Keeping Vacation Going with Fire Roasted Tomato Bruschetta

Every vacation has a price. No, I'm not talking about the cost of the plane tickets, hotel room, and meals, although those can be just as painful. I'm talking about the price you pay when you return and found all that you left behind: the unread emails, the postponed work, the cranky kids, and the unpaid bills. Just one look at it all takes care of any lingering vacation zen.



This morning, after dropping off the kids for school and bidding goodbye to the grandparents who made the vacation possible, I started freaking out, completely overwhelmed by how much I had to do. But then I took a deep breath, and I attacked the to do list, one step at a time. I began with the most important, the weekly menu. It's funny how with some good meals in the near future, all the stress seems to melt away.



Tonight for dinner, I wanted to keep the fun and freshness of vacation going with some bruschetta. Unfortunately the winter supermarket tomatoes are so bland that they seem like a completely different fruit than the heirloom summer beauties I used to make bruschetta last August. Instead, I turned to fire roasted canned tomatoes for some bright flavor.



Bruschetta made from canned roasted tomatoes is definitely not the same as summer bruschetta, but it's just as delicious, in a different way. It's less about the bright acid of zesty tomatoes and more about the smooth caramel flavor obtained from the roasting. Both are deep red, but with distinctive flavor, each well suited to their season.



Just one bite of this winter bruschetta brought all the peace and serenity of vacation rushing back... for a few minutes.



Balsamic Fire Roasted Tomato Bruschetta with Buffalo Mozzarella

Ingredients:

1 baguette

1 can of Fire Roasted Tomatoes (I used Muir Glen Organic)

1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup of olive oil

salt

pepper

1 package of buffalo mozzarella, coarsely chopped into large chunks





Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Slice the baguette into 1 inch thick slices. Layer onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
Brush a little olive oil over each baguette slice. Toast in oven for 5 minutes.
Drain the canned tomatoes and pour into a bowl.
Add the balsamic vinegar and remaining olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste.
Remove the baguette toasts from the oven. Set on a platter.
Spoon some tomato mixture over each baguette slice. Top with a chunk of mozzarella.
Serve immediately.