More Bread

One of the things that differentiates eating at home from eating out is a bread basket.   Typically, when I prepare dinner at home (with the exception of soup meals) I skip out on the bread course.  It's not really necessary - dinner is usually more than enough.

This especially holds true for pasta dishes.  The only other place I know that has starch as a side dish to starch are my school lunches from my childhood.  And yet, I won't lie to you.  I definitely make use of that bread plate every time we're at a restaurant.  And I love ordering breadsticks with my pizza and garlic bread with Italian food. 

So why is it okay out but not at home?  I have no idea.  I decided to give it a whirl at Thathouse and it was met with great approval.  Garlic bread serves as an excellent way to sop up the extra tomato sauce from most pasta dishes.  It's perfect both for whetting your appetite before the meal, and wrapping it up afterward.

And the bonus is, with a nice loaf, you'll have something to snack on for days afterward!

Garlic Bread

french baguette, cut in half lengthwise
10 garlic cloves, minced
6 Tbsp butter
1 sprig parsley, minced
2 sprigs oregano, minced
1 sprig rosemary, minced
3 Tbsp Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 500.
2. Combine the garlic, butter, herbs, and parmesean in a small bowl.
3. Spread each half of the bread with the butter mixture. 
4. Place the baguette halves on a baking sheet.  Bake 5 minutes, rotate the baking sheet and bake 5 more minutes.