To die for Bruschetta

1 small baguette
1 clove garlic (or 1 tsp crushed garlic)
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 lb soft Mozzarella cheese
1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half
1 Tbs fresh chopped basil
1 Tbs Balsamic vinegar (reduction if you like - me likey)
<--- not my photo.  My photo has  thicker cheese and clearly seen vinegar.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice baguette about 1/4 inch thick and arrange on a pizza pan or cookie sheet. In small bowl or custard dish, mix the olive oil and garlic. Spread evenly on each slice of bread. Bake at 400 until slightly browned, about 10 minutes.

While bread is baking, slice your mozzarella cheese about 1/4 inch thick. I use Precious soft mozzarella. Slice your grape tomatoes in half. Set aside. Chop your basil and set that aside.

Remove bread from oven and place a slice of cheese, a sprinkle of grape tomatoes and a toss of chopped basil on top.

Sprinkle lightly with balsamic vinegar (or reduction) and serve while bread is warm.

Balsamic Reduction:

Place two cups balsamic vinegar in a small frying pan or wok if you have one (you could use a small sauce pan too but shallow pans work better for me). Heat on high to a boil. Add 1/2 teaspoon of sugar and stir until dissolved. Reduce heat to a simmer and stir until about 3/4 of the vinegar is gone. The reduction is complete when it reaches the consistency of a syrup. Drizzle reduction across tops of bread.

NOTE: reduction is much stronger in flavor than simple balsamic vinegar. It can be overpowering so use sparingly unless you really have a taste for it.

Crostini (crispy garlic bread)

1 French baguette, cut into diagonal 1/2 inch slices
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup butter or margarine (beware, margarine is watery)
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Set the oven to broil at 425 degrees F

In a small saucepan, combine the olive oil, butter and garlic. Set over medium heat, and cook until butter has melted and the mixture starts to bubble. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.

Dip each slice of bread into the garlic mixture, turning to coat each side. Place Parmesan cheese on a plate. Press one side of each piece of bread into the cheese, and place cheese side up on a baking sheet.

Broil on the middle rack of the preheated oven for about 8 minutes, or until golden brown.

Cream Cheese YUM!

At the request of those Crazy Hip Blog Mama's, this is one of my favorite dishes during the holiday. Easy to make and fun to eat! Throw it on your list of appetizers and your guests will go wild!

Cream Cheese Yum!

10 slices Deli Ham
10 small green onions (cut off root and leave about 1 1/2 inch of green stem)
10 slices thin Salami
10 baby dill pickles quarters
1 small tub spreadable cream cheese

Spread cream cheese onto piece of ham or salami, add an onion or pickle (not both) and roll up.

Switch off so you have half ham with pickle and the other half with onion, and do the same with the salami. Refrigerate for 1 hour and serve chilled.

Variations:

Use flavored cream cheeses and try other deli meats. Turkey is very good with the cream cheese and cranberry sauce. Enjoy!