Mother's Day

Mother's Day Flowers courtesy of my dad

Last Sunday, I cooked dinner for my amazing mom. Some of my most vivid memories from when I was little involve my mom teaching me how to make apple pie, chocolate chip cookies, and pancakes. My love of cooking and baking started early and I can definitely thank my mom for that! So, what better way to show someone you love them than with food, am I right?


On the menu: bruschetta with sundried tomatoes and artichoke hearts, grilled cilantro-lime chicken with tomato, avocado, and pickled onions, and mixed berry pie with whipped cream. We've already covered pie here so I'll fill you in on the other two! One at a time though - first is the appetizer.


Artichoke Heart and Sundried Tomato Bruschetta:


This is an incredibly easy and delicious appetizer! You will need:


6-8 slices of good bread (ciabatta, french bread, probably not sourdough)
About 3/4 cup each of sundried tomatoes and artichoke hearts
1/3 cup pesto (my mom's homemade pesto is the best - I could eat it by the spoonful! but whatever you have available will be just fine)


Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Arrange bread slices on a baking sheet, you can brush them with a little olive oil if you want. Pop the bread in the oven for just 5-6 minutes to get it warm and a little toasty. Meanwhile, drain any excess oil off the sundried tomatoes and artichokes, and roughly chop them up together to combine them. They don't have to be very finely chopped, just enough to be manageable to chew. Combine them in a bowl with a pinch of salt and pepper, and even add a few chili flakes if you like.


Once your bread is toasted, spread a healthy dollop (like I've said before, I am no good at measuring - I'd say a dollop is about a tablespoon) of pesto on each slice.

Pesto, dolloped and spread

 Then use a spoon to mound the tomato/artichoke mixture on top. Then try to eat a bruschetta without spilling tomatoes all over yourself...harder than it sounds, trust me! But seriously, you might prefer a knife and fork to eat these.

Up next, tomorrow: grilled cilantro lime chicken with tomato, avocado, and pickled onion salsa! And don't worry, I didn't forget everyone's favorite part of the blog: