Pan Con Tomate

Simple, quality ingredients are the hallmarks of a lot of European cooking, in my opinion. I spent some time in Spain this past summer and thoroughly enjoyed the popular dish pan con tomate. It has a whopping 4 ingredients! It is easy to make and even easier to eat.

Four ingredients. It all starts with the bread. Buy an artisan bread at your local bakery or grocery store's bakery; mine is the Italian bread from Whole Foods. I like fresh vine-ripened tomatoes (do not refrigerate).  You also need Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO). Finally, I splurged and bought the real deal sea salt which makes a huge difference in texture and especially flavor but of course you can use plain sea salt too.

 Cut the bread into thick 1 inch slices.

 If you're making a lot for several people, broil the bread until golden brown. (Rotate the pan if you want them evenly cooked and keep an eye on them as the difference between golden brown and burnt is slim). For a short cut, if you're making just few pieces for yourself, I cut the larger pieces of bread in half and use my toaster :)

 Cut a tomato in half and squeeze the insides onto the bread.

Drizzle olive oil in a zig zag over the bread.

Top with sea salt.

With so few ingredients you will taste and savor all the flavors. Good food can be simple and scrumptious at the same time! Enjoy as an appetizer, snack or along with a salad.

Note: Many online recipes call for a clove of garlic to be rubbed on the bread, but I watched this being made and ate it several times throughout northern Spain and they did not use garlic. Use the garlic if you want an extra layer of flavor, but I honestly don't think it needs it. This is coming from a girl that loves garlic :)

Crafty Quotes

I adore gifts from the heart, in any form, whether giving or receiving them. I particularly enjoy the process of making and giving them, and I do get a bit giddy when I come across a unique handmade project such as this quote scarf on Pinterest 8 months ago. Yes, from inspiration to fruition, it took me 8 months :( Admit it, y'all, you pin all day long too but then don't execute on those amazing-looking recipes, crafts or home designs. Had I known somewhere in the past 8 months that this lovely scarf would only take 30 minutes to make, sigh, I may have tackled it sooner. However had I done so, I wouldn't have this post to share :) It's true. All things happen for a reason.

Flashback eight months ago, I saw this scarf and immediately thought of my good friend Elizabeth. She not only likes scarves, but she is a lover of literature and quotes. Jane Austen came immediately to mind and her husband confirmed what I already knew to be true. So I ventured forth with the first line from the greatest love story of all time (in my opinion) Pride and Prejudice, "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of good fortune, must be in want of a wife." 

 

So if I haven't lost you yet, which means you are probably thinking of someone special you could do this for and you are also reassessing your craftiness skill level (really this is easy), here's how I prepared to make the scarf. I went to my favorite online friend, amazon.com, to purchase the viscose scarf (~$7-14) and a set of fabric markers (~$13). 

I grabbed a cardboard box from my storage locker, cut it open and also cut off one side of the flaps. The cardboard will help absorb the ink from the marker as it seeps through the scarf. The clips help keep the scarf somewhat in place as you write. I practiced using the marker on an old t-shirt to get an idea of the pressure and how much ink comes out. I decided on a medium pressure which gave variation to the writing between solid black ink and faded black ink. Once done, I let it dry for a few hours, peeled it off the cardboard, and ironed the script to make it permanent. And voila! 

I was happy with the outcome but all the more pleased that my friend adored it. When her face lit up as she recognized the quote from only the first 4 words, my heart sang and quickly the guilt from needing 8 months to make this gift was wiped away. Handmade gifts equal exquisite happiness for both the giver and receiver! 

Next up...because with any project I always learn and retool for the following opportunity... I'm going to try thinner markers and two-tone writing (as seen in the inspiration scarf at the top of the post). 

Happy crafting and remember you only need 30 minutes, not 8 months, to make this lovely scarf!