Happy Go Stuckey

Tethering Grace & Togetherness

Hello, July.

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They say you aren’t supposed to make excuses when you take an unexpected blogging break… so this is me, quietly slipping in the side door— Hi.

At Hopewriters, we say that “we write meaningful words without sacrificing our meaningful lives” and friend, I have to be honest and say that in this season of life– I often have to chose writing far less words in favor of my meaningful life– namely my people.

I will always be here intermittently– but when I’m not, know that I am cheering you on– in your own meaningful life. In the interim, I am still writing, still working on a project that (really I mean it this time,) is almost ready and of course, still popping in over here almost daily. Hope-filled things are always on the way– and I treasure being able to pop in and share them with you. Today, we are smack dab in the middle of a sweltering Georgia summer and I have a short list of things I’m enjoying that I’d like to share with you.

loving lately:

Finishing a good book as a family. This week we are finishing Harry Potter & The Chamber of Secrets in this fun edition and I can hardly wait to watch the movie as a family. The entire read-aloud experience with this book has been so long and satisfying, though the girls would say it’s been agony because we make them wait so long between books. Ha!

Making small changes for good. I recently realized that I wasn’t taking very good care of my face. When I listened to this podcast episode, I was 110% overwhelmed with Jamie Golden’s skincare routine but she gifted me with several good tips. The top 2 things I’ve begun– I wish I would have started sooner. But they’re simple… and bonus, from the drugstore.

1. An excellent (budget-friendly) night cream. Five weeks, I can absolutely feel a difference in my face texture.

2. A mineral facial sunscreen that doesn’t flake, dry out, or affect my makeup in any way. Score.

You might already be using these two simple steps because you are an actual grown-up, unlike myself– but I think I lost track of my facial regimen somewhere in the baby having years and am just trying to find it again. (But you know, it’s the only face we have and all that jazz.)

Making Iced Lattes at Home. My current Starbucks order is summer in a plastic cup with a green straw and all, thankyouverymuch Bri Mckoy — but I really, really need the life skill that is making a killer copycat in the comfort of my sunny kitchen. And sometimes we just *need* iced lattes to accompany this Hawaiian Banana Bread.

So here’s my super simple take on an iced latte. 2 shots of chilled espresso (I might even make it 2.5) in a 16 oz. mason jar 3/4 full of ice. Add a splash of half and half and then add milk until it’s the color you like. (so scientific!) Put the lid on and shake it. optional- add simple syrup. My #1 key is this stove-top espresso pot. We’ve had it for years and it’s completely dependable.

A summertime ‘less is more’ wardrobe. Do you have certain outfit staples that you adore? I have a pair of white jeans that I have worn about 3-4 times a week since April. It’s so easy to throw on some sandals and a top and go when I have to get dressed up. My friend Michele owns a boutique in Florida and sent me the cutest kimono to pair with my white jeans. I love these happy colors! Her shop also has some adorable linen pants in stock right now. See something fun? Save 15% off with the code, HAPPYGOSHOP

On the BlueHouse Bookshelves:

  • The House at Riverton, Kate Morton. (This is the last of Kate Morton’s books that I have yet to read and it has a definite Downton Abbey/ upstairs-downstairs feel to it.)
  • A Fatal Grace, Louise Penny. (My 2nd Inspector Gamache novel)
  • Placemaker, Christie Purifoy.
  • Kitchen Yarns, Ann Hood. (Thanks, Kristin for this rec!)

I also just picked up We Were Lucky Ones this weekend and am hoping for a somewhat happy ending in spite of the wartime story line. Have you read it?

What are you reading these days? Cooking? Loving?

As always, I only ever share things with you that I’m enjoying myself. You may often find an affiliate link or two, which only serves to keep the lights lit and the coffee pouring. Thank you for joining me here in this space.

Spring Favorites

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Spring is absolutely in the air… and covering our car, porch, and every outside surface. The season gifts us watery eyes and frequent sneezing fits– but it’s still one of the best times of the year! 🌿

In our town, there is an extra zip of excitement in the air as we all prepare in some way for the Masters. Because of our kitchen saga, we aren’t renting our home this year but I am pretending otherwise so our little BlueHouse gets cleaned up and organized as it normally would. (If you aren’t familiar with the Masters thing, here’s an article that explains the entire wonderfully weird process.)

These are a few of my favorite things…

What is it about a change in weather to cause us to want to mix up, clean up, or change up our normal normalcy? I’m pretty predictable when it comes to spring rhythms– but here are a few things I am loving right now as we settle all the way into the slightly warmer months.

