Extreme Makeover Appetizer Edition: Bloomin’ Onion Bread

Are you ready for this one mate? It’s the ultimate foodie marriage. Your beloved bread basket meets one of America’s favorite appetizers - Outback’s Bloomin' Onion. This recipe has been buzzing on the blogosphere for the past couple of weeks and I’m shooting myself for not creating it first. Whoever thought of this is absolutely a genius and deserves some kind of award, preferably of the James Beard kind. I couldn’t resist trying it out for myself and of course adding my own personal touches.

The loaf is cut into cubes to create little tall squares of bread that can be pulled apart to eat. It’s stuffed with cheese, brushed with melted butter and baked to perfection. I changed things up a bit by intensifying the flavors of the melted butter with garlic, cayenne and paprika. I also topped it with crispy turkey bacon because it just seemed like the right thing to do.

The end result was beyond words. It was buttery, spicy and cheesy all in one bite.  My family gobbled it up and is still talking about it. This is one of those recipes you keep in your repertoire forever because it's simple to make, yet is a huge crowd-pleaser. So take my advice and serve this at your next dinner party. I promise you’ll have your guests thinking you're a rock star in the kitchen.

Ingredients:
1 unsliced loaf of sourdough bread
12 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, thinly sliced
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon garlic powder 
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 cup finely diced green onion
5 strips turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut loaf of bread lengthwise and widthwise without cutting through to the bottom crust. Place on foil-lined baking sheet.

Stuff cheese slices between slits in bread. In a small bowl, mix together melted butter, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, paprika and green onion. Drizzle over bread. Sprinkle turkey bacon bits over top. Cover entire loaf with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes.

Remove from oven, unwrap the bread and bake for an additional 10 minutes.  Cheese should be gooey and bread should be toasted.