Okay, after all my talk about S’mores (on Facebook) and delicious but not exactly diet-friendly recipes (on Wednesday), I thought we’d better end the week on a lighter note.

Get it? LIGHTER note? Because this recipe includes fruit? And no bacon? Right.

You might have noticed that I labeled this a “family recipe.” When I’ve done that in the past, we’ve been lucky enough to have a guest post from my talented and hilarious brother. (No, I’m not biased. I’m a completely objective big sister.)

Today, however, it’s just me.

But I’m sharing a recipe from a friend I consider family, so I decided the label fits. I met Brittany (and her husband, Josh) at choir practice several years ago. Nine years? Could it be that long ago?

ANYWAY. I liked them right away and it didn’t take long for us to become good friends. Over time they became the kind of friends I consider family, the ones I love unconditionally and will do anything for – like drive hours just to meet for a quick, chaotic lunch (with our kids, which is where the chaos came from). We’re visiting them in a couple weeks, and I can’t wait to see them. They are family.

So this is a family recipe.

A couple years after I met Brittany and Josh – after I’d gotten good and attached, you know – they moved about three hours away. I should have seen it coming, since they were here for Josh to finish school and missed their family who still live – you guessed it – three hours away.

As you might have guessed, I’m not a fan of their decision to move away from me. And since I had decided they’re friends-like-family, I basically refused to say goodbye – and try to visit them as often as I can.

And when I do? Brittany almost always makes this strawberry bruschetta for us.

(And jalapeno popper dip, because in addition to music, board games and immature jokes, the four of us also share a love of our favorite cheesy, spicy dip.)

When we visited our friends last summer and Brittany served us peach and strawberry bruschetta (and I gushed over it, AGAIN), it dawned on me: I could make this, too! Really, the recipe is simple enough that Annalyn could help me.

See? Family recipe!

And boy, was Annalyn excited for us to do a little cooking! She’d helped my mom make strawberry jam, so she now fancies herself some kind of strawberry-dicing expert. I found that to be a little bit of an exaggeration, but she was so proud of herself that I didn’t dare criticize her chopping skills.

The best part of this recipe was doing something new with Annalyn – and the fact that it reminds me of my friends. But second best is how simple it is. It really only takes a few minutes to make a delicious (and sorta, kinda healthy? Not as unhealthy?) breakfast!

Strawberry Bruschetta

1 long, skinny baguette
3 tbsp butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
6 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup strawberries, diced

Slice the baguette into 24 pieces. Lightly butter and sprinkle with the cinnamon and sugar (mixed together). Toast in oven until sightly browned. (I toasted mine for about 10 minutes on 450 degrees.) Mix together cream cheese and sugar. Spread sugar mixture on pieces of toast and top with strawberries. Then try not to eat ALL THE PIECES and ruin your fantasy of a semi-healthy breakfast.

A few notes: You can find fancier versions of this dish all over the internet. Unsurprisingly, I prefer this simple recipe. Also, I used Neufchatel cheese (you know, the “33% less fat than cream cheese” cheese), and you can substitute powdered sugar for regular sugar if you’d like. Finally, all these measurements are approximations because, again, that’s how easy this is.

Do you have favorite dishes you share with friends?

This post may be linked to these amazing carnivals and link parties.