixing bowl, then add balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly.
4. Top the toasted side of the sliced bread (as to not soak bread) with bruschetta mix.
5. Optional: Top bruschetta with mozzarella cheese and put back into the oven for additional time to melt cheese and roast veggies, about 10 minutes. When out of oven, top with whole basil leaves.
6. ENJOY!