Day 176: Bruschetta

Day 176.

Bruschetta is one of my favorite summer dishes. It tastes so fresh and summery. There are a bajillion different ways to make it, but this is my favorite.

Here's what you'll need.

French bread (Walmart will slice it for you. Just ask)
2 roma tomatoes
garlic
olive oil
basil


Begin by dicing the tomatoes.


And placing them into a bowl.


Add in a couple of garlic cloves and a healthy sprinkle of basil. I don't measure, just go by taste.


Add in about a teaspoon of olive oil and give it a good stir. Set aside. This can actually be made up a day ahead of serving. Just keep it in the fridge.


Brush both sides of the bread with olive oil and place onto a grill over medium heat.


I like a bit of char on my bread. It won't take long to toast up.


Once it's toasty, take it off of the heat.


To serve, place one toast onto a plate.


And top with tomatoes. Yum. Summer on a plate :)

Day 170: Chauncey Ball League Nachos

Day 170.

This is the final recipe of Chauncey Ball stuff. This cheese sauce is served with nacho chips or big pretzels. Mmmm.

Here's what you'll need.

1 lb. sausage
1 stick butter
2 lbs. Velveeta
1 can Rotel
1 jar CheezWhiz or cheddar cheese sauce


Chop the Velveeta into chunks.


Add the sausage to a hot skillet.


Place the Velveeta and cheese sauce into a crockpot. I like to use crockpot liners here, 'cause this gets messy.


Add in the can of Rotel.


Melt the butter.


And add it to the crockpot too.


Once the sausage is browned, drain it well.


Add it to the crockpot.


Stir it all together and let it melt.

Day 164: Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

Day 164.

These were pretty tasty, and relatively quick to make. They would be nice to whip up to eat on the way to the ballpark, which was our plan. ;)

Here's what you'll need.

3/4 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
about 1 cup pepperoni
Basil
Pizza sauce, for serving

Preheat oven to 375*


In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder.


In a small bowl, beat the egg.


Stir in the egg and milk.


Stir in the cheese.


Stir until well combined.


Dice the pepperoni into small cubes.


Add those to the bowl.


Sprinkle in some basil.


Stir well, and set aside for 10 minutes.


Meanwhile, grease a mini muffin pan.


Place batter into pan.


Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes, until puffed and golden.


Serve with pizza sauce for dipping.

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In making these again, I would add some garlic as I found them kind of bland.

Vegetarians, sub in chopped peppers for pepperoni.

Day 146: Cheesy Bacon Fries

Day 146.

These are a favorite of ours. Sometimes we'll have them as an appetizer-y supper, other times as a snack. But they're always good!

Here's what you'll need.

a bag of frozen fries
shredded cheese
precooked bacon
dried chives


Cook fries according to package directions.


Place fries on plate.

X
Cover with the cheese...


then the bacon...


and the chives.

Microwave until the cheese is melted. Then dig in!

Day 131: Taquitos

Day 131.

We love taquitos, so I was really thrilled to find a recipe for home made ones!

Here's what you do.

Cook a 2 1/2 lb. beef roast with some garlic and cumin and 1/2 cup water in the crockpot until meat is tender.


Shred the beef. I did this the day before.

When it comes to assembly, you'll need

The beef
2/3 cups salsa
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
24 corn tortillas


Combine the beef, salsa and cheese in a large bowl.


Slightly dampen some paper towels and place on a plate. Lightly sprinkle water on the tortillas, and sit them on the damp towels. Cover with some more damp paper towels.


Microwave for about 45 seconds, or until pliable.


Lay out one tortilla, and top with 1/4 cup beef mixture.


Roll up. Repeat with all tortillas.

These can be frozen now and baked later, or baked now.

Heat oven to 400*.


Bake for 10 minutes, or until crispy.

Some of these split open, I think I had them rolled too tight, but it didn't affect the flavor at all.

Day 125: Cheesy Garlic Crescents

Day 125.

These crescents are super easy to make, and are a great side dish for pasta, subs or pizza.

Here's what you'll need.

1 can crescent rolls
Garlic salt
Basil
Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375* or whatever the crescent package states.


Unroll crescents and separate into individual triangles.


Top each triangle with garlic salt, basil and a bit of cheese.


Roll into crescent shape.


Bake as package directs, usually about 12 minutes.