Chicago was upwards of 88 degrees yesterday, and after spending several hours on Lake Michigan (new love of my life) we hit up the Lincoln Park Whole Foods (second new love of my life) and went to work on creating our deep dish pizza dinner.  We needed some snacks and cocktails to keep us going during the 3 hour pizza prep, and this is what we came up with.  I’ve made this brushcetta before, and since avocados were on sale, it seemed time to give it another go. 

Avocado Chimichurri Brushcetta (via  Couture Au Chocolat)
2 ripe avocados 1/4 cup chopped parsley (I didn’t use parsley) 1/4 cup chopped cilantro (if not using cilantro, compensate with parsley) 1/2 shallot finely diced 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar 1 tbsp. honey Olive oil enough to bring everything together Salt and pepper to taste
6 slices of thick Italian bread (or baguette) Olive oil to brush on slices of bread 1 garlic, peeled and cut in half
Cut the avocados in half, take out the pit, and cut avocado into cubes.
Combine avocados, parsley, cilantro, shallots, red wine vinegar, honey and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
Brush olive oil on slices of bread and grill on each side for a couple of minutes, or toast in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10 min.
Rub the cut side of a raw garlic on grilled or toasted bread slices. Spread avocado mixture on bread and serve.
(I didn’t do a good job of following the recipe here, so I was lacking in the amount of cilantro… still was delicious.)Ever since I made the mash of blueberry, basil and lemon to my Dutch Babies, I’ve wanted to incorporate it into a  drink.  Melissa loves a good cocktail, so I knew she’d be on board.  She mixed up the concoction while I worked on the brushcetta.  My intuition was right – the mash tasted great in a gin drink. Perfect for the hot weather!

Blueberry Basil Gin Swizzle 1/2 cup blueberries1 lemon (just the juice!)1/3 cup of chopped fresh basil1 tbls powdered sugardash of simple syrup2 ounces of ginclub soda
Mash the blueberries, lemon and basil and mix in sugar.  Add a few tbls to the bottom of a glass, add in remaining ingredients.  Use a swizzle to mix the ingredients together.  We recommend a straw for maximum enjoyment.