From my RV kitchen

New Year's is a time for reflection - looking back and dreaming forward. We've been to so many great RV destinations this past year and I wanted to share a few of the more unique ones with you.

If you've not heard of the Kinetic Races in Arcata, CA, you need to check it out. It's a crazy event featuring an eclectic bunch. Maybe you should make plans to attend - after all, their tagline is "Adults having fun so kids desire to grow older" - you've gotta love that!

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is amazing. Don't miss it when visitng the Great Lakes region. It's located on the Upper Penninsula - you could be a temporay "youper"! Find out more about Michiganders here...

And talk about history, there's not many places in the US that dominate our country's history like Montgomery, AL.

Where will next year take you? The sky's the limit!!

Ingredients

Crostini:

1 baguette (yields appx 24 crostini)
extra virgin olive oil to drizzle on bread
salt
herbs de provence

Tomato and Olive Bruschetta:

1 pound grape tomatoes - quartered
1/4 c fresh basil - chopped
2 cloves of garlic - minced
1/3 c extra virgin olive oil
10-15 kalamata olives - roughly chopped

Chickpea Bruschetta:

15-oz can chikpeas (garbanzo beans) drained, rinsed, roughly chopped
1/2 c flat-leaf parsley - chopped
1 clove garlic - minced
1 T extra virgin olive oil
2 T balsamic vinegar
3/4 t salt/1/4 t pepper

Cheese and Honey Topping:

Danish Blue cheese - set out one hour prior to serving to come to room temperature
Honey

How-to

Crostini:

Slice the baguette on the bias (an angle) 1/4" to 1/2" in thickness. Place single layer on a cookie sheet or baking pan. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt, and apply a generous sprinkling of herbs de provence. Bake on the top rack of your oven at 325 for 8-12 minutes - until the baguette slices are toasty and crisp. Remove from cookie sheet and allow to come to room temperature.

Tomato and Olive Bruschetta:

Combine all ingredients. Season with salt. Mix well and poof - a deliciuos bruschetta!

Chickpea Bruschetta:

Combine all ingredients. Mix well and ENJOY!!

Cheese and Honey Topping:

Spread a generous portion of blue cheese atop a crostini and top with a spot or two of honey.

Additional Tips

This appetizer is easy and elegant. Once you try it you'll find yourself making these dishes again and again.

Let's Connect

Direct from my RV kitchen - part cooking class on wheels, part RV travel guide - these RV videos cook! Discover more RV destinations and camping recipes on the RV Cooking Show website.

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