Update/Recipe Tuesday, vol. 3

This is sort of a non-recipe. No specific quantities are known- I just throw it together and taste. Everything can be adjusted. I like mine with a lot of garlic and a lot of liquid to soak the toast, which is barely GBD (golden brown and delicious) and still chewy inside. Good food is always adjustable to personal tastes.

And to properly make bruschetta, you need to know how to pronounce bruschetta.

Say it with me: broo-SKETT-uh, NOT broo-SHETT-uh.

Easy Bruschetta

Serves 2-4

6 Roma tomatoes, or whatever kind is fresh, ripe but firm, and red (My Pawpaw grows the bestest 'maters this side of the Mississippi.)
Extra virgin olive oil (use the good stuff- you'll taste the difference)
Balsamic vinegar (again, good stuff)
Lots of fresh garlic- either crushed in a press or minced fine with a knife (minced is hotter due to bigger pieces to bite)
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
Pinch dried oregano
Loaf of fresh French or Italian bread

In a plastic container with a lid, make a dressing of olive oil, a splash of balsamic, crushed or minced garlic, and oregano. Chop tomatoes, add them to the olive oil mixture, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Allow the tomatoes to marinate in the fridge or at room temperature for up to an hour. The tomatoes will be too soggy the next day- this is a same-day dish.

Cut the bread into 1/2" slices, lay flat on a baking sheet, drizzle or brush with olive oil, and sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake the bread slices at 400° until barely golden brown and crispy on the edges.

Serve the bruschetta with the warm toast slices, and possibly a pack of gum for everyone's garlic breath afterward. Tasty!


So, I started the Jazzercise classes last Tuesday. Sheesh, am I out of shape! I returned Thursday and signed up. It's actually a lot of fun, and the hour zips by like nobody's bidness.

DH rags on me for being interested in "classes" for everything, but I can't help myself. I'm going to attend some cake decorating sessions at a local Michaels craft store. He won't be bitching when I produce a wonderful and gorgeous cake for his 30th birthday in May!

I finished two more audio books last week- House of Thunder and Strange Highways by Dean Koontz. House of Thunder was incredibly intriguing. The only problem was that it was read by an Englishman who didn't do very convincing female voices. Strange Highways was excellent, and short- only about 5 and a half hours of audio. I have started listening to another Koontz tome, this one read by a woman, but at the moment the name escapes me.

I've also recently purchased two regular books, Bad Childhood, Good Life and Woman Power by Dr. Laura Schlessinger. Woman Power is a companion and follow-up to a fabulous book she wrote, The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands. I have not yet read either of the new books, but I'm looking forward to them.

Checked out some new music lately, too: Madonna's newest, Confessions on a Dancefloor; some good ole breakbeats by Plump DJs; and some old music that's new to me, an assortment of Ray Charles.

~Skwerl!