Olive Garden's Bruschetta

So, I wanted to make Bruschetta. I had never tried making it myself before. Mostly because I actually used to hate the stuff. Recently I discovered I did in fact like it so thats what led me to searching for a recipe.

In my usual "Im going to find the best recipe there is in the entire universe" search all the normal bruschetta recipes I found in my books didnt seem fancy enough. So I started looking online. Thats when I came across the "Top Secret Restaurant Recipes: Olive Garden's Bruschetta" Clearly I had to try that one.

Not only is it served at a large chain restaurant .. but it also had more than just basil in it. I figured it was going to be exactly what I was looking for.

A gazillion slices & dices of tomatoes later .. along with lots & lots of spices .. I thought I was high... you know -like you are when you are stuck in a room painting. Instead it was the incredibly incredibly strong smell of this bruschetta. I had to open some windows.

warning: it gets a little messy slicing tomatoes

Freeland seemed to enjoy it. I couldnt get myself to try it. Not because it didnt look good - but because I smelt it all day long and figured thats all I needed. I took it to our bible study to share with them. Probably shouldnt have done that since I didnt even try it myself! But they seemed to think it was okay.

Dont forget the yummy bread! Thats the best part!

I think this could be a great bruschetta & I will probably try it again. I mean if Olive Garden uses it .. it has to be good right? Next time I just have to try actually eating it instead of smelling it! But - it did smell good..

Ingredients:

- 3 firm roma tomatoes, finely diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- 1 tablespoon of minced fresh basil
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
- 2 teaspoons diced marinated sun-dried tomatoes
- pinch dried parsley flakes
- 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 9-10 sliced ciabatta bread (or italian bread)

Directions:

1. Toss diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil, vinegar and salt in a medium bowl. Cover & chill for an hour.
   
2. When you are ready to serve the dish, preheat oven to 450 degrees.
   
3. Combine Parmesan cheese with dried parsley in a small bowl. Arrange the bread slices on a baking sheet.
   
4. Sprinkle a couple of pinches of the parmesan cheese mixture over each bread slice. Bake for 5 minutes or until the bread starts to crisp.
   
5. Pour tomato mixture into a serving dish. (strain off the liquid) and serve it up alongside toasted bread slices.