Mind Your Ps and Qs

You're in for a treat today.

Wait, scratch that. You're in a double treat today because not only am I sharing a simple and tasty recipe, but I am also sharing a somewhat embarrassing story.

My Mom is my best friend and when we get together, I can get a little silly. I make silly jokes and say every single silly thing that comes to my mind.

One of those things was my exclamation of enjoyment at seeing a beautiful plate full of appetizers that my Mom set before us to share before dinner one night.

Here it goes... I named the plate of appetizers a Princess Party Platter.

Before you burst out laughing at me, let me tell you why I called it that.

I felt like a Princess because the food was so delicious looking. It looked like it could be for a party, but it was even more special because it was for just the two of us. And obviously, it was on a great big platter.

What makes it funnier to me was that calling it a PPP is kind of accurate. Sarah means Princess in Hebrew and all my Mom's friends call her Q or the Queen.

And yes I have a short form for a PPP, the name stuck around and Princess Party Platter can be a bit of a tongue twister.

So mind your Ps and Qs (both please and thank yous as well as Princesses and Queens) and you might just get yourself a beautiful Princess Party Platter.

Meat, cheese, crackers, spreads, olives... Yes those all belong on a PPP.

But since Princesses deserve a little something extra, I like to make at least one homemade aspect of my platters.

And today's was my bruschetta. Simple, warm, crispy, and delicious.

Bruschetta

1 cup grape tomatoes, finely chopped and measured after chopping (large tomatoes also work, but grape tomatoes have a larger amount of skin to filling ratio so your bruschetta mixture will be less likely to become too wet with grape tomatoes)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup basil, finely chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
24 thin slices of baguette
24 slices of Parmesan cheese or 1 tablespoon of grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

2. Combine tomatoes, garlic, basil, olive oil, and salt in a bowl and mix well to combine.

3. Line your baguette slices on a cookie sheet and divide your tomato mixture evenly among each slice.

(My Mom usually toasts the baguette slices before she puts them into the oven, but I like the crispy bottom and the soft top so I don't.)

4. Bake for about 12 - 15 minutes or until the bottom of the baguette slices begin to brown.

5. Top with grated or sliced Parmesan cheese and serve on a large Princess sized platter. Enjoy!

PPP doesn't seem as laughable now, does it? :)

Feel free to use my name when you share your next plate of appetizers with your friends.