Food, Glorious Food

One of the items I like to have for parties is the Meza Sicilian Bruschetta I get at Costco. It’s a mixture of tomatoes, garlic, and green and black olives.

Aside from being delicious on crackers or chips, the leftovers are great for tossing into some scrambled eggs, throwing on a salad as a salad dressing, or my favorite – using it as a pasta sauce. If you want, you can throw in some tuna, and presto! An instant puttanesca sauce. (By the way, my Italian friends tell me that bruschetta is pronounced “bru-SKET-ah”, not “bru-SHET-ah”.)

Carole had to go and get me hooked on The Pioneer Woman Cooks with her post about the French Breakfast Puffs. The recipes are well worth reading for the entertainment value, even if you don’t cook. But it’s nice that she gives you some great tips along with the recipe, like how to chop onions or chiffonade basil (both of which I learned in a cooking class). One of the recipes I looked at was the Olive Cheese Bread. It occurred to me that I could make something similar using my bruschetta. So I mushed together a tablespoon of softened butter and a tablespoon of mayo, threw in some grated cheese (a combination of Parmigiano Reggiano and Tillamook Vintage White Extra Sharp Cheddar), and a big spoonful of the bruschetta. I spread it on a piece of Crumb Brothers bread, and broiled it in the toaster oven. I’ve no idea if it tastes anything like the Olive Bread recipe, but it certainly was good!