One summer afternoon, as I was winding down from a taxing day of watching Vh1 reality shows and dressing my dog up in ridiculous costumes, I got an interesting call from a friend. She was throwing a surprise party for her neighbor’s birthday.

“Cool,” I said. “When?”

“Tonight.” She replied.

“Oh wow, is there anything I can do to help? Bring streamers?”

“Um…” She paused. “Can you make the food?”

I agreed to make the food. For 40 people. In two hours. Luckily, I have a love of easy entertaining — not bagel bites and Sandra Lee, but simple, elegant food made with a minimal amount of ingredients and time. Needless to say, these little bruschetta bites were a breeze. Feel free to make these your own, by experimenting with different soft cheeses (ricotta, blue cheese, etc.), or by adding meat (bacon, prosciutto, etc.). These ingredients are inexpensive — you can even get the baguette for free at Atticus at 10 p.m.