Thursday, September 11, 2014
Men Are What They Eat & Tomato Artichoke Bruschetta
After two marriages and years of dating, I now
realize that everything you need to know about a man you can learn from his eating
habits. So let me share a few simple lessons with you that could save you years
of anguish, help you avoid horrific nights and allow you to find Mr. Wonderful.
1. If they think their salad looks like
"weeds," just say no. The first time I went out to eat with my
ex-husband he said this...I could have saved 8 years of my life and my house if
I would have just said "no." If he is critical of his salad, believe
me honey, he is critical of EVERYTHING!!
2. If a man invites you over for dinner and he
opens a nice bottle of wine...only to make you bacon and eggs...do not sleep
with him because he will just try to serve you bacon and eggs for breakfast as
well. Boring, immature and so not classy...Not hot!
3. If the guy lets you pick the restaurant for
dinner and you pick a Persian restaurant and he doesn't tell you until after
dinner (yes, he ate too) that he hates Persian food, give him an opportunity
for a second date. But let him pick the restaurant the second time. At least he has an open mind and he is willing to make sacrifices for you.
4. If a man is super picky about what he will and
won't eat, he is not the man for you. What a boring existence! Your life will
be devoid of passion and adventure and you will end up barefoot, pregnant, in
the kitchen making tuna casserole because that is all he will eat. Lame!
5. If he is excited because you can make
quesadillas in the microwave, can make pancakes from scratch, not a mix, poach
an egg without an egg pan and thinks you are a domestic goddess because you can
make bruschetta...he is a keeper...do not let him get away!!
Last week I was in Michigan and I realize that I
had a slightly more adventurous food childhood compared to most. However, there
are some things that I just take for granted...like the fact that everyone has
had diverse food experiences with things such as....microwave quesadillas or
cheese and wine, or artichokes. So when I made Tomato Artichoke Bruschetta and
the man almost fainted out of pure delight I knew that not only was he a
winner, but, so was my appetizer.
This appetizer is really incredibly easy and it has
great flavor and it is perfect for entertaining. The tomato and artichoke
mixture can be made ahead and can sit in the fridge for several hours. It never
hurts to let the flavors meld, just don't put it on the bread until you are
ready to serve it, because seriously, no one likes soggy bruschetta.
To begin, slice a baguette and place on a baking
sheet. Toast in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes, just so it has a slight
color.
Next combine the tomatoes, artichokes, red onion
and garlic. The first time I made this I used canned artichokes and the second
time I used marinated artichoke hearts. I actually liked the marinated
artichoke hearts better, as sometimes, canned artichoke just kind of tastes a
bit like the can. The extra flavor from the marinated artichoke hearts
definitely doesn't hurt anything, either.
A quick word of caution. This recipe calls for 3
cloves of garlic and the first time I made the recipe I used three cloves.
However, after waking up the next morning feeling like I was a garlic breathing
dragon (not hot), the second time I used 1 clove and I thought it was better
and a little more sexy.
The recipe also calls for champagne vinegar, but I
used balsamic vinegar and I really liked the flavor, but I am sure either would
work. The recipe also has you mix the olive oil and vinegar in a separate bowl,
but I just poured it over the artichoke tomato mixture and that worked just
fine.
Add the salt and pepper to taste.
Top the bread with the artichoke tomato
mixture.
And yet again I deviated from the recipe....the
recipe says to sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, which I did, however I put the
bruschetta back in the oven for 2 minutes just to get the cheese to melt
slightly and to warm the artichoke mixture. Sure I am biased, but I really
liked this added touch.
Here is the original recipe:
Ingredients:
Servings: 10
1 baguette, sliced in 1/2 inch pieces
1 (14 ounce) can water-packed artichoke hearts,
drained and chopped
1 cup seeded chopped tomato
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
3 cloves garlic, pressed
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
salt and pepper
parmesan cheese
flat leaf parsley, minced
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350.
2. Place sliced bread on ungreased baking sheet.
3. Bake in oven 10 minutes or until slightly
toasted.
4. In medium bowl combine artichokes tomatoes onion
garlic.
5. In another small bowl put in vinegar and add oil
in a small stream whisking while adding to make a vinaigrette.
6.Then add vinaigrette to arichoke mixture mixing
well.
7.Add salt and pepper to taste.
8.Top toasted bread with artichoke mixture to
cover.
9. Sprinkle with cheese.
10. Top with some parsley.
Overall, this recipe had a lot of really great flavors and textures. I
truly just think you can't go wrong with an olive oil and vinegar combination,
but the red onion added a nice bite to it and the artichokes and tomatoes just
can't make a better union. This appetizer can be served with either red or
white wine...yes, I tried both...and they worked equally as well. Cheers!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments
(Atom)
Visit My Website!
Subscribe To
Posts
Comments
0 comments:
Post a Comment