Italian Herb Bread

I also made this to go with the steak yesterday, but we didn't have any Romano cheese. The bread was a little bland for my liking, and the cheese probably would have made it better. I had some today at lunch with garlic butter, and that was very good.

• 2 (o.25 oz) packages active dry yeast
• 2 cups of warm water
• 2 Tbs white sugar
• ¼ cup of olive oil
• 1 Tbs of salt
• 1 Tbs of dried basil
• 1 Tbs of dried oregano
  
• 1 tsp of garlic powder
• 1 tsp of onion powder
• ½ cup of grated Romano cheese
• 6 cups of bread flour

Mix yeast, warm water, and white sugar together in a large bowl. Set aside for five minutes, or until mixture becomes foamy.

Stir olive oil, salt, basil, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, cheese, and 3 cups of flour into the yeast mixture. Gradually mix in the next three cups of flour. Dough will be stiff.

Knead dough for 5 to 10 minutes (I did most of that in the mixer), or until it is smooth and rubbery. Place an oiled bowl, and turn to cover the surface of the dough with oil. Cover with a damp linen dish towel. Allow to rise for 1 hour, or until the dough had doubled in size.

Punch dough down to release all the air. Shape into 2 loaves. Place loaves on a greased (I used parchment paper. I love that stuff.) cookie sheet, or into 2 greased 9x5 inch loaf pans. Allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Remove loaves from pan(s), and let cool on wire racks for at least 15 minutes before slicing.

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Rosemary Pasta in Roasted Garlic Sauce

I made this recipe last night to have with some steaks that Daddy grilled. It went over very well!

• 6 Tbs butter, divided
• ½ cup of finely chopped onion
• 6 cloves of coarsely chopped garlic
• 1 cup of chicken stock
• 2 Tbs chopped fresh rosemary (we didn't have fresh, but dried worked fine)
• 1 (16 oz.) package of spaghetti (we use vermicelli in place of spaghetti usually)
• ¼ cup of grated Parmesan cheese
• kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over low heat. Add the onions; cook and stir until they turn a deep brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, and cook for 2 minutes, until fragrant. Mix in the chicken stock and rosemary, and increase the heat to medium-high. Cook until reduced by ⅓, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain, then add noodles to the sauce in the skillet. Stir in the remaining butter and Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve in a large bowl family style, or place about 1 cup of pasta in a large mug or small bowl. Insert a dinner fork in the center of the pasta and twirl the fork around, holding the mug steady. The pasta will wind up tighter and tighter as you turn. Remove the fork and immediately turn the pasta out onto a dinner plate of shallow bowl. Garnish with extra cheese and rosemary sprigs.

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