Focaccia Bars

Drum roll please.... here it is, my first ever blog post. Do I get a prize? It took me years to finally say the word, "blog" without cringing but I am coming around to it. I hated the word "hoodie" too so instead I said "hooded sweatshirt" but eventually, I figured it saved time to say hoodie so I incorporated it into my vocabulary.

One word my husband and I have been trying to learn is "focaccia." If someone knows how to pronounce it, by all means, please let us know! We come up with a new variation of it every time we say it. But regardless of how you pronounce it, these bars are delicious! I have this awesome cookbook called Incredibly Easy Silly Snacks that I got on sale with a gift card from Barnes and Noble and it has been well worth it.

Ingredients:
cornmeal
1 package of refrigerated French bread dough
2 tablespoons of olive oil (we use canola if we're out of olive)
1 red bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
3-5 tablespoons shredded Italian cheese blend

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Sprinkle cornmeal on baking sheet (that part is my favorite!). Unwrap the dough and shape into a 16x4 inch strip on prepared baking sheet.
2. Heat olive oil in medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper; cook and stir for a few minutes or until pepper is tender and lightly browned. Remove and reserve oil.
3. Press fingertips into dough to create dimples. Drizzle leftover cooking oil into the dimples and all over the dough. Spread the pepper slices over the dough then sprinkle with salt and oregano. Top with cheese and be generous!
4. Bake 13-15 minutes or until cheese melts and the bread is firm and golden. Wait a few minutes for the delicious bread to cool and cut into however many slices you want.... usually this means 2 slices... one for me and one for the husband. Hey, there is a vegetable on it so that makes it almost nutritious, right?

You can freeze this bad boy for up to a month or refrigerate leftovers for up to two days (but why would you want to?).

Last time, Troy and I added some minced garlic to the bread and this time we added garlic salt instead of regular salt and it was delish! Let me know how it turns out when (not if) you make it!