The Green Jacket Salad I actually ate this salad for lunch yesterday… and with dinner the night before. It’s simple and just unique enough to cause you to appreciate salad as a treat instead of a punishment.

Facial Spray by Mario Badescu. Thank you, Cherie, for introducing me to this lovely little spray and thus changing my life. I kid, but it’s truly amazing– especially when we’re coming out of the months of winter skin. I use it right after I wash my face and I can imagine how great it will be to stick in my pool bag for a refresh. (The current price is really good BTW, I paid about this for a smaller bottle.)

ACURE Brightening Facial Scrub. Yet another amazing beauty product for under $10 available on Amazon. *I may never leave my house again.* But really, I feel like this is a steal– especially with the clean ingredient list, and I love the french green clay.

Becoming Mrs. Lewis: The Improbable Love Story of Joy Davidman & C.S. Lewis. Last week I stayed up way too late to finish this book and I ached when it was over. Partially because of the ending, but it was a good ache– the kind you don’t easily forget. If you love C.S. Lewis, I highly recommend this read. *Just a note. This book is historical fiction, although it is based on fact and is laced with beatiful quotes from C.S. Lewis woven throughout.

*Some of these are affiliate links, thank you for being a part of this community here. If you’ve been here long, you know I don’t share products lightly– only those that are tried and loved!

What I Learned & Loved this Fall

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“…When pain is to be borne, a little courage helps more than much knowledge, a little human sympathy more than much courage, and the least tincture of the love of God more than all.” — C.S. Lewis

Here we are in December and although fall really travels until December 20th, I’m joining in with Emily Freeman to share my list of what I learned & loved in the fall. Because really nothing feels more wintery than Christmas, and we need to properly say farewell to fall. Here’s what I learned. 

Jennifer Garner is my favorite (and possibly only,) celebrity instagram follow. Have I said this before? She is a delight. The fact that *Sidney Bristowe* saved the world and now stands in her kitchen, roasting a chicken– I’m a super fan. And I LOVE that she is a mom but never, ever posts about her kids. When she posts a photo with Ina Garten, my little culinary heart explodes.

Sometimes it’s more than just hair.

In September, I got a pretty drastic haircut. Well, really it was just bangs– but it was so different for me, that it felt drastic. It still feels drastic when I see people I haven’t seen in awhile and I have to introduce myself. At first I wasn’t sure I would even keep my haircut even though I LOVED it, because not everyone around me did. (One of my children cried and the dog barked and all that jazz.)

Our family all adjusted to this silly thing that was just hair and I discovered something– I was smiling at myself in the mirror way more. Maybe you smile at yourself in the mirror all the time. I don’t. I’m usually giving a slightly critical, appraising look to whatever needs to improve, but smiling? Not exactly with regularity. I should smile more, if only to show my gratefulness for this life I’ve been given. And the fact that I’m still holding on without hair color for a little bit longer. #praisehands

My mom recently realized she’s allergic to dairy. I know. I was given the birthright of loving cheese from HER. But, she realized she feels much better without it. So she avoids all of it. At first, I was slightly annoyed FOR her because of all the things I knew she couldn’t have. I was annoyed? Not her? Nope. Because she knows how much healthier she is without it.

I say all this to say, if suddenly you realize that you would like yourself better, or be healthier, or just be a better version of who you were created to be– if you did xyz– figure it out, and don’t be afraid to say “Actually… I…”

It’s okay to know yourself. It’s not selfish to recognize that avoiding bread or dairy, or ordering a salad on pizza night, or choosing not to skip the gym just because everyone else is, or getting up before the sun to read, is good for you. If something isn’t immoral or adversely affecting your people and just a matter of you-ness— do what makes you the best version of yourself. That is a gift to everyone who knows and loves you.

So yeah. I’m keeping the hair for the foreseeable future. And I’m happily buying the best darn almond milk I can find when my Mom comes to visit.

I learned that we can choose to welcome both joy and grief, recognizing we have two hands— one for joy, one for grief—to hold both at once. Lance and I lost someone we loved dearly in November and though it stirred up so many conflicting emotions in us both, they were all equally welcome gifts. I wrote more on this here.

Favorite Moments of the Fall

  • Picking apples whilst needing a jacket in Blue Ridge.
  • We celebrated eight years of living in the garden city. We celebrated with Mummy Dogs on our front porch and then trick-or-treating with our neighbors as the leaves began to dance down from the trees.
  • Seeing beautiful Estes Park, Colorado for the very first time with a sweet team of co-workers and having an exciting job change which still, miraculously allows me to be home with my people. All gifts.

