Mama Mia...that's bruschetta!

Ahhhh... Italy! The, hands-down, best pizza I have ever eaten was on the shores of Lake Como. There are few things in the US that can compare to good Italian food. It's the flour and the cheese and the tomatoes that are grown in Italy. When I want to have my mouth say "ahhh, delizioso" ...I make bruschetta. Chop up two big tomatoes (garden grown summertime ones are THE BEST!) add 2 crushed cloves of garlic (I use the stuff in the jar that you keep in the fridge) 2 teaspoons of dry basil (because I do NOT like the fresh stuff! Weird...I know) 1/2 teaspoon or so of kosher salt and 3 or 4 twists of fresh ground pepper. Take a lovely crisp baguette and slice it up. Brush some olive oil on both sides and sprinkle with a little garlic salt. Then toast them. The Authentic Italian Mama recipe says to put it under the broiler...but I hate broilers...so I just toast mine on a griddle - both sides. Spoon the tomato ambrosia on top and scarf it down. You can also sprinkle some grated Parmesan cheese on top-if you can wait that long. You can also turn this into a yummy Salad Caprese...but I'll save that for another blog entry.