Hi again! 
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I am having a great week. It started with a day off on Monday, which is always a lovely treat. Plus, I have been loving the weather we’re having in Georgia! It’s been in the mid to upper 60’s … just cool enough to feel like fall, without making me feel like I need to grab a coat!
I also think (knock on wood …) that I am past all of the 1st trimester side effects! My energy level seems up, I’m not feeling nauseous, and I haven’t had a headache since Sunday.
Hooray for Week 14! 
And now, it’s time for another …
.. WIAW! As always, Jenn is the lovely host of WIAW!
Breakfast:
An Everything bagel with cream cheese, served with a glass of milk and a glass of water (enjoyed while catching up on blogs, of course!).
Lunch:
Salad with spinach and cucumber, topped with Caesar dressing and a sprinkle of pepper.
(I’m so thankful that I can finally eat salad again! I had NO desire for anything green during the first trimester!)
I saw these bowls at the grocery store and decided to try one out, because I’ve had a craving for Chinese food.
It was OK, but nothing great.
Snacks:
What a cliché. A pregnant woman eating pickles.
I can finally eat yogurt again! Yay!
So I tried to make these cake pops the other day. I was planning on making them for my friend’s baby shower, but I wanted to do a trial run first. I’m glad I did, because they were an epic fail.
When I went to dip the cake on a stick into the melted candy, it fell apart into the bowl. And that happened over and over again with every “pop.”
Not pretty.
However, they still tasted good, so a few pieces of cake somehow ended up in my mouth before everything landed in the trash. 
Dinner:
A bunch of this …
plus a ton of these:
Long story short, I was wanting to try out a few recipes that I hope to make for that same friend’s baby shower. So since our weekly Bible study was held at our house this week, I decided my friends could be my guinea pigs for the new recipes!
I’ll share the meatball recipe another time (so easy and so good!). But for now, let’s talk Bruschetta.
Double Tomato Bruschetta
(adapted from this recipe)
Note: It’s hard to say how many servings this makes, since it’s just an appetizer, and would usually be served with other dishes. But I know for a baby shower of 20 women, I plan on tripling the recipe, to be safe!
Ingredients:
- 8 oz. sun-ripened dried tomatoes in oil, removed from oil and chopped (I found these near the canned tomatoes in the store)
- 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano, drained well
- 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to brush on bread
- 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 7-8 large basil leaves (stems removed), sliced into thin strips
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
- 1 French baguette
- Grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
- Mix the first 8 ingredients together in a large bowl. Cover the bowl and put it in the refrigerator until ready to serve (I let mine sit for several hours, but you don’t have to).
- When you’re ready to serve, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Slice the baguette into about 1/2 inch slices. Spread the slices out onto 1 or 2 baking sheets.
- Brush a little olive oil onto the tops of the bread pieces. Then sprinkle a little Parmesan cheese onto each piece of bread.
- Bake the bread for about 5 minutes, until the bread gets crispy but not burned.
- Top the pieces with the Bruschetta topping. OR serve the pieces on a pretty platter, with the bowl of Bruschetta topping nearby. Allow guests to add their own toppings to their bread. (This prevents the bread from getting soggy.)
The Bruschetta was a big hit with my Bible study friends. And I’ve been enjoying the leftovers this week. However, I also think that next time I’ll add some fresh tomatoes to the mix. The canned tomatoes worked great, but I think I like the idea of having fresh, canned, and sun-dried tomatoes. I think it would give the mixture more texture.
This recipe is an easy, delicious, and elegant appetizer that would work great for any party or event!
Question for ya …
Best thing you’ve eaten this week?
Ever tried to make Cake Pops? Were you successful??
Are you a fan of pickles? Dill or bread & butter?
I am Team Dill all the way! (Forget Team Peeta or Team Gale … this is a much more important question. 
)
Bruschetta is one of my favorite things! This looks great!
Fran@ Broken Cookies Don’t Count recently posted..WIAW~Between Parties
Sorry about your cake pop fail, but hey at least you didn’t let it all go to waste. Funfetti mix is way to good to just toss!!
HOORAY for feeling better ((knock on wood))!!!
Jessie recently posted..A Very Special Birthday + WIAW
Glad you are feeling better! I haven’t tried cake pops yet but I have all the ingredients to! I googled cake pops and a blog came up where she made Muppets characters and they look so intense it would put my cake pops dipped in sprinkles to shame lol. I might leave it to the professionals
I think from now on, I’ll leave it to the professionals, too!
I love bruschetta, but have actually never made it before! Your recipe looks so yummy and simple
I love dill pickles and always have! Anything that salty is okay in my book 
Jana @ Newly Wife Healthy Life recently posted..WIAW: Anniversary Weekend
Oh girl this sounds amazing!
And when it comes to cake pops, I have failed several times trying to make them. Basically they are an all day process, one you have to be patient with!