Fall on the BlueHouse Bookshelves 

Once We Were Strangers by Shawn Schmucker.
A true account between the author and a Syrian refugee who came to the United States with his wife and sons, Once We Were Strangers was intriguing and compassionate. I was changed with the first quote from the first page, “No one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark.”

What this book is not: a sensationalized, embellished story which either deifies or land-blasts the US people or its government. It is a factual account with heart, because it is the story of an actual man and his family. It is the story of a friendship which changed more than one life.

Because I am a hopeful idealist who also happens to be an enneagram 9, I wanted a happy ending. This book doesn’t end with a bow and a complete and total resolution— it just ends, but I didn’t feel that was a negative thing at all as I recognize that the story is on-going. 

Once we were Strangers opened my eyes to many things I’ve never seen about the refugee crisis. The author does not write to forcefully convince, he only writes to tell a story that needs to be told. More stories just like this are out there, and I hope they will be written as well as they allow us a greater capacity for compassion. 

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
Another luxurious novel by Kate Morton. My favorite still remains The Lake House, though the Clockmakers Daughter (which I’m currently reading,) is crazy good so I may change my mind about that! 

 

Well, that’s all for fall! I may have been quiet here lately, but it’s only because I’m working on something fun for the late winter/ early spring. If you aren’t on my list of email friends, please hop up there and join so that you will be the first in the know!

And as always, please feel free to reply or comment and tell me what you learned & loved in the fall!

A ‘Truly Beautiful’ Grief.

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Every week I listen to Emily’s podcast, The Next Right Thing. She’s been an unintentional mentor for my writing life for five years, but lately her podcast for the hesitant has been speaking to many quiet areas of my life. 

I slip my earbuds in and push play on this week’s episode, #58 entitled Welcome Silence. 

“The world we live in doesn’t cater to healing. It all spins way too fast and we spin right along with it…These people are healing, growing, grieving, and silence is a necessary companion on all these journeys. Like a toddler refusing a bedtime, we don’t always like this imposed silence. But what if, instead of pushing it away, we welcomed the silence needed for healing and for health?” —Emily P. Freeman

Emily’s words are healing to me personally and near the end of the episode, she invites us to be silent for one entire minute. She keeps time and we keep quiet.

In my own moment of silence, I chop potatoes for soup (because chopping vegetables is about the stillest, most natural thing my hands do.) Tears roll down my cheeks and slide into my growing pile of pieces. 

My heart is tender today and it catches me. But because silence is my only real job for this minute, I let them fall. 

It is in this blessed reprieve of noise, that my tears bring clarity. 

You see, my husband and I lost someone dear to us this week. Dr. Carson was a seminary professor who employed us both and then watched gleefully as we chose each other. He grinned all the way to the altar less than a year later, where he performed our simple and joy-filled wedding ceremony. 

I know all the ways he touched our individual and collective lives, and the list is longer than my arm. He was another parent to me when my parents were a day’s drive away. His lack of physical sight never stopped him from truly seeing me—and sharing what he saw. 

I was his cook; he was my counselor, professor, and friend. 

Each night I prepared his dinner before I went home to my apartment and roommates. Before I left, his hand inevitably shot up in the air and he would pray for me, always beginning with the words, “Kind Father, bless this girl…” 

When our paths diverged, Lance and I were parents ourselves and he was past eighty, still speaking words of wisdom & praise. 

Last Saturday in a coffee shop in Greenville, SC— I received the news. 

Leaving an empty shell behind, he stepped right into the presence of God with eyes that saw clearly for the very first time. In the moments that followed the email, I felt relief and complete joy. This is absolutely the greatest and best new adventure for him and I know he has been waiting for this day. 

Still this week, I have felt a heaviness I could not ignore. In library runs and ballet drop off and lunch making there has been a weight around my heart that feels like homesickness. I am fairly certain that is exactly what it is. 

Andrew Peterson calls it “a joy that hurts.” 

But not until I stand chopping potatoes, listening to this first moment of true silence in my day— do I recognize that I am grieving. 

The last few years have kept Lance and I just distanced enough from him that I feel I am not entitled to my grief. This grief that creeps up on me while I chop potatoes and remember how he liked his potatoes every Thursday evening— roasted and brown with bits of onion. I recall that he had more knowledge of the Bible than any sight-blessed person ever, and also a talent for making homemade lemonade. 

