For the Next Time You Need to Bring an Hors d'Oeuvres...

Randi asked me the other day "What should I bring as an appetizer?" I feel like this always comes up. You are asked to bring an hors d'oeuvres to a party and all you can think of are simple and boring things - chips and dip, guacamole, cheese dip...etc (props to you if you have an arsenal of good recipes). I slightly panicked when Andrew's mom told us that we needed to bring one to Christmas dinner, but I remembered a recipe I saw Giada make that looked amazing (another problem I have is that I see things that look good, but forget to make them). Thank goodness I saw the episode recently! See, bumming around and watching TV comes in handy for entertaining :)

I doubled this recipe for 8 people and had leftovers (including the three that fell on the floor and got to be a special Christmas snack for the pooch). It was really easy - just simple assembly and oh so good. I will be making this for years to come! Also, I can imagine that it would be easy to modify with different protein/cheese.

Oh Giada, I love you! You are a life saver yet again!!

Apricot and Chicken Bruschetta
makes 10 pieces


1/2 loaf ciabatta bread
1/4 cup olive oil
3/4 cup apricot preserves
5 ounces fontina cheese, thinly sliced
6 ounces roasted chicken breast, cooled and thinly sliced
3 ounces (about 5 slices) prosciutto, thinly sliced
Extra-virgin olive oil, to drizzle

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Slice the bread into 10 slices, each about 1/2-inch thick. Brush the bread slices with the olive oil and arrange on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until crisp and golden. Cool to room temperature.

Spread each slice of the toasted bread with the apricot preserves then place a slice of the cheese on top. Arrange the sliced chicken on top of the cheese. Cut each piece of prosciutto in half and place on top of the chicken. Transfer the bruschetta to a serving platter. Drizzle with the extra-virgin olive oil and serve.