Love through the Stomachs

Tonight was another dinner with family. It was pretty impromptu but still managed to whip up something quick and comforting. For dinner, I prepared…

angel hair bolognese
(my hearty sauce which I tend to make in large batches and freeze)a green salad with a homemade balsamic vinaigrettebaked spinach artichoke bruschetta

Here’s my recipe for the spinach artichoke bruschetta:

ciabatta bread, sliced thin
olive oil or cooking spray
1 cup frozen spinach
1 cup frozen artichoke hearts
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup grated asiago cheese
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
to taste: salt, pepper, onion powder

Brush both sides of each slice of bread with butter or cooking spray.
Place bread on baking sheet.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Combine remaining ingredients to make topping.
Top each slice with spinach artichoke topping.
Bake slices in preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Simple as Salame

Today was an easy & relaxing day. So in an effort to keep it easy in the kitchen, dinner tonight was simple and refreshing.For dinner, we had the Mediterranean Inspired Orzo Salad, to which I added diced cucumber and chicken for a fuller dish. To accompany the salad, I made a small board of munchies that included fresh green grapes, toasted baguette slices, butter crackers and some salame basil fontina rolls.Here’s the recipe for salame basil fontina rolls, great little appetizer or snack for any time of day:

1 pkg genoa salame, sliced
fontina or asiago cheese, sliced thin or thick
fresh basil leaves

On one slice of salame, place 1 basil leaf.
Top basil with a small slice fontina or asiago cheese.
Carefully roll salame and secure with toothpicks.