I feel silly in my sadness because I know just how healed- happy he is. I know my sadness is not for him, but for all of us still on this side of the door. 

To turn my heart, I turn to old emails. And there it waits for me, written in 2007. Words that are somewhat prophetic from my dear Dr Carson–

“I am getting ready to set my house in order, preparing for my
last days on this earth. I am as happy as a sunbeam, for soon I shall be
with Jesus. I am going to “take time to be holy” and serve as best I
can for the next couple of years… I will always be your friend, and it is to my joy that you met the man you are about to wed, met him officially here at my home.”

Eleven years of life later, these words pour over my heart and fill in all the hollow places that grief leaves behind. They dam up the emptiness that losing someone leaves behind. Knowing the gift we held feels richer when have lost someone great.

But I know we need both. 

We need both the deep, throat-tightening grief that feels unfounded and the sunny yellow joy that springs up, feeling just like sacrilege.  Both the pain of saying goodbye to someone and the remembrance of their colorful mark on the world are worthy of our time. Worthy of our silence. 

We can choose to welcome both joy and grief, recognizing we have two hands— one for joy, one for grief—  to hold both at once. 

And perhaps we might remind one another — 

We will likely always find traces of our own homesickness in our grief. 

Until there is nothing more to miss and nothing more to grieve. 

Until all the tears are dried. 

Until we are all home. 

Until everything is “Truly Beautiful.”

 

Read more about our dear Dr. R. Logan Carson, here. 

A Fall Happy List (what I’m loving.)

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This week we finally saw a drop in the temperature. This means that here in the south, long sleeves are no-longer a recipe for heatstroke.  I am over the moon about it and so naturally, I’ve already made two soups this week. It stayed hot for so long this year, that there is no time to waste.

From one season to the next, I find new eyes to appreciate what’s around me, both the familiar and the fresh.

So here’s my current fall list of happy: 

Fun News! 
The book that my brother and I wrote is available in an ebook version. We love hearing how you love the story, so please keep sharing your thoughts!

Also?
If you and I are connected on Instagram, then you may have seen that I was working on a fun new project in collaboration with my favorite local photographer, Leah. There are exciting things coming ’round the bend and I cannot wait to share with you. Hint: there’s a lot of recipe testing going on around the Blue House. If you’d like to be the first to hear, sign up to the right and you’ll also get a free copy of Simmer, an ebook that features 6 soups & the stories that accompany them. If you enjoy a food memoir, or a cookbook with stories– you will love Simmer.

It won’t look like this for about another month– but we know it’s coming and that’s enough for now.

What I’m loving right now:

  • This Pumpkin Pie Spice. We made a simpler version of these pumpkin muffins from Half Baked Harvest and this fall spice mixture was so good. It will be divine in pumpkin pie.
  • Crimson Crisp Apples. I love a good crisp, tart, apple and somehow these seem like the best I’ve ever had. We just returned from Blue Ridge last week and now I want to make all the apple things, forever and ever amen. If you live anywhere near an apple orchard and you ever have the opportunity– definitely go.
  • In music, this brand new album from Ellie Holcomb. The songs are so good, so sweet, and full of truth.

On the BlueHouse Bookshelves: 

Cozy Minimalist Home by Myquillin Smith. When someone I respect only publishes two books in four years, I stop and pay attention. There’s something about that blank space in publishing that to me, signals a rich creating space– and Myquillin is just so great at everything she does. Meaning, I’m certain Cozy Minimalist Home is going to be good!! (I pre-ordered this one and it should be here next week!) 

This illustrated classic has been our recent family read aloud; last night we finished it. Introducing our girls to the Hogwarts crew is probably one of my favorite things this year.

The Forgotten Garden. I’m still only about half way through this massive book but it’s really drawing me in. She writes long, luxurious books and I never feel pressured to finish them in a set amount of time. But, wow– the character development is really something special.

The Lifegiving Table. I borrowed this from a friend, and it’s clear I need to find my own copy. So much challenging encouragement. And just like The Life-giving Home, it’s one that you can read about a chapter a month– and slowly digest. If you read at a snail’s pace like I do– that’s a plus. 🙂

Ok my friends. Tell me. What’s brightening your perspective lately? What are you loving about the season we’re suddenly in? What books are you reading? I would truly love to hear from you.

