Bruschetta

We just got back from our summer vacation in Montana. We love Montana. Granted, we love North Dakota too, but we can't get that pine-scented air and cold, crystal clear mountain lakes out here on the plains. Staying with one of my best friends and her family in Whitefish, just outside of Glacier National Park, and knowing our favorite vacations are the ones without itineraries, we went with no agenda, no real plans, and had a real great time.

Kent got to practice his fly-fishing cast while Ben and I picked huckleberries. (ps - if you ever get out to Glacier, promise me you'll try a huckleberry milkshake. Seriously amazing.) We went for lots of walks, ate some great food, and enjoyed a few bottles of rioja with our hosts.

We travelled highways, mountain passes, and gravel roads and later headed down to Bozeman and Billings. We rode a big carousel in Missoula and ate the biggest snow cone EVER. We went to bed every night happily weary, slept like logs and woke up each morning refreshed and ready for another adventure.

Through it all, Ben was a trooper, having the occasional two-year-old tantrum when he was tired, but somehow we travelled 1,700 miles together and lived to tell the tale, thanks to fruit snacks, Bob the Builder, and afternoon naps. As a bonus, I'm developing a sixth sense for finding playgrounds in new towns. Maybe I can patent my new playground radar skill, perhaps develop some playground-GPS software. I've heard crazier ideas...

We love to travel, but it is always a joy to return home. In fact, we took an extra day of vacation just to be home and have the luxury of a stay-cation day. During our one-day mini-stay-cation, when we got hungry for dinner, we were tempted to go out for pizza, but I had a gorgeous loaf of rustic bread from the Bozeman co-op and a week's worth of tomatoes sitting out in the garden, waiting to be harvested. I plucked some tomatoes and basil, toasted the bread, poured a couple cold glasses of white wine, and made a 10-minute meal of bruschetta, eliciting the comment "This is way better than pizza" from my pizza-loving hubby. And with this simple meal, we enjoyed the last evening of summer vacation, savoring every last drop.

Bruschetta

Six slices rustic bread
1 clove of garlic
2-3 tomatoes, seeded if you wish, then chopped
Handful of kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
2-3 Tbls. fresh basil, roughly chopped
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Balsamic vinegar
Feta cheese

Mix tomatoes, olives, and basil in a bowl. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt, pepper, a splash of balsamic vinegar and a glug of olive oil. Stir and set aside.

To toast the bread, place slices on a baking sheet under the broiler, watching carefully until toasted (or you can grill the bread). Meanwhile, slice the garlic clove lengthwise. Remove hot bread from the oven and rub with the cut side of the garlic clove.

To serve, top toasted bread slices with tomato mixture (include some of the tomato juice), sprinkle with feta cheese, and drizzle with additional olive oil.