Semi-Homemade Cheesy Garlic Bread

This recipe is my idea of the best way to use this garlic butter -- on freshly baked bread. The cheat is that the bread is not homemade, although that is on my list of things to someday learn how to do... Anyway, I use store-bought loaves of frozen white bread and I make two at a time (mainly because this is how many bread pans I own). Then, I cut the loaves in half and slice each half loaf into five pieces. Once they are slathered with the garlic butter (my variation on the recipe is listed below), I set aside one half loaf for dinner the day I make it, and then I wrap the other three halves in foil and freeze them for later meals. The frozen garlic bread is easily reheated at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes, assuming I remember to thaw it before hand, and fresh bread only needs to be reheated for about 15 minutes to melt the butter and make it oh-so-yummy. This goes well with spaghetti, lasagna, and goulash, of course, but I also like to serve it with easy vegetable-beef soup and beef barley stew. Note: For an even simpler cheat, you can spread this garlic butter atop slices of grocery store baguette and then toast the bread under the broiler.

{If you don't tell them it's not homemade, they'd never know!}

Garlic Butter
1 C butter (2 sticks, softened)
1/4 C grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbs minced garlic*
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt  (I use the garlic powder and salt in place of the garlic salt called for in the original.)
dash black pepper (less than original recipe calls for)

Combine all ingredients in a small mixing bowl. I usually use a Pyrex dish with a lid, so that I easily refrigerate the small amount of left over garlic butter. Occasionally, I will halve the recipe if I just want garlic butter on hand since it goes goes nicely with any kind of bread, biscuits, or rolls. *Note: I recently got a garlic press, and it is a total game changer for meal prep! I cannot recommend this tool enough if you enjoy garlic as much as I do.

{Dinner is served.}