What I Learned & Loved in the Summer

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“A life without love is like a year without summer.”  — Swedish Proverb

Every season I look forward to the quarterly practice of paying attention with Emily, who encourages us to notice and share what we learned. This rhythm of truly seeing the things I learn and learning from the things I see– it helps me to notice the gifts all around and to learn from my life. In the four (!) years I’ve been taking part, sharing what we learned has become a favorite thing.

What I Learned this Summer: 

  • David Letterman introduced himself to an audience and I’m still thinking about it. One night after we tucked the kids in, we watched a show called, My Next Guest Needs No Introduction. David Letterman is the actual host of the show, but still he takes the stage, waves at the crowd and says– “Hi, I’m Dave.” Now maybe this isn’t all that uncommon, but it felt significant to me to hear someone like that introduce himself to a crowd, someone who has a universally recognized face (with or without the Saint Nick beard.) It made an impression on me and I still can’t put my finger on why. But I LOVE it when famous people introduce themselves as though they are not famous. It’s as though they recognize how normal they are– and we’re the ones who don’t see them as regular people. Perhaps they remember how small they truly are, and we simply, forget that.

 

  • I found a new favorite podcast! Hashtag Authentic with Sara Tasker is a practical and lovely podcast for creatives. It’s packed with helpful info, and if you’re an anglophile like me– you’ll just enjoy listening to Sara and her guests.

 

  • I finally found the dress. You know the one, that little dress that you can just throw on for a billion different occasions? I’ve been searching for a dress that would be a good capsule summer piece that I could wear with boots and a jacket in Autumn. But after three failed attempts, I found my dress soul mate– not in the arms of Stitchfix but with Elegantees. Elegantees offers great staple pieces, all ethically made in Nepal by women who are paid a fair, livable wage.

 

  • I learned exactly what it means to be hands-free in Georgia. We have a new law, and there’s been a bit of controversy over it. Because of this I cannot leave the house without earbuds and it’s kind of been a good transition for me.

 

  • I should not assume it isn’t helpful to someone else, just because it comes easy to me. I shared my own personal non-fancy method for meal planning this summer and can I tell you something? The entire time I was writing the post, I was trying to talk myself out of posting it. In my own head I felt as though my tips were so simple, so easy to put into practice– that you probably didn’t need them anyway. Once I hit publish, I actually heard from several people right away that needed the reminder I was offering, that needed the simplistic method I used. Of course they did. Because we all have different strengths and gifts and ideas. I need fresh inspiration from people who see things differently than I do; I’m sure you do too. We truly are better together. Like one of those last minute bring whatever you have and lay it out on the kitchen table, dinners.

 

What I Read this Summer: 

The Secret Keeper. Kate Morton (5 stars. Because, lengthy Kate Morton books are my cup of chai.)

A Wrinkle in Time. Madeleine L’engle (Brace yourself. I had never read this before. I know. I’ll include the address of my middle school below so you can send them a letter. Because believe me, I wanted to.)

A Wind in the Door. Madeleine L’engle (I appreciate her non-fiction so much more now that I’ve read her fiction.)

Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand. Helen Simonson (3 stars. I liked this quirky, unexpected book.)

The Lake House. Kate Morton (5 stars. Yep.)

Love & Gelato. Jenna Welch (4 stars. Such a sweet summer book.)

…and about a billion other books in process.

My Favorite Moments this Summer: 

Standing at the beach with a long time best friend watching our passel of kids squeal and run in and out of the waves.

Surviving my first Whole30 and kinda loving it.

Collaborating with not one, but two members of my family. I was able to design a logo for my mom’s business, which was just fun and whimsical. Then my brother and I published a book together. We’ve been working on it for almost three years and we’re both completely pleased with how it turned out.

Our little family tubing slowly down the Toccoa River with my in-laws on our eleventh wedding anniversary. Blue Ridge has become one of our favorite special places to visit together.

Pool dates. Library Runs. Long mornings.

Summer wasn’t perfect and it wasn’t always what we might have wanted it to be– but as I look back over the last few months– there is nothing but a slow, smiling gratefulness that rises to the surface.

On Gratitude & Bruschetta

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I was the one who forgot the mozzarella.

At a family barbecue in the swelter of early July I stared down at ingredients for bruschetta. Crusty baguette, heirloom tomatoes, and sprigs of basil lay before us like the wells of an artist’s pallet. But no cheese.

Enter Courtney.
My kindred spirit friend has always had a particular gift. She can take what looks like less to everyone else and magic it into more. For our entire friendship, I’ve seen that she’s not just resourceful. Her talents are more akin to perspective with a dash of whimsy.

