Italian Tomato Toasts..... {Bruschetta}

I love Italy for so many reasons (I wrote about it here) but one of the main reasons is the food. It's where I first fell in love with cooking, where I learnt to ramp of my cooking, to appreciate flavours and textures and most importantly to respect ingredients. If you have a piece of fish fresh from the boat cook it simply with the gentlest of seasoning, if you have a piece of fresh bread rub it with a juicy fresh garlic and a drizzle of local olive oil, ripe peaches are amazing if you grill them and serve with a drizzle of honey... you catch my drift. Simplicity is the key to beautiful Italian cooking and having a glut of tomatoes growing in the garden I used them to make this simple, traditional Italian starter which is done so badly throughout the UK in fake Italian restaurants. This is how it should be done. 

 Italian Bruschetta

400g cherry tomatoes, roughly diced - I used red and yellow

1/4 red onion, very finely diced

balsamic vinegar

good quality olive oil

Ciabatta loaf (or any other stone baked white loaf), cut into thin slices and toasted

clove of garlic

S&P

basil

take the tomatoes and onion and mix together with a small dash of balsamic vinegar and a good glug of olive oil. season well and then leave to rest at room temperature for at least half an hour so flavours can develop. Take the toasted bread and rub one side of each piece with the garlic and a drizzle of olive oil. when ready to serve, add a spoonful of bruschetta onto each toast and a couple of the really small leaves of basil for decoration. This is a great canape or starter and goes very well with a chilled glass of prosecco

Linking up with Honest Mum 

And with Delcious Dish Tuesday with  Full Time Mama 

A Surprising Taste Sensation {Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Dates}

Well it's been an eventful weekend of moving house, and finally I feel like we're pretty much there. Moving in with H is a big step for both of us and despite last minute panics, now that I am in I am very excited for our future together as a "cohabiting" couple (eeek, who'd have thought the day would come)!

In honour of this I am blogging one of H's favourite things I make, although to be fair he seems to love everything I put down in front of him, but this is the one he will often talk about! When I first stumbled upon this recipe I was very dubious I'm no lover of goats cheese or dates and yet this starter is both wonderfully unusual as well as tasting fantastic. I have yet to serve this to anyone who has not loved it so I urge you to give it a go – you won’t regret it! These dates also make a fantastic canapé and with just a few ingredients you know you are on to a winner, I often make these with some Gorgonzola and some goats cheese - variety is the spice of life. 

Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Dates  

Dates – I used a large pack (yielded around 25-30 dates), pitted and cut down the middle. 
Approx. 150g of your favourite Goats Cheese (Gorgonzola works just as well)
15 pieces of streaky bacon, cut in half (smoked is best)

This really couldn’t be simpler – just take a small amount of the cheese and stuff it in to the middle of the date. Wrap the bacon around quite tightly and secure with a cocktail stick. Lay on a tray which I recommend you have covered with tin foil (will save on the washing up later). Bake in the oven for around 25 minutes at 180°C, turning once. Allow to cool for approx 5 minutes before serving as they get very hot. I served three stuffed dates on a slice of toasted ciabatta with a dressed salad on the side and it went down a treat - there were plenty leftover for seconds! You can prep these the night / morning before and keep them in the fridge until you are ready to pop them in the oven, making them even easier.  

I'm linking up this post with Alesha for Delicious Dish Tuesday

 

And  Supergolden bakes!  

Hosting a Spa party at Home {My Temple Spa Party}

Here in the UK there is great company called Temple Spa  who make some lush products - that are really great for the skin! The best thing about the company is that their representative comes to your house and you have a mini facial as you learn about the products. Its a great chance to get the girls together and have a girly pamper!

When I was organising my party I knew that the food had to be important and look great. In fitting with the night I also made sure it was all super healthy! Here's how it looked:

The Spread!

The Food:

 Kale Crisps 

Bake kale in an oven with some S&P and a little olive oil until crisp

Baked Tortilla Chips and Dip

Cut Tortillas into triangles and put under a grill for a few minutes until golden and then turn and do the same. Serve with guacamole and salsa

Salmon on Rye

Cut some Rye bread into small squares, top with extra light soft cheese, some smoked salmon, a squeeze of lemon and some black pepper

Mushroom Pate and Rosemary Biscuits

not going to lie - i bought these
Hummus and Crudites
I bought the hummus and cut up celery, peppers and carrots to dunk 

Chocolate strawberries

melt some dark chocolate and dunk the strawberries in. Chill and then serve 

Fruit Kebabs

Cocktail stick with cubes of fruit and grapes - easy! 

The food was a hit and the fact that it was guilt free really helped!  I decorated the table simply with fresh flowers and little tags saying what each item was. I think its really easy to go overboard with these sorts of things so I tried not to make to much and kept it to little nibbles. Once I came in from work I only had an hour or so to get ready so it had to be quick! 

Chocolate strawberries - everyone's favourite

The Drinks:

Prosecco - Our favourite

Raspberry Fizz

Prosecco with a fresh raspberry

Ginger Lemonade 

Sparkling water with freshly squeezed lemon juice and slices of fresh ginger 

Spa Water 

jug filled with water, ice, lemon, lime and cucumber

Ginger Lemonade ans a bit of the spa water!

And there you have it, my ideas for throwing a Spa party. You could always do your own and do face masks, pedicures and manicure.... Although its much easier when someone comes and does it for you!