For several years my family and I have been visiting Wrightsville Beach, NC with our friends John and Peggy Davenport. Each year it turns into a full weekend of amazing food and this year was no different. Peggy is a very talented cook and it’s always fun to learn a few tricks from her. What I love most about her is the people she surrounds herself with! There have been some amazing weekends in Wrightsville with great friends such as the Gregory, Stermon, Gurley, Hughes and Rapp family but this time it was with new friends and it proved to be another amazing food event!

I’m highlighting the Bruschetta that Joelle Cote made in this post but stay tuned for many of the amazing dishes we had this weekend with Del And Joelle Cote, Colleen Lewis, Meredith Pratt, John Kennerty, Shannon and Dave Rapp (with much help from Quinn), and of course Peggy and John Davenport.

I have made Bruschetta for years. It’s usually always a hit. I don’t think you can really go wrong with it. Fresh Tomatoes, a good olive oil and a nice crusty loaf of bread really can’t be bad. My Usual method is to chop tomatoes, add basil, chopped garlic, add olive oil and a little balsamic vinegar and put it on a toasted slice of a baguette topped with a good amount of freshly shaved Parmesan cheese.

Joelle made an amazing version of this great appetizer. Here is a start to a series from three amazing days in Wrightsville!

Joelle’s Bruschetta Ingredients:
Chopped Tomatoes
Chopped Red Onion
Chopped Kalamata olives
Fresh basil chopped of sliced (chiffonade)
Olive oil
Italian or French Baguette Sliced
One or two cloves of fresh raw garlic

Joelle’s Bruschetta Method:
Mix all ingredients and add olive oil, just to coat all ingredients. Salt and pepper to taste.
Toast the bread in an oven or toaster and rub with a clove of raw garlic. Don’t miss this step and do it just as the bread is finished toasting. It adds an amazing flavor! Top the bread with the tomato mixture.

Enjoy (as I did!)

Ciao, Mike.