Italian Cheese Bread

The Best Italian Cheese Bread

Weather you’re used to Little Caesars Italian Cheese Bread or Papa John’s Cheese Sticks, maybe even some other version from another local Pizza Pie cafe you love, they’re all pretty much one in the same; a baked pizza crust with some variation of ingredients mixed into the melted cheese. So, it doesn’t matter what you call it just as long as it’s good and I’ve got a great recipe for you. Not only is it good, it’s great and it’s really easy to make, too.

Fresh out of the oven, sliced Italian Cheese Bread.

How I make Italian Cheese Bread

When I make Italian Cheese Bread I use my Pizza Dough Recipe, only I bake it at lower temperature. I also use my Pizza Sauce Recipe for dipping, as well. One of the secret ingredients, however, to making great cheese bread is seasoning the dough after it’s been rolled out. I keep it very simple by spreading 1/4 cup of Italian dressing because it’s got everything you need. Then I lay down the cheese, Mozzarella and Romano. It’s a perfect combination mixed with dried Mexican Oregano and some crushed Chili Flakes.

Italian Cheese Bread Ingredients:

1 lbs Pizza dough
1/4 cup Italian dressing
1 cup Mozzarella cheese, grated
2 tbsp Romano cheese, grated
1 tsp Mexican Oregano, dried
1 tsp Crushed Chili flakes, dried

Make the dough the day before and refrigerate for best results. Remove the dough 1 hour before baking and allow it to rise and reach room temperature before rolling it out. Bake Italian Cheese Bread at 475 degrees Fahrenheit for 8 minutes on the bottom rack.

Caprese Portobellos with Balsamic Glaze

The Best Caprese Portobellos

If you love Mushrooms and you love Caprese, you are absolutely going to love this Caprese Portobellos recipe because it combines the best of both worlds. Using Large Portobello mushroom caps gives a ton of surface area to cram in plenty of Mozzarella, Tomatoes and Fresh Basil. And, if you prepare your dish the way I show you how to do it, you’re whole world will change. So open your mind to other possibilities and I’ll show you how to make the best Mushroom Caprese.

What is Caprese Portobellos

To understand Caprese you must understand, first, that it is a traditional Italian recipe that usually breaks down to 3 basic ingredients: Mozzarella, Tomatoes and Fresh Basil. Many folks consider Caprese Antipasto ingredients and many Caprese Salad recipes exist because of the over all freshness the combination provides. My sources tell me that the real Caprese is just Buffalo Mozzarella, which is made from Buffalo milk and it’s a typical dish served in the Isle of Capri.

Normally, Caprese Portobellos is prepared and served with fresh Tomatoes but I am recommending my Marinated and Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, instead, for several reasons. First, because roasted cherry tomatoes are awesome, so that’s just a no brainer, and second because you want to add olive oil to the mushrooms and the olive oil, marinating the cherry tomatoes, has garlic and fresh herbs roasted into it. So it really enhances the flavor, a ton. If you want to use fresh tomatoes, instead, that’s fine too but I highly recommend mixing a 1/4 cup of olive oil with some fresh chopped garlic and a pinch of salt, at the very least, and add that to the mushrooms.

Also, when it comes to the Balsamic Glaze, most recipes recommend a 1 to 4 ratio of Brown Sugar and Balsamic Vinegar. I don’t agree with this at all and I was trained to balance the bitter with more sweet. I would recommend a 1 to 1 ratio, instead but that’s entirely up to you. Bring it to boil and reduce the heat to medium. Cook it for 5 minutes until the sauce reduces and practically caramelizes and you will have a perfect glaze.

Caprese Portobellos Ingredients:

4 to 6 Large Portobello Mushroom Caps
4 oz Cherry Tomatoes, marinated & roasted
1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese
6 Fresh Basil leaves, chopped
2 tbsp Butter, melted
1 Garlic Clove, chopped
Salt and Pepper, taste

Balsamic Glaze
1/4 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
2 tbsp Brown Sugar

Be sure to watch the short video tutorial for this Caprese Portobellos recipe and follow the recommendations in this post for a perfect dish.

How to make Pasta – Ravioli Sheets, Fettuccine and Angel Hair Pasta

How to Make Pasta Tutorial

I’ve been wanting to show you how to make pasta for quite some time now. Mostly because I have yet to see a real good video tutorial that shows you, step by step, exactly how to do it. So I put together this “fool proof” recipe that will teach you how to make the dough, understand it’s texture and know for sure when it is ready. Once you understand this concept, you will make great pasta. With out it, you will fail and most likely end up frustrated or, worse, possibly end up hating the whole procedure altogether But the fact is, fresh pasta tastes 10 times better than dehydrated and once you see how easy this is you’ll never go back.

Another great thing about this recipe and the way I show you how to make pasta is that you can freeze the noodles in bunch’s or the dough in bulk. And if you want to defeat the purpose of making fresh pasta, in the first place, you can hang the noodles out on a rack and let them dry, if you want, when they’re done.

My How to make Pasta video

This, “How to make Pasta” video recipe will show you how to make Ravioli or Lasagna Noodle sheets first, then Fettuccine and Angel Hair Pasta. If you’re interested in some of my sauce recipes for these noodles check out my Alfredo Sauce(Olive Garden’s), Lobster Ravioli Sauce and my Alfredo and Cheese Sauce.

How to make Pasta Ingredients:

2 cups Flour, all purpose
3 Eggs, large
1 tsp Olive Oil
1 pinch Salt

Add a few drops of water, to the dough, as needed and knead the dough for 5 to 8 minutes before rolling it out into sheets and cutting out the noodles. The pasta only needs to be cooked for a few minutes in seasoned boiling water before serving. But be sure to watch my video, How to make Pasta – Ravioli Sheets, Fettuccine and Angel Hair Pasta, so that you will understand exactly what to do.