weekend recap

sigh...back to the work week. I had a good weekend though. Busy, but good. Friday night my husband and I actually ventured out to dinner and then to have drinks with a group of our friends. It was one of those "last minute plans" nights...usually Friday nights are spent in watching a movie, ordering pizza, and enjoying a few relaxing glasses of wine. And since we recently bought our home...this is all our budget allows. But I guess we needed a night to splurge on some fun. "Fun" that cost me a huge headache Saturday morning....God, I'm old.

Saturday evening we hosted a small cocktail party for our parents and a few family friends. Our parents hadn't seen our house in a while and, well, I just love throwing parties and playing "hostess"...so I jumped at the idea of having everyone over for an evening of cocktails and appetizers. I even tried a new recipe - Bruschetta with a twist. It was a big hit! And it was so simple to make...try it for yourself:

Ingredients:

French Baguette - I found a tomato French Baguette that went amazingly well with this recipe, but I'm sure plain would work just as well
Pesto with Basil spread - I prefer the brand Buitoni, which can be found at any grocery store
3-4 Roma tomatoes
1/2 lb. Fresh Mozzarella
Fresh or Dried Basil - for both taste & presentation purposes

Instructions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Slice baguette in 3/4 inch slices and place on cookie sheet to heat 3-4 minutes until slightly browned. In the meantime, slice mozzarella and tomatoes to preferred thickness (I sliced each at about 5 cm. thick). Remove baguette slices from oven and change oven to broil heat. Spread a thin layer of pesto, place a slice of mozzarella and a slice of tomato, and sprinkle with basil for both taste and presentation purposes on each baguette. Place back in oven for approximately 2-3 minutes or until mozzarella is melted to your desire. Serves about 8-10 people.
Enjoy!