In college she used to make us both bowls of oatmeal with brown sugar. We sat cross-legged on her couch and I watched the pat of butter melt pools of yellow into swirls of cinnamon. The first warm bite always tasted like home. Indirectly, she taught me to hold whatever I had in a view that made it become enough. More than enough though, it always became… plenty.

On this particular day, we had eighteen collective members of family waiting for an appetizer. Neither of us wanted to put on shoes and run to Winn Dixie. But after a quick deep dive into my mom’s fridge, Courtney turned around with a block of cream cheese and a smile. A brief wait produced a platter full of summer. In twelve minutes, that platter held only crumbs and a stray ribbon of basil. Everyone raved and my Dad asked for “Courtney’s Bruschetta” at every family gathering for the next few years. That summer was years ago, and I don’t even order bruschetta at restaurants anymore. The usual recipe is null and void. All I want is this bruschetta. For life.

What I remember in crystal clarity isn’t the way everyone loved it, but the way not one single person asked where the mozzarella was. They all accepted this novel southern twist and took it as a gift.
Glad for what was there, no one missed what wasn’t.

The more I know about my search for contentment, I realize how mystifying it can be. Contentment isn’t something we can produce like a forgotten block of cheese. True contentment is harder won. It is a nook where we choose to live, a more spacious place of gratitude and eyes that choose to see.

Still— seeing what we have as plenty is never easy, is it? What we hold in our hands can seem fearfully small. The beginning of a week, a month, or a year is all hopeful vision and optimism, until actual life cuts in on our dance of making things happen. Often we just have less. Less time, less energy, less resources, less of all that we feel we need in order to do the next thing, and to do it well. Having what we think we need and knowing what we have— has never been the same thing.

We cannot always choose to arrive instantly at contentment, but we can choose gratitude. In my own heart, it is the daily steps of gratefulness that move me in the direction of contentment. If contentment is the destination, then perhaps daily gratitude becomes the set of map points along the way.

We can do so much for one another as we struggle toward contentment. I know that when I am surrounded by people who help me to see what God has done, I am far more likely to start seeing it myself. We need each other. And I want to be that friend— the friend that illustrates the plentiful way of gratitude; the perspective shift that shows not what I have— but Who my God is.

It is also true that when I am not comparing my lack to someone else’s plenty— I am more at peace with my own path.
And my own path is exactly where I truly want to be.
Not just because I know that God is sovereign like I know that summer tomatoes are sweetest. But because I can trust that what He gives me to hold is more than enough, it is plenty.

Even when what He gives, hurts.
Even when I wish He would heal and He doesn’t (yet.)
When I would love to see Him act on behalf of someone and He hasn’t (yet.)

Because even when the world is aching, falling apart at the seams, groaning with the weight of all the waiting for Him to make all things new– He gives us the reminder that He has, He will, and it will be better than we ever thought.

Even then.
We get to choose to count our gifts, one by one until the pages turn and the pen scratches bleed through and we have page after page of all that He has done and is doing.

Let us be the ones who choose gift counting over kid shaming, husband ranting, and self-deprecating humor. Let us be the ones who choose to see even in the dark. Not from a fake place of plastered smiles—

—but from hearts who choose to count the plenty in the midst of the lack.

 

And now for a recipe– this is so simple to pull together. Maybe call a few friends and soak up one of these last few summer nights together?


Print
Courtney's Bruschetta
Author: 
Recipe type: Appetizer
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
 
Simple classic bruschetta with a southern twist. The tomato portion can be made ahead of time but assemble just before serving.
Ingredients
  • 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
  • 2 cloves of minced garlic, separated
  • 1 fresh baguette, sliced thinly and painted lightly with olive oil
  • fresh tomatoes, diced and well drained
  • 2 tbsp. diced red onion
  • Salt & Pepper
  • fresh basil, cut into a thin chiffonade or sliced
  • 2-3 Tbsp. of balsamic glaze
Method
  1. Add one clove of garlic to the cream cheese. Add a dash of salt and cracked pepper.
  2. In a small bowl, mix the drained tomatoes, the other clove of garlic and basil together.
  3. Add salt and pepper as needed.
  4. Toast the baguette slices at 400'F for 5-8 minutes until lightly toasted
  5. Spread slices with a thin layer of cream cheese.
  6. Top with tomato mixture.
  7. Drizzle with balsamic glaze and serve immediately.

 

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