Inspired by Julie & Julia, I’m cooking my way through Magnolia Table Volumes 1, 2, and 3. I’m calling it The Jeanie Jo & Joanna Project. Recipes 27 and 28 of 457 are Baked Bruschetta with Tomato, Basil & Fontina and Antipasto Salad — served as dinner, but it felt like happy hour with a passport.
This wasn’t dinner-dinner. It was wine glass in hand, plates on the porch, let’s call this a meal and pretend we’re in Tuscany dinner.
The bruschetta starts with crusty bread baked until golden, then topped with a layer of melted fontina (hello, melty magic), and finished with a fresh tomato-basil mixture that tasted like it had been waiting all day in the sun just for this moment.
And the antipasto salad? Salami, olives, cherry tomatoes, parmesan, and vinaigrette; all the tangy, salty bits that balance out the richness. Together, they were casual, unfussy, and somehow still made me feel like I was hosting an Italian garden party.
A Few Notes from My Kitchen:
- I used a sourdough baguette, sliced thick for extra crunch and structure.
- Fontina melts like a dream — don’t skip this cheese if you can help it.
- The tomato topping was made with vine-ripened tomatoes, fresh basil, olive oil, salt, and a splash of balsamic for depth. I made it first and let the flavors mingle while the bread toasted.
- The antipasto salad was heavy on the cheese and salami (because me) and light on lettuce (also because me). I built it on a big wooden board, which made it feel a little extra — in the best way.
⭐⭐⭐⭐ = Loved it
Clear winner. Clean plates, happy hearts, and I might text someone the recipe.
This is the kind of dinner I want more of: simple things done with care, meant to be shared. It’s not fussy. It’s not complicated. It’s just good. And sometimes, that’s exactly what you need.
Tomatoes at their peak. Cheese that melts like a dream. Salami that makes you raise an eyebrow and say, “Wait, what is this again?” It wasn’t dinner-dinner. It was dinner enough — and more than enough.
429 recipes to go
Gracefully yours,
Meal & Grace 