Braided Spaghetti Bread

I found this recipe on the Rhodes blog, and it was calling my name even though I tend to not pay much attention to recipes put out by brands (weird, I know). But, I'm a firm believer that you absolutely cannot enjoy spaghetti without garlic bread, so I suppose that is what hooked me in with this recipe. Plus it just looked pretty!

It was really easy to put together, baked up perfectly, and was a hit with my husband and daughter (because even though this looked so good, all the carb-loading isn't diet friendly right now, so I had one little bite and then enjoyed my own personal skinny chicken parm with garlic kale). My husband said he expected it to be a heavy meal, but the dough actually baked up nice and light and fluffy, making it not feel heavy at all and was easy for both of them to enjoy - and I can verify this fact from the one bite I had! I've done something similar, with this Spaghetti Bruschetta, but I think I prefer this method...with just putting the pasta on already prepared garlic bread you get a crisp, crunchy bread versus a soft and chewy one with the uncooked dough.

I'm sure we'll be having this one again, and probably in the near future not only because it was a hit but also because the bread dough came in a pack of 5 :)

You can find the original recipe here, along with step-by-step pics of putting it together.

Ingredients

1 Loaf Rhodes Bread Dough or 12 Rhodes Dinner Rolls, thawed to room temperature
6 oz spaghetti, cooked
1 cup thick spaghetti sauce
8 oz mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2 –inch cubes (or 8 oz shredded)
1 egg white
Parmesan cheese
Parsley flakes (I used Italian seasoning and garlic powder)

Directions

1. Roll thawed bread dough into a 12x16 rectangle on parchment paper. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest 15 minutes.

2. Combine spaghetti and sauce. Remove plastic wrap from dough and place spaghetti on top of dough in a 4" strip down the center. Top with cheese.

3. Make cuts 1 ½-inches apart on long sides of dough to within ½-inch of filling. Begin braid by folding top and bottom strips toward filling. Then braid strips left over right, right over left. Finish by pulling last strip over and tucking under braid. Transfer parchment paper to a large baking sheet. Brush with egg white and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and parsley. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly and slice to serve.

Pumpkin Bread

We've been eating a lot of pumpkin bread around here lately, because a) we still have a lot of pumpkin puree in the freezer, from cooking and pureeing our Halloween pumpkins, b) because its just so darn easy to make, and c) because its delicious!

My go-to recipe is below, super simple and it really does come out practically perfect every time.

Pumpkin Bread

from Allrecipes

Ingredients

3 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 (16 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 cup water

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine sugar, oil and eggs. Add pumpkin and mix well. Combine dry ingredients; add to the pumpkin mixture alternately with water.

2. Pour into two greased 9-in. x 5-in. x 3-in. loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees F for 60-65 minutes or until bread tests done. Cool in pans 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack; cool completely.

Note: Homemade pumpkin puree works great in this recipe in place of canned pumpkin. After Halloween, I cut up and roasted our pumpkins, then scooped out the flesh and pureed it until smooth. I then put the puree into a muffin pan and froze, each muffin cup holds about 1/2 cup puree. Once frozen, remove from the muffin pan and put the little purees in a freezer bag, and defrost as needed for pumpkin recipes! Much better and cheaper than the canned stuff!

Spaghetti Bruschetta

I stole this idea from Picky Palate, and when I first found the recipe I totally thought it was genius...you can't eat spaghetti without garlic bread, so why not put the spaghetti on the garlic bread!

This is another "No Recipe Needed" creation too...just make up some spaghetti (I cut up the pasta into small pieces before cooking so it would be easier to eat on the bread), put it on garlic bread, top with mozzarella cheese and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly. You'll need a knife and fork for it, but its delish!

No Recipe Needed - Cheesy Garlic Bread

You want to know the secret to fantastic garlic bread? A perfectly seasoned herb butter (we like garlic and dill), with a little bit of mayonnaise mixed in. Trust me, it makes a difference. Top with your favorite cheese, broil, and enjoy!