Disney, birthdays & bruschetta

I’ve been trying to get this post up for the past week….but family vacations have a way of distracting us a bit!!  We are off on our long awaited 10 day Disney vacation….planned and saved for this past year, but had to wait on daddy to get the time off work.  It was an unexpected surprise two weeks ago when he found some time, and just in time for our oldest daughter’s 11th birthday!!  What a great way to spend any birthday….Magic Kingdom.  And the little one…..newly minted “2 year old” is more in love with Mickey and Minnie than ever.  Seems like we are fostering a love of Disney for years to come!!!

On to the bruschetta…….

1 package of Campari tomatoes from Costco, diced small (about 12 medium tomatoes)
1/4 red onion, diced
2/3 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup lemon juice
3 heaping tsp minced garlic (about 6 cloves)
a splash of good quality balsamic vinegar (1 T?)
fresh basil leaves, diced finely
sea salt & pepper to taste
1 baguette-style loaf (Italian or french) sliced thinly

This was my very first attempt at making bruschetta.  I didn’t use a recipe; rather I tried to recreate the one from the Italian restaurant I work at two nights a week.  It’s an authentic Italian restaurant…including the owners…a sweet young married Italian couple, raised by Italians and have always been in the restaurant business.  It’s neat to hear Italian spoken freely.  The meals are prepared fresh….all fresh ingredients and fresh seafood.  They don’t even have a freezer in their restaurant.  I love it!  Their bruschetta is made with about 1/3 yellow tomatoes if you have access to those. 

I have to admit being more than a little nervous as I prepared to dice those tomatoes.  I knew I was soon going to encounter the seeds and the mush that I fear.  But I was committed to this….knowing that all the yummy flavors I was adding would help to disguise that tomato taste.  So I dove right in….dicing and scooping out the mush as so many food blogger friends had challenged me to do.  I was even brave enough to leave a bit of it intact, knowing it would blend in with the garlic and other goodies. 

Blend all ingredients thoroughly.  The amounts are as close as I could get…feel free to add or subtract as you see fit.  The main thing I know is the olive oil to lemon juice ratio is 2 parts to 1 part.  Refrigerate….several hours later, the flavors are the best.  I wasn’t sure how long this would keep in the fridge (anyone know??), but it was still very tasty (and didn’t poison me) up to 5 days later when I added it onto my pizza. 

For the baguette…..slice thinly and toast both sides till crisp (known as crostini).  I wanted more flavor so I melted a stick of butter and dipped each slice in butter and then sprinkled it with garlic salt….think garlic bread!  YUM!!  Serve each crostini (meaning “little crusts” in Italian) with a scoop of bruschetta, topped with more fresh basil.  A bit of balsamic reduction puts it over the top!  I can highly recommend it to those that fear tomatoes!  Even my hubby loved it….and if you remember he’s squeamish about tomatoes too!

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23 Responses to Disney, birthdays & bruschetta

  1. Jackie Turner says:

    Looks incredible. I, too, am afraid of the mush but love bruschetta. I will definitely try your recipe.

  2. Nutmeg Nanny says:

    Have fun in Disney! The bruschetta looks great too….yum!

  3. Paula says:

    Denise, this looks wonderful!! Thanks so much for the recipe.

    Have fun at Disney!!

  4. Fresh Local and Best says:

    Oh how fun! I remember visiting Disneyland for the first time!

    I adore the refreshing flavors of bruschetta! This looks like a wonderful recipe!

  5. Kathleen says:

    I hope you have a blast in Disneyland! I love Disney!!! Your bruschetta sounds de-lish!

  6. Annalisa says:

    Hi Denise,I have just found your blog through twitter,and I love your bruschetta!
    If you want go and visit my blog.
    Have a lovely sunday,
    Annalisa

  7. Simply Luxurious says:

    This looks delicious! I love bruschetta and am always looking for new ideas. Love the fact that you get to work in an Italian restaurant just a few days. How many ideas you must come home with. And they don't have a freezer, that says something, doesn't it?
    Thanks for following me on Twitter, I will be following your blog now as well. Can't wait for more delicious recipes! Have a great rest of the week. =)

  8. Traci says:

    Hi Denise! Thanks for visiting my blog and introducing yourself. I am a tea drinker by conversion, not that I was terribly hooked on coffee. lol A warm cup of Chai sounds cozy right about now w/all the rain and chilliness here in MN. I love ginger/peach too, but really, I'll drink most any tea! I mean, c'mon, it's tea right? ;D
    Your bruschetta looks so scrumptious! I will definitely have to try that out!
    ~traci

  9. Angie says:

    Looks delish! we are going to animal kingdom Saturday, exciting!

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  11. Martha says:

    This sure does look awesome but it was hard to take my eyes off the pizza in the previous entry! Just stopping over from the food blog forum – Chris from Nibble Me This sent me 🙂

  12. Judimae says:

    Hi Denise,

    This recipe looks fabulous, and I bet it tastes as good as it looks. I just found your blog — I am a fan already. I am following you with Google Friend Connect. Keep up the good work you are doing on your blog — I can't wait to read the archives. You and many food bloggers have inspired me, and I am considering a food blog in my future.

    Judi

  13. Amanda Meadows says:

    The bruschetta looks absolutely amazing 🙂

  14. Ms Bibi says:

    I love bruschetta. I don't put onions in mine, but I should try it.

    Have fun in Disney. We are going second week in September. Kids are so excited. My best friend's daughter's 14th birthday will be while we're there and she never been in Disneyland so it will be extra cool.

  15. ButterYum says:

    YUM – the Campari tomatoes from Costco are my favorite!!

    🙂
    ButterYum

  16. Dan says:

    Looks excellent – especially with the fresh basil on top!
    Dan recently posted..Terrible article- 5 Ways To Throw a Party Without Blowing Your Budget

  17. Your kids must have been thrilled with the spontaneous Disney trip! These bruschetta are the perfect way to welcome warmer weather.

  18. Oh so ready for some bruschetta; it’s a summer staple here. Looks fabulous; going to Costco and putting tomatoes on the list. Now…if we could just have some warm weather please. Denver and another forecast of snow!
    Barbara | Creative Culinary recently posted..White Pizza with Walnuts- Pears and Balsamic Glazed Figs – and another Secret!

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  21. Ann says:

    Disney is a favorite of mine….and bruschetta is a favorite of mine! Yay to both!
    Ann recently posted..Healthy Food In the Midst of Indulgence

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