cause for celebration

Did I ever tell you about my large family?  My obscenely large, almost-too-many-people-to-count family?    Maybe it’s just me but every time a holiday or family function rolls around, I have to do a mental headcount to determine how many people to cook or prepare for.  I’ll start keeping track once everyone stops having babies.  If that ever happens.

So the family function of the month was my dad’s 75^th birthday party on March 6.  We had a surprise party in honor of this awesome milestone, and we celebrated with a fraction of our extended family and a few of my parents’ close friends. 


This, friends, is what I made:

I got this Bruschetta recipe from a girl I work with.  It’s so simple and delicious, and looking at this picture again I want some in my mouth right now.  Anyway.  There’s quite a bit of chopping involved, but this recipe goes a long way.  We had about 35 guests and I made one batch, which was plenty when paired with everything else that was served.  I also plan on making this again soon to pack for lunch during the work-week. 

Happy birthday Dad!  You mean more to us then you could ever know.  We love you!

Bruschetta

All the listed ingredients need to be finely chopped: 

1 yellow bell pepper

½ Vidalia onion or purple onion

1 medium zucchini (do not use the seed pulp)

1 red bell pepper or a medium jar of chopped pimentos

1 jar of marinated artichokes (drained)

6-8 medium roma tomatoes (remove the seeds and pulp, use only the meat attached to the skin)

Option: add 1 cup of finely chopped genoa salami 

Mix in large bowl, then add:

 3 tablespoons capers

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

8-10 basil leaves, finely chopped

3 gloves of garlic, finely chopped

½ - 1 cup of fresh grated Romano/Parmesan cheese

Drizzle olive oil over all, toss until well coated. Let sit over night for the flavors to meld.  Before serving, salt to taste and add more olive oil if necessary.  Serve with toasted garlic bread rounds.