Once more we are the corner of a brand new day.. a brand new week and yet another new
beginning!!
Doesn’t it feel good to start a fresh week on a good note… ?
Yet how many of us really look forward to Monday?? If you are anything like me
( and most of my friends) who simply adore the fat cat Garfield, you also
believe that sleeping is a sport and eating a cheesy lasagna is a way of life
!! And waking up on Monday morning to go to work, send the kids off to school,
start with the same routine, yet again, is nothing short of torture!!
Yikes…. When I was a kid I used to think being an adult must
be soo cool.. Its only now that I am an actual adult, ( HAHAHAHAHA.. tell that
to people who have seen me throw tantrums) I realize how over rated it really
is.
Yes, we do become independent with age. We do get to have
fun of a more adult kind, we do get to run our own homes the way we want them
and wear what we like and eat (drink)
what we want , call only the relatives we like genuinely, treat friends
like family and go on trips without any baggage but tell me does it come free?? NO… It comes at the heavy cost of a life
of responsibility and never ending duties.
Don’t we all miss the days of no responsibility?? The pure
simple joys that one experiences only when one is as innocent as a child… the
fun that a kid has jumping in a muddy puddle is something rare…and a quality
that 99% adults don’t possess.. I know I
don’t!!! ( I have OCD when it comes to feet)..talk about having nightmares for a long time!! ;)
Similarly, waking up at Godforsaken hours on a Monday
morning, after spending an extra indulgent Sunday is my least favorite part of
the day…add to that the woes of cooking early in the morning!!
Arghhh… . did I mention torture?? Sheer torture man!! I
sooooo miss my mom on Mondays ..especially coz she used to be soo sunny in the
mornings!! How mom… ?? Time to spill the secret I think…
I found an easy solution to this particular Monday Morning
Blues Conundrum!! {( I should probably patent it right? ;) }
I am not taking morning mimosas to get you through the day…
Come on… Give me some credit ..i am a teetotaler!!
But instead what I am gonna share with you is a fun, no work
(almost) recipe that we love to have on Monday lunch when your system is
still trying to recuperate from the Sunday’s binge!
A simple, delicious, fresh and oh so flavorsome Bruschetta!!
Is there anything better or easier??
I have loved bruschettas for the longest time, but now I am
addicted to them.I am not going to take you down the traditional Bruschetta
route which is supposed to have ONLY tomatoes and basil… Rather , over the
years I have found that bruschetta works with a load of toppings , and yes,
there is no fixed rule to it! Play with your taste buds and it will lead you to
a delicious Bruschetta!
The purists and nay sayers may say what they want, but I
will still boldly declare these yumm delicious little parcels of joy and flavor
as Bruschetta!!
You can change your toppings, however after enjoying many
different flavor combinations, I have found that this particular recipe works
the best and produces totally lip smacking bruschetta.
Ingredients:
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 5 cloves Garlic, Finely Minced
- 1 pint Red Grape Tomatoes, Halved Lengthwise or diced finely
- 1 Yellow bell pepper, diced finely
- 1 green pepper, diced finely
- Button mushrooms-10, sliced or diced finely
- Onion ½ , diced fine
- 1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
- 16 whole Basil Leaves (chiffonade)
- Salt And Pepper To Taste (don't Oversalt!)
- 1 whole Baguette
- 8 Tablespoons Butter
- Cream cheese to spread on the baguette
- Grated Mozzarella for garnish
Preparation Instructions
- In a small skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and stir, lightly frying for about a minute, removing before the garlic gets too brown (it can be golden.). Add the chopped onion and stir till translucent. Pour into a mixing bowl and allow to cool slightly.
- Heat some butter, brown the mushrooms. Don’t forget to season. Keep aside.
- Add tomatoes, pepper, balsamic, basil, and salt and pepper to the mixing bowl with the garlic,onion and mushrooms.. Toss to combine, then taste and add more basil if needed, and more salt if needed (don't oversalt, though!) Cover and refrigerate for an hour or two if you have the time.
- Cut the baguette into diagonal slices to allow for the most surface area possible. Melt half the butter in a large skillet and grill half the bread on both sides, making sure they're nice and buttery. Cook till golden brown on both sides. Repeat with the other half of the butter and the other half of the bread.
- Spread some cream cheese on the toasted slices.
- To serve, give the veg mixture a final stir, the spoon generously over the slices of bread.
- Drizzle with some olive oil and more cracked pepper on top..
- Sprinkle with some grated cheese ( optional of course).. Serve on a big platter as a first course or appetizer.
Sit back, feel your heart jump up and down....quickly grab one up, take a deep breath... and simply sink in!!!
Notes:
- You can toast the pieces of bread in the oven, dry. But why in the world would you want to do that when you can brown them in butter in a pan!
- Now for the baguette! You can cut straight, round-ish slices of the bread if you’d like the pieces to be on the small side. Or you can cut extreme diagonal pieces like this, to allow for more surface area.More surface area = More stuff on top.I vote for more surface area.
- Now, you can use this right away, but I think it’s better if you can let it sit (either on the countertop or in the fridge) for an hour or so, just to let the flavors meet and mingle and fall in love and produce amazing flavors.
- And a little salt and pepper. Not too much salt! Start light and work your way up if necessary.
- Chiffonade = grab some basil leaves and stack them on top of one another…Then roll them up tightly… And slice them into strips. You can use this technique fro spinach, lettuce etc.
- You can simply cut the tomatoes into half and use bigger dices of the veggies too, but I have tried the versions, and I feel the fine dice version is much better and easier to eat..
