I honestly love where I live. I just dropped off some of our favorite chocolate chip cookies to Zoe’s locker at school, as she has a reunion party with one of her favorite 6th grade teachers today. As I was driving home, I just felt a sense of gratefulness, pride and love for where I live. There’s such a sense of community here, and everywhere I go, I always run into a familiar or friendly face. It’s small town living, and I love it!
Anyway, I just thought I would share that with you all! So, I’m in the process of planning out my weekly menu for next week, (which I posted for you on Sunday) and I put garlic bread on the menu. I realized that I haven’t shared with you our favorite garlic bread recipe, lame, I know. This garlic bread is easy, crispy and tastes so darn good. Garlic bread is the perfect accompaniment to any pasta, especially a saucy one. If you want to stretch a pasta meal into two nights, garlic bread helps you do that. You can double the recipe to feed a crowd or add more garlic or less depending on how garlicky you like your bread.
In my old garlic bread making days I used butter and garlic salt. One time I put too much garlic salt on the bread and it was so bitter that I swore it off from then on. I’m happy I made the switch to the real stuff, as you can taste fresh garlic in every bite, but in a good way. So move over garlic salt and say hello to the fresh stuff.
crispy garlic bread:
recipe from Everyday Food
serves 8
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
- coarse sea salt
- 1 loaf of italian bread (or your favorite crusty bread), halved lengthwise
Note: When I’m feeding my family, I only use 1/2 a loaf of bread. I save the other half for the next night, as well as half of the garlic butter. I just refrigerate the butter till the next day and take it out about an hour before I bake the bread to make it easier to spread.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Peel the garlic cloves. Fill a small pan with water and bring it to a boil. Add the garlic cloves to the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes. 
Remove the garlic cloves with a slotted spoon, and finely mince the garlic.
In a small bowl, blend together the minced garlic and the butter, season to taste with coarse sea salt. 
Spread the butter mixture on cut sides of bread, making sure to spread it to the edges of the bread as well.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Sandwich both halves together, and bake until the bread is crusty and the butter has melted, about 10-15 minutes.
Slice it up and serve it up alongside your favorite pasta or salad.
Top it with some fresh chopped parsley for some added color if you wish.
Tip: I place a cutting board on the bottom of my sink and slice the bread there so I don’t get crumbs everywhere. I know I’m a bit anal, but it’s nice not to be stepping on crumbs for the next week.
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
- coarse sea salt
- 1 loaf of italian bread (or your favorite crusty bread), halved lengthwise
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Peel the garlic cloves.
- Fill a small pan with water and bring it to a boil. Add the garlic cloves to the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes.
- Remove the garlic cloves with a slotted spoon, and finely mince the garlic.
- In a small bowl, blend together the minced garlic and the butter, season to taste with coarse sea salt.
- Spread the butter mixture on cut sides of bread, making sure to spread it to the edges of the bread as well.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Sandwich both halves together, and bake until the bread is crusty and the butter has melted, about 10-15 minutes.
- Slice it up and serve it up alongside your favorite pasta or salad.
- Top it with some fresh chopped parsley for some added color if you wish.
- Tip: I place a cutting board on the bottom of my sink and slice the bread there so I don't get crumbs everywhere. I know I'm a bit anal, but it's nice not to be stepping on crumbs for the next week.
This was so good with tomato soup. Thanks!
Yaay! So glad you love the bread girl! xoxo, Jacquelyn
Hi Jacquelyn,
I really enjoy reading how you made your garlic bread. Don’t say that it’s lame… We like to eat garlic breads but I think my family don’t really eat garlic bread as often as your family do. Nice to learn from you the tricks and tips to make the bread crispy and flavorsome.
Like Jill, Always a big fan of your photography and layout… She is so sweet with her comments 😀
Zoe
Me again. I think mango avocado salsa goes with the refried bean tacos, but it all looks good! Thanks again :). Jill
Me again. I think mango avocado salsa goes with the refried bean tacos, but it all looks good! Thanks again :). Jill
Hi Jill! Your comments made my day! Wow, thanks so much for your kind words and for commenting and letting me know what you made and how it turned out. I really do love to hear how dishes turn out for readers and what people adapted or changed with them. Ina’s lemon chicken is a huge hit in our house as well. My daughter saw your comment and asked when I’m going to make it again because I haven’t made it in FOREVER. I’m always trying new recipes for the blog, so sometimes my kids don’t get their favorite dishes all the time.
The mango avocado salsa would taste great with the re-friend bean tacos, go for it! I even love that salsa plain with some tortilla chips. Mangos are just so good!
Ok, let me know how the tacos turn out for you!
xoxo,
Jackie
I meant…You are the best photographer 🙂 and that makes me want to …
ha ha, typing too fast here.
Hello! I just love your blog. You are the best photography and that’s what make me want to try everything. 🙂
I made the garlic bread last night and it was a hit. The kids loved it of course. I had never thought to boil the garlic cloves. I boiled them in a big pot of water and then my water was ready to go for the pasta.
Your Lemon Chicken Breasts were divine. I am going to try the Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos with the mango avocado salsa next. Looks so delicious.
Thank you so much for sharing your talents! You are inspiring.
Your bread looks so good…my kids would love it with any meal…or as a meal, ha. We live in a small town as well and love the sense of community that goes along with it. Even our 17 year old daughter came back from dropping her little brother off at baseball practice on Saturday and said she “gets” why we love it here so much. She said driving through town and seeing everyone walking to the farmers market with kids, drinking their coffee out enjoying the weather…it’s a wonderful thing.
Your bread looks so good…my kids would love it with any meal…or as a meal, ha. We live in a small town as well and love the sense of community that goes along with it. Even our 17 year old daughter came back from dropping her little brother off at baseball practice on Saturday and said she “gets” why we love it here so much. She said driving through town and seeing everyone walking to the farmers market with kids, drinking their coffee out enjoying the weather…it’s a wonderful thing.
oh garlic bread how I love you!!! I normally just finely chop some garlic in butter and swirl it in a pan. I then take some sourdough and press down and leave it to sort of cook on the skillet in the galricy butter – I then flip it and do the same on the other side.
I love where you live too – wish I was your neighbour! <3
that looks awesome!! I’m cooking stew right now – I think I’ll cook some of this wonderful garlic bread to go with it – perfect!
Mary x
Thanks Mary! Sounds like a perfect combination. I also love to pair garlic bread with a nice juicy steak.