French Bread with Garlic-Herb Butter

When I was asked recently to bring some garlic bread to a potluck dinner, I fell immediately back into an old pattern of making a really simple assignment complicated.

I started thinking about a recipe that I’d gotten many years ago from my ex-mother-in-law. She was a marvelous cook, and in an effort to help her rookie-in-the-kitchen daughter-in-law, she gave me a little cookbook, marked up with her tips and advice. The cookbook, entitled “Hummingbirds and Radishes,” was the 1953 edition of the Kenilworth Center of the Infant Welfare Society of Chicago, and had been her go-to resource ever since it was first published. There are about 200 recipes -- some complicated, some very simple -- in this collection, and she had earmarked her favorites.

On page 109, she bookmarked French Bread with Herb Butter, and it’s worth quoting:

There are times when nothing but garlic bread will do – with the meaty casseroles or with any of the Italian things. But for more delicately flavored combinations we prefer our French bread done with herb butter. The possibilities are limited only by the scope of your herb garden or condiment shelf. Here’s one favorite combination. Try this on little three-decker tea sandwiches.

1½ sticks of butter

1 Tablespoon parsley, finely chopped

1 Tablespoon chopped chives or scallions

1 Tablespoon chopped sweet basil

½ Teaspoon lemon juice

1 dash Tabasco sauce

Soften the butter and mix in the herbs and liquids. Slice the bread and butter each slice before heating and serving.

I’ve used this simple recipe many times over the years, and I always get compliments. When I’m feeling very organized, I double the recipe, prepare the bread and freeze the leftovers in small globs to use on vegetables. For the potluck, which had an Italian theme, I mixed in some minced fresh garlic with the herbs and slathered it on a French baguette, and it was very tasty.

But I have never, ever, made tea sandwiches with it, and probably never will even though women must have done that often in 1953. Not this gal.

Jalapeno Poppers

I’ve been pretty much grounded since my surgery, limiting my activity to things like light housework, gentle exercise and way too much staying at home. But I’ve finally started physical therapy and I can feel my energy level coming back. And just in time, because last night was Girls’ Night Out and I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.

The occasion was to visit with a gal-pal who was here from England, so we gathered at the home of mutual friends, each of us bringing something for the meal: salad, garlic bread, pasta with meat sauce, wine and a marvelous orange butter cream cake. All of it was delicious (my appetite is coming back too!), but perhaps the surprise hit of the evening was the appetizer that Helen provided. First, she apologized for having forgotten to add an ingredient (the Parmesan cheese), but after sampling several of them, we all agreed that the final dish was just perfect as it was. We gobbled them up, those not-spicy-at-all jalapenos, and probably would have happily devoured a second platter had we not been called to the table for our feast.

The food and wine was just right and we ooh’ed and ah’ed over every dish and every bottle of wine we opened. The conversation was lively and went on far longer than our hosts probably wanted, but this was a celebration after all. It was a celebration of friendships that have endured and thrived over the years and over the miles.

At the end of the evening, we vowed to do this again and I volunteered my house for the next gathering. I know what I’m going to ask Helen to bring.

Jalapeno Poppers

1 pound lean bulk pork sausage

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

1 cup Parmesan cheese

24 jalapeno chile peppers, about 3 inches long

 Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Stir-fry the sausage in a skillet over medium high-heat until it is crumbly and evenly browned. Drain off the rendered fat and place the meat in a medium bowl. Mix with the softened cream cheese and Parmesan cheese (if you remember to add it).

Working in a clean sink or basin half-filled with water, and wearing clean rubber gloves, hold the peppers under water and remove the stems and cut in half lengthwise. This keeps the pepper fumes from getting on your skin and into your nose. Remove the seeds with a spoon or melon baller and discard. Do not touch your face or eyes with the gloves! Stuff each pepper half with the sausage-cream cheese-Parmesan mixture, and arrange in a large shallow baking pan. Bake about 20 minutes until the peppers have softened and the filling starts to bubble. Remove the poppers to a serving dish and serve hot.

Adding shredded Parmesan cheese to the sausage-cream cheese mixture probably gives the poppers a richer flavor but won’t be missed if you don’t. Another added fillip is to wrap each stuffed popper with half a slice of bacon that you’ve partially cooked in the microwave until soft, then securing the bacon with a toothpick before you finish them off in the oven. Personally, I think either addition is just gilding the lily, but it’s fun to experiment.

Makes 48 appetizers.