Caramelized Red Onion and Goat Cheese Crostini

Blake and I were at a wedding in Crested Butte a few weekends ago.  The food was amazing! In particular the rehearsal dinner had this little appetizer that we all couldn't get enough of.  They were perfect little finger foods for nibbling on while enjoying a glass of wine. I think they paired especially well with a hefty glass of red wine! I asked the cocktail waitress what was on the crostini and my guess was almost spot on.  Not only caramelized onions, but caramelized red onions which I've never made.  The white creamy spread was nothing but my favorite, goat cheese!  I have a whole post on Caramelized Onions that will help you folks that have never done it.  It's not hard, just takes a little time that is well worth it!

Ingredients:

-1 long loaf French bread

-2 medium red onions

-2 (5.3 ounce) pyramids of spreadable goat cheese (make sure not to get the crumbles)

-1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

-1/8 cup olive oil for brushing, or olive oil spray

-microgreens or fresh thyme sprigs for garnish

-salt and pepper to taste

Tuscan Panzanella

This is to die for.  I know that doesn't sound too humble, but it wasn't my recipe....so I guess I can say that.  I stumbled upon this in an old cookbook, Easy Summer Food, and happened to have every ingredient on hand.  I keep a well stocked pantry, but that doesn't usually happen! 

Panzanella is a Tuscan dish, hence the title.  It's a salad with crusty bread, roasted tomatoes and other fresh veggies with an olive oil and vinegar dressing. Yum. 

Ingredients:

-6 very ripe tomatoes (you'll notice I was a few short)

-3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

-5-6 slices of Italian bread, preferably a few days old

-1/2 cucumber, seeded and chopped

-1/4 red onion, chopped

-1 Tbsp chopped Italian/flat leaf parsley

-1/2 cup oliv oil

-2 Tbsp white wine vinegar

-handful of basil, roughly torn

-3 Tbsp capers, rinsed and drained

-1 tsp balsamic vinegar (optional)

-sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Rustic Homemade Croutons

My favorite thing to do with old French bread: make croutons!  You can use them on a salad, plopped on top of a bowl of soup or just eat them out of the baggy you store them in (like my roommate and I do).  This is super easy and quick.

Ingredients:

-1-2 day-old french bread (or older...mine was a week old!)

-1-2 Tbsp of olive oil or olive oil cooking spray

-1-2 tsp garlic powder

-1-2 tsp dried parsley

* These measurements are estimates because it depends on how much bread you use.