The Silver Fox and I gave both of our daughters nicknames when they were babies. Our oldest, born prematurely, was called Little Bit because she was so tiny. The youngest was called Butterfly, not for her Asian heritage, but because she would flit from one place to another and land softly. Bob and I still use their nicknames in our conversations with each other, but have long since abandoned using them when talking with the girls. At any rate, while Butterfly, who was malnourished when she joined us, loved to eat, Little Bit was a challenge. A huge challenge. She survived on applesauce, scrambled eggs and fried chicken. Fortunately, she loved milk and had a pediatrician whose advice kept me sane. When she was in kindergarten, she discovered garlic bread and it was added to her very short list of acceptable food. It stayed there until she left our home to form her own and at that point garlic bread pretty much fell from my memory. Several years ago, Tyler Florence touted something he called a Ripped Baguette. One of my friends noted that no matter what he called it, it sounded like garlic bread to her. It did and was and before long other chefs jumped on the bandwagon and garlic bread enjoyed a resurgence of popularity. One of the great advantages of get-togethers away from home is that kitchen chores are shared and I do not do all the cooking. That gives me time to plan and connive and I hatched a plot to make garlic bread for Little Bit. I tucked the old recipe into my suitcase and designed one of the meals I'd be cooking around that loaf of bread. Unfortunately, I couldn't find good French loaf here and I've had to improvise. Little Bit's garlic bread became fluffy toast with garlic butter, but my heart was in the right place and I wanted to post the old recipe here for her. It is a nice addition to any meal and it is not as heavy as the cheese and garlic bread that have become so popular. I hope you'll give it a try. Here's the recipe.

Garlic Bread

Ingredients:

1 loaf French bread

1/2 cup soft butter

1 teaspoon minced garlic

3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon dried marjoram leaves

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Dash cayenne

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2) At one inch intervals, make diagonal cuts in loaf being careful not to cut through the bottom.

3) Combine butter, minced garlic, cheese, marjoram, black pepper and cayenne in a small bowl and mix until well-blended. Spread mixture between bread slices.

Place bread on an ungreased cooking sheet and sprinkle a few drops of water on top of it.

4) Bake for about 10 minutes, or until butter is melted and bread is hot. Serve immediately. Yield: 12 servings.

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