Garlic Bread

I would say I'm still playing around with this recipe but only because I like to...homemade garlic bread is a staple in our household (but not for much longer with our diet looming on the horizon). Feel free to play around with this recipe, but the base to it is a keeper!

yield: lots of slices depending on the size of your loaf

one french loaf (sliced or not, doesn't matter)
1 stick of butter: softened
3/4 cup of ricotta cheese (I used the low-fat version)
1/2 cup of shredded italian cheese mix (romano, parmesan & asiago)
~ 1 tsp or so of garlic salt (this is to taste so it'll take some taste testing)
~ 1/2 tsp or so of paprika
1 tsp of dried parsley flakes (moreso for looks than anything)

1. Preheat the oven to 375-degrees.
2. Mix the butter with the cheeses and spices. Taste a little to see if it is salty enough or not and adjust with your garlic salt measurements...trust me, a bland garlic bread is no good. We use salt sense so for a little extra health kick, I'd recommend that.
3. Once it is all good and mixed, set the mixture aside.
4. If your loaf is not sliced, go ahead and either cut in half (like it is a sandwich) or slice.
5. Go ahead and spread the mixture evenly on your bread.
6. Bake about 10 mins, you really need to watch it so it doesn't get overdone and become a crouton.
7. Once your 10 minutes is up, turn your oven to broil on low and broil for an additional 3-5 mins. 8. Let cool 5-10 minutes before serving, enjoy!

We do this with pasta, pizza, steak...you name it and we like garlic bread with it! Perhaps that is why we are going on a diet, ha! Here is the before and after...