Kat recently posted..Pumpkin Pancake Dippers
I am obsessed with bruschetta, so I am fully on board with this recipe
Laurie @ Love, Laugh, Laurie recently posted..Steph’s Wedding Recap
That bruschetta sounds amazing! And I loooove dill pickles. I’ll eat the bread + butter kind, but dill is really wear it’s at. YUM!
amy @ fearless homemaker recently posted..knitted vintage-inspired knot headband {craft}
Yay! I’m so glad you’re feeling back to your normal self!
I’m totally scared to make cake pops. They just intimidate me! Haha. And that bruschetta looks amaaaazing. Yum! Best thing I’ve eaten this week? Our fondue last night for our anniversary dinner!
Ashley @ My Food ‘N’ Fitness Diaries recently posted..WIAW #55: Our Anniversary
I’ve never made cake pops before, but I’ve made cake balls! They’re pretty much the same thing, except you mix the cake and frosting together, roll them into balls, then dip them into melted chocolate. Afterwards, you put the balls on wax paper and let them harden in the fridge for about an hour or so.
And when I made them it was by ACCIDENT! I had a similar cake recipe flop and decided to just combine everything together. It was an unexpected treat!
Anyway, I’m glad to hear you’re eating veggies again. Make that baby big & strong!
Brittany @ Itty Bits of Balance recently posted..Fat Isn’t Spooky
Girl, I’m trying! I made a smoothie this morning with lots of spinach … I’m trying to sneak it in!
Awesome! Keep up the great work
You’ve got it!
Brittany @ Itty Bits of Balance recently posted..Fat Isn’t Spooky
This is the best way to make cake pops. I just made 250 for my wedding. Mix cake and frosting, roll into ball. Put a little melted candy on the end of the stick, then push that part of the stick into the ball. Let that harden, THEN dip ball into melted candy. This should help hold the ball onto the stick. It’s a very long process and took a LOT of trial runs to get it right. Good Luck!
Girl, that’s what I did! Here is what I think the problem was: 1. Not enough frosting mixed into the cake and 2. The melted candy wasn’t runny enough. It was kind of thick, so it didn’t want to cover the cake easily. If I try it again, I won’t buy that Pillsbury packaged stuff, because they didn’t include enough frosting!
Pineapple Chobani is a fave of mine. Its one of the only ones I can eat without adding something to it like granola or something.
I’m not a fan of cake pops for some reason. Every time I have one I am taken aback by how solid and not cake like they are on the inside. Don’t get me wrong I love me some frosting, but I enjoy the cake part as well so I always prefer a cupcake.
Team DILL!! All the way.
Cinnamon @ eatpraytri recently posted..The Road to Ridgecrest
I’ve made cake balls before, but never cake pops. I think the trick is to add more frosting than it calls for…. But I am no expert!
No pickles for me please. I always hated when Mickey D’s forgot to take them off. It was like: No. I’m not going to eat that. I don’t care if you take it off!! I can still “taste” it.
Eating 4 Balance recently posted..What I Ate/Watched Wednesday
I agree with you … I think you need to add more frosting than I did!
I’m so glad you are feeling better! Yay for the second trimester
I love tomatoes and basil with balsamic! Your bible study group is very lucky to be your guinea pig, I wish I could be there too
Maura @ My Healthy ‘Ohana recently posted..Whole Wheat Pumpkin Waffles
MMMMMM bruschetta is one of my favorite appetizers. Delicious!!
I’m SO glad that your first trimester issues are seeming to subside. That is great! & I was the SAME with anything green. YUCK! It made me want to gag. Thankfully it did the same for me, finally went away in my second. & my love for peanut butter & coffee came back too…woohoo!!
Holly recently posted..8.5 Months
Team Dill for sure! This is probably the farthest thing from healthy but.. I’ve drank a fairly large amount of pickle juice in my life. :p
I need to try that Bruschetta right away! yumm
Oh my gosh, THANK YOU for admitting that! I’ve drank pickle juice AND banana pepper juice haha! Gross but true!
Oh I’m SUCH a bruschetta fan. What a great recipe!
Yellow Haired Girl recently posted..How I’ve Been Surviving
I tried to make cake balls one time (basically cake pops without the sticks), and it was so time consuming and messy! They tasted good, but I haven’t attempted them again. I’d rather just make cookies. Haha.
Emily @ Perfection Isn’t Happy recently posted..Friday Things
Holy yum! That bruschetta looks amazing…
Also, there is nothing like an everything bagel with cream cheese. Except perhaps a whole wheat everything bagel with honey pecan cream cheese (from a local Charlottesville bagel place…)
Did you know pickles + pineapple go really well together? Next time, stick those pickles in that Chobani!
Sarah @ The Smart Kitchen recently posted..J is for…
Are you for real, Sarah?? Pickles and pineapple??