wow! this is kind of genius. why have i never heard of this before? why i have i never eaten this before?

INGREDIENTS

½ loaf French bread
1 clove garlic
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 tomatoes, medium chopped
2 avocados, medium chopped
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
¼ cup chopped cilantro
2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

Slice the French bread on the diagonal into ½” rounds and place on a baking sheet.

Toast the sliced bread in the oven for 3 minutes, then flip each piece over and toast an additional 3 minutes.

Remove the toasted bread from the oven and immediately rub with the clove of garlic (it works best to first cut a small tip off the garlic clove so that the oils will seep out).

Brush the tops of the garlic-rubbed toasts with olive oil and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the chopped tomatoes, avocado, onion, cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper. Mix together gently making sure the avocado is well coated in the lime juice.

Spoon a portion of the mixture onto each of the garlic toasts and serve.

source: www.justataste.com

layered dip in a shot glass.

with a drizzle of honey! *smacks lips*

Watermelon and Cheese Bites

• Cubed watermelon
• Mozzarella - either the small round variety, or regular fresh mozzarella cut into cubes
• Very thin sliced prosciutto
• Small fresh mint leaves
• Olive oil
• Balsamic vinegar
• Toothpicks

1. Mix equal parts oil and vinegar - about 1/8 cup of each to start and increase depending on how many you are making.  Mix cheese and vinegar mixture until cheese is lightly coated.

2. Assemble watermelon, cheese, small folded pieces of prosciutto and mint leaves in whatever order you like.  Serve at once. 

source: mylifeonepictureatatime.blogspot.com

hell yes. the ultimate christmas time meal appetizer. i tried an award winning triple cream brie from quebec a few weeks ago and i’ve been thinking about it ever since. now THAT’s the sign of a delectable treat, donchathink?

Fig, Goat Cheese, and Caramelized Onion Crostini 

baguette, sliced and toasted
2 onions worth of caramelized onions
12 fresh figs
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 
1 teaspoon of honey
1/3 cup water
Goat’s cheese
Pepper, to taste

Cut figs in half and scoop out the seeds and pulp with a spoon. In a small saucepan, add the fig seeds and pulp, balsamic vinegar, honey, 1/3 cup water, and a pinch of salt. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 5-10 minutes until thickened.

Spread fresh goat’s cheese on toasts and top with freshly cracked black pepper. Spoon balsamic fig reduction over the goat cheese and top with caramelized onions. Add a little slice of fig to the top for presentation. 

cherry tomato bocconcini bites

i saw these at a party a few months ago and was impressed by the simplicity. they are easy and SUPER tasty! i serve them when people come over and i also make em for a quick, lazy lunch for myself sometimes (like today).

all you need: sweet cherry tomatoes, mini bocconcini balls, basil leaves.

you can cut the cheese and tomatoes in half like in the picture above, or just leave them whole. you can add some salt, pepper and olive oil or just eat it plain.

delish.

Cherry Tomato Bites 

cherry tomatoes - as many as you like

olive oil

salt, pepper

fresh mozerella, cubed into small pieces

basil, sliced

1 Cut a small slice off the end of each cherry tomato. This is so that the tomatoes will sit level when standing upright. (Make sure not to cut too big of a slice or else the cup wont have a bottom.)
2 Make another slice  on the opposite side of the tomato and scoop out the pulp inside using a mellon baller or small spoon. Be careful not to puncture the skin on the bottom. Don’t worry about what it looks like because it will be stuffed.3 Arrange tomatoes on aluminum foil, all standing upright and hollow. Sprinkle all the cups with kosher salt and pepper.
4 Place cubed mozerella in each cup.You can experiment with the size of the mozerella but I prefer the tomatoes to be really stuffed!5 Drizzle olive oil over all the stuffed cups.
6 Garnish each tomato bite with a basil slice 7 Transfer the bites onto a serving platter and chill until ready to serve.
courtesy of: http://thezoeblog.blogspot.com