Bruschetta - Tips for making it best

Sure tomato bruschetta is simple, but did you know you can probably make it better?
Here are five tips for making it better.
It's one of the most delicious things you'll ever put in your mouth.

- Grill the bread.
- Rub with a whole clove of garlic.
- Use the freshest, sweetest tomatoes you can.
- Use room temperature tomatoes.
- Season and walk away.

Ingredients
3-4 (1/2lb)  Medium fresh tomatoes at room temperature.
2-3 Tb  Extra Virgin Olive Oil
6  Basil Leaves, sliced (dried basil is ok to taste)
2 cloves  Garlic
Italian or French bread
Salt and Pepper to taste
Cucumber, chopped to taste
Balsamic Glaze to taste

Directions
Chop tomatoes and cucumbers into 1/4 inch chunks and add to a bowl with a pinch of salt, pepper and 1-2 Tb olive oil. And add sliced basil leaves. Stir and let sit for 10 minutes.
Heat the grill pan over medium heat. Drizzle bread slices with olive oil(1 Tb) then grill 2 minutes on each side.
Remove bread then lightly rub one side with garlic - the heat and friction from the bread causes the garlic to "melt" into the bread. 
Stir tomatoes one more time, taste then adjust with salt and pepper as needed. Heap the tomato mixture onto each piece of bread. Drizzle a little of the juice that remains at the bottom of the bowl of the tomato mixture.
If you want, drizzle a balsamic glaze onto the tomato mixture.
Then serve it as an appetizer,a first course or just a snack  while you are watching TV.

Enjoy!

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Simple Tomato Soup

It's my first tomato soup!
I found the easiest tomato soup recipe, so I tried to make it.
It's such an easy recipe, but you can make wonderful tomato soup.
What should you prepare for easy tomato soup?
Just tomato, olive oil and agave syrup.
You throw all the ingredients into a Le Creuset pot and stir. That's it!!

Ingredients
Directions
The olive oil and tomatoes completed the tomato soup. It is very delicious!
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8  Vine Tomatoes
1-2  Basil Leaves
Olive Oil  to taste
Agave Syrup  to taste

Clean tomatoes, then chop into quarters.
Put chopped tomatoes into the iron pot with olive oil and stir-fry quickly.
Cover, turn heat low and slowly simmer for 40 minutes and stir during cooking time.
Although I didn't add water, tomato juice came from the tomatoes. AMAZING!
Add agave syrup to taste. Add some salt in order to enhance sweetness.
If you like sprinkle with chopped basil.

I only wish it would have made more than two bowls.
Yummy!

The Cutest Socks :)

How does it look?  Is it cute??
Yes, I think these are super cute - toally my style!
One is a bear and the other is a cat, of course it's socks!
I bought them at the Express Bus Terminal Shopping Mall in Seoul Korea.
Express Bus Terminal doubles as both a subway stop and a bus terminal. At ground level, there is the luxury department store's entrance(Shinsegae) and endless rows of shops. It is really endless - there are over 300 stores.  It's one of the best places to go on a shopping trip in Korea. Monstrous place!

On the east end, there are shops that sell dishes, furniture, lighting, blankets, flowers, and plants. It's my favorite place. I used to buy wooden spoons, skewers and tea coasters when I visited in Korea. I think the bear tea coaster is the cutest thing! Awwwww so cute!!

Just a tip: Cash only and if you buy a lot you may be able to bargain for a couple of bucks.


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Homemade Quiche

To celebrate my friend's pregnancy I made a quiche. 

I couldn't decide between broccoli and mushroom, so I combined them into one. Great!

I used bacon, onion, mushroom and broccoli. Depending on your tastes you can use other ingredients like asparagus, spinach, sweet corn and potato....

Ingredients

1 Cup  Broccoli, chopped

1 Cup  Mushroom, sliced and stir-fried

1/4 lb   Bacon, cooked and crumbled

1/2  Onion, sliced and stir-fried

1/2 Cup  Heavy  Cream

1/2 Cup  Milk

1 1/2 Cups  Shredded Parmesan Cheese

3  Eggs, beaten

1  Frozen Pie Crust, thawed

Salt and Pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine eggs, milk, cream, salt and pepper.

Layer mushroom, onion, broccoli and bacon and spread cheese in the pie crust, then pour egg mixture on top.  Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until top of quiche begins to turn brown.

I wrapped it with parchment paper and twine and I made a printable baking label. It's my label!! How does it look?
And...
I finally left a message.
Hope my homemade quiche makes her happy.   :-)

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Soy Pickled Chili Pepper - Gochu Jangajji

One of my favorite summer pickled vegetables is also one of the easiest.

How easy is this pickle?
Chili peppers, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and water in a jar, that's it!!

JangAjji is the Korean name for this  type of pickle.
Pickling liquid can be based on vinegar or soy sauce.
Today, the recipe I am sharing is based on soy sauce.

Ingredients
2 Cups        Korean Chili peppers  
1 Cup        Water                          
3/4 Cup      Vinegar  
1 Cup          Soy Sauce
1 Cup          Sugar
      
Directions
Cut chili peppers into big bite-sized pieces and put it into a glass jar.
Combine  and heat all the ingredient for the pickling liquid - water,  vinegar, soy sauce and sugar until the sugar dissolves.
When the pickling liquid starts boiling turn it off and pour it over the chili peppers.
Make sure the peppers are covered with HOT liquid.  It keeps the pickle crispy.
Leave it out at room temperature for a day and then relocate to fridge.
Refrigerate for 3 days then enjoy.

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Grilling Dinner

Now, just in time for barbecue, my husband's colleagues from work visited my house!!

I love to serve a refreshing drink and tea to everyone before dinner.

One is iced lemon water and  the other is Korean tea 

- Solomon´s seal tea.

Isn't it the sweetest thing? Hello little bear.

My husband grilled beef and vegetables while I was preparing side dishes like vegetable sticks, romaine lettuce, Korean style egg salad, pickled cucumber and Kimchi.

Especially, carrot and cucumber sticks made my table fresher.
These are tea coasters. It's my favorite thing!! Ha Ha Ha

I also served rice and spinach soup after my husband finished grilling.OMG-

I didn't take a picture of it because I ran out of time, that's why. Phew-
But,continuous grilling and chatting made for a bountiful dinner table.
YUMMY.