GARDEN BRUSCHETTA RECIPE: A Family Affair
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If you grow a veggie garden in the summer, you understand the struggle of finding ways to use up all of your yummy produce. All of a sudden you have 125 zucchinis, 86 yellow squash, and 562 tomatoes... and it's go-time. What's the best thing to do with 562 tomatoes, you ask? Yup, bruschetta, baby!
My hubs, Jay, grows a mean garden. I don't know how he does it. It's a foreign concept to me since I kill every plant in my path. He won't let me near the garden. I mean, I'm not even allowed to water it. Plants get sick if I'm even near them and I swear you can hear the garden cough when I step outside.
Out of everything in our garden, Jay and I both love the tomatoes the most. I mean really, is there anything that's as delicious as fresh, garden tomatoes? Not too many things, that's for sure!
Jay grows at least five or six different kinds every year. One of the things we wait for all year long is our Garden Bruschetta. Omg, it is so delicious! We can't get enough of it!
We love it so much, we started a family tradition three years ago. We call it Family Bruschetta Movie Night.
Family Bruschetta Movie Night happens every time we have a big batch of garden tomatoes... Which happens often, given the fact that Jay is the Garden Whisperer. So what do we do on Family Bruschetta Movie Night, you ask?
Well, we make bruschetta of course! We set up a table smack dab in the middle of the living room in front of the TV, we rent a movie, we all have our own bowl of tomatoes, and then we proceed to dice tomatoes like bosses while we watch the show.
It's so much fun!
Okay, I'm gonna let you in on a little secret.
Shhhhh, don't tell anyone.
I was so damn sick of dicing tomatoes all by myself for hours on end while my family had fun all around me, I had to come up with a way to get out of it. I would dice tomatoes for what seemed like eons and then as soon as I was done, our 3,900 tomato plants spit out a new harvest. I had to find a way to get my life back. The tomatoes had stolen my life from me. My family continued frolicking in the summer sun while I was stuck at the table dicing tomatoes with pruned fingers.
Eureka! That's it! I will fabricate an entire evening around roping my family into helping me dice tomatoes! Omg, it was genius. Genius, I tell you!
Now don't get me wrong, it really is fun and it is truly a wonderful family tradition that we all look forward to, but it was created as a result of my dicing woes, hehe.
My girls get so excited each and every time. Kids love doing anything different. Sometimes the littlest change or the slightest out-of-the-ordinary event gets them so tickled. They just love setting up shop in the living room. They especially love getting to use knives. Now, they are only allowed to use plastic knives or butter knives but still, they normally aren't allowed even those. I mean they're little kids! But under strict supervision, we let them use the dull knives. It's pretty difficult to dice tomatoes with a butter knife, but they don't care at all, they keep hacking away just happy to feel like 'big' kids using knives.
Happy munchkins helping prepare a healthy dish and having family fun at the same time. You can't ask for more than that on a Wednesday night :)
The very first time we had Family Bruschetta Movie Night, about 20 minutes in, Jay looked over at me, raised his eyebrow, and whispered, "Don't think I don't know what this family night is all about. I'm onto you."
Whatever dude, just keep dicing! And so he has... Three years later we're all still loving our Bruschetta Nights... and we're all still dicing!
This is a lot like the face I got when the jig was up, hehe.
But enough about my dicing dupery and tomato trickery, you want the recipe, right?
Go gather up your favorite kinds of tomatoes and prepare for a party in your mouth!
GARDEN BRUSCHETTA RECIPE
*Note: If you have a small family or are just making this for yourself, you can halve the recipe. But you might regret it after you taste it ;)
WHATCHU NEED:
- 12 cups of diced Tomatoes (Any of your preferred varieties)
- 1 cup finely chopped Green Onions or Leeks
- 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan Cheese
- 1/4 cup dried Parsley
- 1 TBS dried Basil
- 2 tsp Garlic Salt
- 1/4 tsp Pepper
- 1/4 tsp Salt
WHATCHU DO:
1. Put your diced tomatoes in a large bowl.
2. Before you add all of your ingredients to your diced tomatoes, drain the tomatoes the best you can. I use a slotted spoon and transfer the tomatoes from one bowl to another.
You'll be left with quite a bit of tomato juice.
3. Add all remaining ingredients to your tomatoes and stir well. After stirring, do a taste test. If desired, you can then add more seasoning or cheese depending on your own personal preference. Just keep stirring and tasting until you have it perfectly suited for you.
And that's it! You're done!
You will have a full 14 cup container of ridiculous yumminess!
* If you really want to WOW everyone, serve your delicious garden bruschetta with garlic bread made from sliced french baguette bread. You will wow party guests and picnic goers like nobody's business! I promise you that people will make themselves sick by eating so much...
and then thank you for it!
It's super easy!
GARLIC BREAD DIRECTIONS:
1. Slice your bread and put on a cookie sheet that's lined with foil or parchment paper.
2. Brush each piece of bread with olive oil and then lightly season with garlic salt and parsley.
3. Put under the broiler for just a few minutes (WATCH CLOSELY!)
People will go nuts for this stuff!!!!
But you don't even need to eat this bruschetta with bread to enjoy the deliciousness of it! I eat mine plain with a big spoon!
OTHER WAYS TO SERVE YOUR GARDEN BRUSCHETTA
1. USE AS A TOPPING FOR TACOS AND TACO SALADS
2. USE AS A HAMBURGER TOPPING
3. SERVE WITH A BEEF DISH. Makes a super yummy relish for marinated flank steak!
4. MIX WITH COTTAGE CHEESE. Super yummy snack!
5. SERVE ON TOP OF YOUR EGGS IN THE MORNING OR IN AN OMELET. This is actually my favorite way to eat my bruschetta. Omg, I can't get enough!
6. MIX WITH RICE FOR A NEW SIDE DISH
7. USE AS A SALAD TOPPING
8. USE AS A TOPPING FOR DELI SANDWICHES
9. USE AS A TOPPING FOR SLOPPY JOES
10. USE AS A TOPPING FOR CHICKEN PARMESAN
Okay, there are a ton more ways to eat up this yummy, healthy dish! Just use your imagination. Imagination never tasted so good!
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For another delicious garden recipe, try my
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*The information on this site is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. All content in this article is for general information purposes only. I am not a doctor, nor am I a dietitian. Talk to your physician before making any changes in your diet or exercise regimen. The information found in this article is from various sources which include, but are not limited to, the sites listed above. I encourage you to do your own research and talk with your physician before making any changes in diet or exercise. What has worked for me may not work for you. This information in this article or on this website should never replace or serve as medical advice.
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