Cheater Bruschetta

So one time I was in Chicago & after shopping at Windy City Scrapbooks, I asked the sales clerk where we should eat lunch. She suggested we walk to the restaurant two doors down. It was there that I had the 2nd best Chicken Parm of my life and also where the idea for my bruscetta was born.

There, they brought us an appetizer of thinly sliced eggplant and a delicious mix of fresh tomatoes, roasted red peppers, onion, olive oil & balsamic to serve atop crusty bread. It was, in a word, amazing. I came home with that meal replaying in my head & decided to try to recreate it immediately.

Cheater Bruschetta
fresh tomatoes, diced--in the winter, I used canned tomatoes & drain most of the juice off
roasted red peppers (I use jarred...if you can do this yourself, I'm sure it would make the recipe even better)
balsamic vinegar--be sure this is a good-flavored vinegar, one you particularly like
loaf of crusty french bread, sliced

Combine the tomatoes, a few diced red peppers (I drain off most of the oil they're packed in) and top with balsamic. We personally love vinegar so we use a LOT but if you don't, you could just use enough to flavor the tomatoes & peppers. You can also use fresh basil or dried Italian seasoning but I don't because, well, I think basil is nasty. The original recipe had olive oil in it but I don't see any reason to add it--the little bit that sneaks in on the peppers is enough for me. Combine & let sit for several hours to let the flavors meld. Serve with a nice Italian bread.

Apple Annie's Appetizer Dip

This is served at a cute little restaurant at Artisan's Alley in San Antonio. It sounds weird but it really tastes great!