What I'm Snacking On: Toast (Yeah, Toast!)

Sometimes when I'm hungry, all it takes is a toasted slice of bread and some simple toppings to satiate my appetite. I almost always pick up a loaf of French or sourdough bread from the grocery store at least once a week, as I love to have fresh bread on hand. (Though I think it's fair to say that, given my love of all-things-bready, I might be in need of a carb-intervention.)

I also typically have a fridge stocked with some interesting ingredients that need to be used up, so I decided to top a couple of slices of bread with some different flavor combinations. First up: toasted French bread with fig butter, melted gruyere, fresh arugula, and a drizzle of honey. Holy yumtown.

And of course, an oldie but a goodie -- simple bruschetta on a toasted slice of French bread with pesto, a Wisconsin-grown sliced tomato, a few fresh mozzarella pearls, and some freshly-torn spinach leaves. (Look at me, all wild-and-crazy by substituting spinach for basil. That, or I didn't have any fresh basil on hand...)

The great thing about toasted French bread is that your options for toppings are nearly endless -- whether you want something sweet (such as a simple slather of ricotta cheese, a drizzle of honey, and a few fresh berries), or something savory (such as melted provolone and some thinly-sliced sausage) -- you're only limited by the ingredients you have on hand and your own imagination. Yeah, toast!