How do you define "hometown food"? Is it food from the town you grew up in? From the town you currently live in? Maybe it's from the town that has your heart...you know that saying..'home is where your heart it'.
I had a difficult time deciding what to make for today's Sunday Supper theme. The town where I grew up is out of the way, hidden between a few mountains and from what I remember, wasn't known much for their food. I do remember a great burger joint or two. I also considered where my heart is, and most of my family but I think I've posted several southern dishes which actually represent a culture more than the town in Alabama where my folks live.
So that left me with my current location of nearly 30 yrs....beautiful downtown Burbank. We have an awful lot of restaurants in town. Mostly chains. Some new, some old. Some great and some not so much. But there's one restaurant down by the studios that has been around for decades. Owners have changed a few times as has the menu a bit but the one thing that the Smoke House is famous for is their Cheesy Garlic Bread.
The Smoke House is a great steak house with wonderful prime rib, a fabulous Sunday brunch and a real old time classic feel to it, complete with a bar, lounge and live music. It's been around since the end of WWII and used to be frequented by Hollywood legends such as Bob Hope and Bing Cosby. Dinning there has always been a great way to celebrate a special occasion. Regardless of what you order, several orders of cheesy garlic bread are a must. Plus one to go. The locals even make special trips just to pick up a few orders to take out. Nothing else....just cheesy garlic bread.
One of my dearest friends shared a recipe for their cheesy garlic bread. Funny thing is that the recipe calls for shredded American cheese, but there's a note at the bottom that says: 'or use powdered cheese (ie: the cheese packet from boxed macaroni and cheese)'.
Really?!...hmmm. That little note sure got my attention. Mostly because the cheesy garlic bread from the Smoke House doesn't have melty cheese all over it yet has that cheesy flavor. This must be the "trick".
I decided to try it both ways. One with the shredded American cheese and the other with powdered cheese. I knew in my heart which one was going to be closest to the real thing, but I had to do it anyway.
Btw...if you're looking at this from a "healthy" perspective, I don't feel that one is better than the other since American cheese is processed anyway so it's not like the powdered cheese is replacing the "real thing".
One more thing, you need to plan ahead as the garlic butter needs 3 days to do it's thing.
Smoke House Cheesy Garlic Bread
Printable Version
makes 2 loaves
1/2 cup melted butter
4 cloves of garlic, smashed and diced
1 loaf of Italian bread
1/4 lb of American cheese, shredded (not slices) OR 4 tablespoons of powdered cheese (or to taste)
(you can find American cheese in block form at the deli counter of most grocery stores)
In a small bowl, combine the melted butter with the smashed and diced garlic. Cover and let sit at room temperature for 3 days. Make sure the room is warm enough to keep the butter melted.
Once the 3 days are up, strain out the garlic (the butter might need to be heated up a tad first so the garlic can be removed easily). The garlic aroma and flavor is intense! Suweeeet!!!
Liberally brush the garlic butter over the bread. Sprinkle either the shredded American cheese or the powdered cheese all over. I actually found powdered cheese in a jar in the spice section of my grocery store.
Btw, grating American cheese is kinda weird. It mostly felt like I was just pushing the cheese through the grater. But man, it really does melt nicely.
The cheese sprinkles where a lot let messy but not as pretty.
Place the loaves in a hot broiler for a minute or two. Keep a close eye on it at all times as once it gets going it goes from done to burnt in a matter of seconds.
Then let it cool for a second. Slice and serve.
When all is said and done, the powdered cheese version is spot on...Smoke House Cheesy Garlic Bread! If you've moved from the area and miss this local Burbank treat, here's your fix.
Me? I have a thing for melty. I think the real star in this recipe actually, is the method used to make the garlic butter. It's a lot easier and better than the methods I've been using or trying over the years. How you choose to cheese your garlic bread is totally up to you.
Don't forget to check out the other Sunday Supper Hometown Foods recipes!
Breakfast
Alamo City Breakfast Tacos by The Weekend Gourmet
Gluten Free Cinnamon Raisin Bagels by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
Mickey Mouse Waffles by Wallflour Girl
New York Style Bagels by The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
Peanut Butter and Fluff French Toast by Momma’s Meals
Drinks
Candied Kumquat Peels, Kumquat Syrup, and Kumquat-Ade by Recipe for Perfection
Wine Pairing Recommendations for Hometown Food by ENOFYLZ Wine Blog
Appetizers and Snacks
Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings by Peanut Butter and Peppers
Cuban Sandwich Crostini by Casa de Crews
Cuban Sandwich Dip by Family Foodie
South Jersey Boardwalk Popcorn by Take A Bite Out of Boca
Main Dishes
Chicken and Dumplings by Food Lust People Love
Crockpot Cincinnati Chili by Palatable Pastime
Fried Rice Vermicelli with Vegetable Fritters by Brunch with Joy
Honey Cola Baked Ham by Magnolia Days
Hot Brown Ham Sliders by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
Joe's Special by Nosh My Way
Lentil, Cauliflower and Sweet Potato Curry by Mess Makes Food
New England Beans and Cod by Cooking Chat
Oven Toasted Ravioli by Curious Cuisiniere
Philadelphia Tomato Pie by The Redhead Baker
Pierogies by Hezzi D's Books and Cooks
Portobello "Philly Cheese Steak" by PancakeWarriors
Pozole Rojo by Simply Healthy Family
Revved-up Poutine by Jane's Adventures in Dinner
Rice with Pork and Pineapple by Basic N Delicious
San Francisco Cioppino by Eat, Drink and be Tracy
Seattle-Style Dungeness Crab Roll by Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen
Tex-Mex Cheese Enchiladas with Chile con Carne by The Texan New Yorker
The Pittsburgh Devonshire Sandwich by Seduction in the Kitchen
Upper Peninsula Pasties by Recipes Food and Cooking
Victory Pig Sicilian Style Pizza by Rants From My Crazy Kitchen
Xiang La Tu Zi // Hot & Spicy Rabbit by Curried Canteloupe
Side Dishes
1905 Salad by Supper for a Steal
Chicken Rice Pilaf by Crazy Foodie Stunts
Classic Italian Risotto in Bianco by La Bella Vita Cucina
Greek Salad with Potato Salad by Ruffles & Truffles
Korean Steamed Eggs by Hip Foodie Mom
Smoke House Cheesy Garlic Bread by Peaceful Cooking
Desserts
Apple Crisp by Serena Bakes Simply From Scratch
Buckeye Cupcakes by Desserts Required
Carob Bumpy Cake by Pies and Plots
Chocolate Earthquake Cake by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
Chocolate Pocky Cake by NinjaBaker
Grandma Sweeney's Chocolate Cream Pie by Lifestyle Food Artistry
Lemon Buttermilk Bundt Cake by Alida's Kitchen
Memories of Mom; Michigan Apple Cake by A Day in the Life on the Farm
Mile High Strawberry Pie by Cindy's Recipes and Writings
Pear Parkin by Happy Baking Days
Vegan Timbits by Killer Bunnies, Inc
Vernors Cake by Country Girl in the Village
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