Hummus, Red Pepper, and Roast Beef Crostini

You know the people that make entertaining seem effortless? You arrive at their house and are greeted with the smell of "Fresh Ocean Linen with Hint of Orange" candles burning. The floors are immaculate. The food is arrayed in a sunflower pattern at the center of the table. The silverware is actually laid out beside the plates. And the hostess has the glow of a relaxed, fully rested woman.

I am not that hostess.

I am the hostess that is scrambling at the last minute to pick up tumbleweeds of dog hair off the floor, pull food out of the oven, wipe the onion husks off the counter, and shove all that unsorted junk mail into a desk drawer. When you come to my house for a party you'll most likely find me with rosy red cheeks, frayed hair, and an oven mitt on each arm. It's just the way it is.

Which is exactly why I'm always on the hunt for recipes like this. Recipes that don't require any last minute sprinkling, decorating, broiling, or frosting. Recipes that require only common ingredients, can be prepped and ready in under a half an hour, but are fancy and delicious enough to serve to a crowd.

This hummus, red pepper, and roast beef crostini fits the bill perfectly. While the crostini crisps up in the oven, you can chop up the red pepper and parsley. After it gets out of the oven all that's left to do is spread some hummus on, sprinkle with red pepper, and top with a roast beef swirl. It's a job easy enough to pass on to your kid, hubby, or the nearest person standing around not doing anything, which frees you up for more important things. Like shoving piles of shoes into the hall closet before guests arrive.

Give this light, fresh appetizer a try for your next gathering. Light a few candles and your guests will be calling you the effortless hostess next time.

Hummus, Red Pepper, and Roast Beef Crostini
Recipe by bakeeatrepeat.blogspot.com
Yield: 60 crostini


Ingredients:
1 french baguette sliced 1/4 inch thick
3/4 cup olive oil
2 cups hummus
3 cups diced red pepper
1/2 cup chopped curly leaf parsley
12 thick slices roast beef, each torn into 5 strips
Salt
Pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange baguette slices on two large rimmed baking sheet. Brush both sides of slices with olive oil. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-18 minutes or until golden and crunchy.

At this point you could:
a) eat the bread as is, because it's totally delicious all by itself
b) eat it on top of a bowl of salad or soup
c) store in an airtight container until you're ready to add toppings
d) Continue on to step 2.

2. Spread about 1/2 Tablespoon hummus over each slice of bread. Sprinkle with about a Tablespoon of diced red pepper for each slice. If desired, press the red pepper into the hummus a bit to hold everything together. Sprinkle with a few pinches of parsley.

3. Take each strip of roast beef and twist it slightly then layer on top of the hummus and red pepper. Sprinkle all with salt and pepper.

P.S. I also like to enjoy this for a quick lunch, just with a greatly reduced portion size!