Goat Cheese and Tomato Bruschetta

This recipe was prepared by Alicia's boyfriend Jim and was one of my favorite dishes. I am not a fan of goat cheese, bit it seemed to work well on this dish and it makes an awesome presenting on a platter. Jim used a wonderful sour dough baguette from Trader Joe's, but a French one will do. The goat cheese he used also came from Trader Joe's and was, I believe, a garlic herb concoction. Use what you like, but if you do go with a plain goat cheese,l rub the bread with garlic after toasting. Since I don't have exact proportions I will write the recipe as I saw Jim prepare it.

Goat Cheese and Tomato Bruschetta

Take 1 baguette and slice about 1/2 an inch or less, brush one side with olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Place under broiler and watch closely so you don't burn the bread. When golden brown remove from oven and spread with goat cheese. Top each piece with sliced tomato and sprinkle with fresh chopped basil. Place on a platter and serve.

Ricotta & Honey Bruschetta

If you want an easy party appetizer or a good pre-dinner treat, this is the recipe. I prepared this recently at my friend Alicia's Oscar party and it was a hit. I came across this recipe at food52.com and was glad I did. There are some slight changes to the original recipe, but I feel that is what makes cooking so fun, being able to adapt a recipe and make it your own.

Ricotta & Honey Bruschetta

1 loaf French baguette
extra-virgin olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, cut in half
2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
Sea salt
Honey
2 lemons
fresh chopped basil

Cut bread into 1/2 inch slices, brush one side with olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Place under broiler, watching carefully, remove when golden brown. Rub bread slices with cut garlic. Smear with ricotta and place on a serving platter. Sprinkle with salt, drizzle with honey and using a microplane, grate lemon zest over the top. Sprinkle with basil and serve.

Avocado and Cilantro Hummus

Recently, we were in Phoenix staying with our friend Alicia and as usual we had a day of cooking. This cooking day coincided with a Oscar party, so we worked on dishes that were party friendly. I came across this recipe on cleananddelicious.com and was pleased with the results. I actually added extra cilantro to mine and then sprinkled some on top for presentation. Use as little or much as you like. I used olive oil in my recipe but you can use tahini if you prefer. Add more water or oil if you want a smoother dip.

Avocado and Cilantro Hummus

1 15oz can Garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 large avocado
3 cloves garlic
3 Tbsp chopped cilantro, plus extra for topping
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp water
1 1/2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp kosher salt

Combine everything but oil in the bowl of food processor and with machine running, drizzle olive oil into bowl, until well blended. Serve in a bowl topped with fresh chopped cilantro.