Caprese Garlic Bread: I Chopped Garlic, Be Impressed

     I have found that when I want to do something, I typically dive right in balls to the wall. This has been both a strong point and a point of weakness depending on the situation. For example, anytime I want to lose weight, I dive in with the most restrictive of diets possible and attempt to run as fast and as hard as I can on the treadmill to the point of nearly passing out. This, as you may know, is the perfect setup for failure. I easily get burnt out and give into my obsession for Cheetos and late night stops at Taco Bell.
 

BIG, ASS KNIFE!

     So, with that being said, I have decided I don't want this to happen with cooking. I am nowhere near ready to be on Masterchef nor am I anywhere close to being capable of whipping up a meal that involves more than say 6 ingredients. I need to take this slow. I need to learn actual skills, like chopping, before I dive into more complex tasks in the kitchen. This Caprese Garlic Bread seemed like a very good place to start. Minimal ingredients with very easy to follow instructions. This was probably a dish my 5 year old could have done by herself if she could read and use a big, ass knife. I don't understand this idea of using said big, ass knife to cut something as small as garlic, but hey that's what the hubs said so I am going with it. He did say I was going to chop my fingers off several times, but relax dear friends, I still have all my phalanges. There is this curvature that is super important to keeping all of your fingers. It is far from a natural feeling, but I can see the importance of doing this, and so I made it work.

 

ME CHOP GARLIC

 This bread is absolutely amazing. It is so delicious, and was super easy to put together. It made for a lovely appetizer to our meal, which of course the hubs cooked. The stand out portion of this appetizer is the garlic butter. I wasn't certain that the flavor was going to be that bold in all honesty. The directions called to chop the garlic, soften the butter, and combine the two to spread onto the bread. I have always thought to make your own garlic bread with Italian bread or other bread of choice, you basically slathered it with butter and garlic salt. Every bite was like taking a risk. Some just right, others so salty you almost vomit. By simply using real garlic and real butter, you get the perfect amount of garlic flavor. Go figure, right? The mozzarella melts rather nicely, and who doesn't love basil? I will say, we did add some salt after taking a bite that involved the tomato. Mr. Tomato was a little bland. It only needed just a touch of salt, but this really helped bring out all the delicious flavors.  This was Husband approved, mother approved, Amy approved, but not so much kid approved. What do they know, right!? Gourmet food to them is yogurt from a tube. Overall, I feel I did a good job, and it turned out great. Again, nothing real complex to make, but I satisfied my hunger to get crafty in the kitchen. All in all, a win. Check out the recipe below, and Happy Cooking!

Recipe courtesy of  Two Peas & Their Pod

Finished Product

Caprese Garlic Bread

Yield: Serves 8
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes



The hubs adding more Balsamic

Garlic bread with fresh mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, basil, and a drizzle of balsamic! The best garlic bread you will ever eat!

Ingredients:

1 loaf ciabatta bread, horizontally cut in half
4 tablespoons salted butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
12 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 medium tomatoes, sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place both sides of the baguette on a large baking sheet with the cut side up.
2. In a small bowl, combine butter and garlic and spread evenly on bread halves. Place the mozzarella cheese slices on top of the bread, making sure the cheese covers the bread completely. Bake the bread for 12-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
3. While the bread is in the oven, make the balsamic reduction. Place the balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan. Bring the vinegar to a boil, decrease the heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is reduced by about half. This should only take about 5-7 minutes. Set aside.
4. Remove the bread from oven. Top the bread with tomato slices. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the fresh basil and drizzle with balsamic reduction. Cut into slices and serve.