Roasted Red Pepper Toasts

Tired of boring old garlic bread? Give this a try next time you're cooking Italian pasta, eggplant parmesan, or white bean soup.

Right now, I'm going to (again) confess my love for all things Trader Joes- including the base ingredient for this super-simple treat. A recent gift from Chris' mother introduced me to the TJ roasted red pepper and eggplant spread (so yummy!), which, btw, is an easy way to add something special to a casual dinner or make a cheater appetizer for surprise company. Perfect!


For whipping up this treat, a toaster oven with a broiler is the ideal gadget, although you could fire up your conventional oven too- it just seemed like a waste to me when making just enough breads for two.

Take a few slices of firm French or Italian bread. Slather them with red pepper spread, and grind a little salt and pepper over the top. Add a small square of sharp cheddar on top of each (a smoky piece of gouda would go well too). Toast in your toaster oven until the cheese begins to melt, and switch to broil. Watch closely (especially if you decide to use a powerful, full-oven broiler) and remove when the cheese is brown and bubbly- it looks kinda gooey in this picture, but I promise, it's toasty. Top with your favorite Italian seasoning- I chose a sundried tomato-basil mix. Devour while warm!