Tag Archives: garlic

Garlic Toast

Garlic Toast

Here is another creative idea from my husband the same night he made blackened fish fillets. He was on a roll with not only being creative but proceeding to make it that night and having it be completely satisfying to my palette.

Hooray for a husband who enjoys to cook once in awhile.

We had homemade bread laying around and wanted some toast with our fish and mushroom saute. He decided to take no only garlic salt and butter but to melt blue cheese crumbles on the bread and then toast it. This allowed the cheese to melt into the pores of the bread and crisp up quite nicely. I could have eaten an entire loaf if I wanted, but luckily he only made four slices.

garlic bread

From oven to mouth in about 5 minutes. Can’t beat that!

Ingredients:

  • Homemade Bread
  • Blue Cheese Crumbles
  • Butter
  • Garlic Salt

In a small bowl add blue cheese crumbles and melt for 10-15 seconds in the microwave.

Meanwhile, spread butter across all your bread and sprinkle with garlic salt.

Top with melted blue cheese crumbles.

Toast in oven or toaster oven on 550 degrees for 2 minutes.

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Be prepared to devour the entire loaf. So amazing and so much better for you than store bought garlic spreads.

Garlic Infused Pot Roast

When we have pot roast in our family, we infuse the roast with garlic and season it well with a nice rub and let it sit over night. Than we continue to keep this precious roast flavorful and slow cook it all day in the crockpot with some parsnips and other vegetables. Topping off the meal with homemade gravy and potatoes to make this a great Sunday dinner.

We had Marlin (Cathy’s husband) over for dinner as we want to try and keep this relationship growing even though my mother-in-law has passed. Not sure how to refer to him as he is technically Michael’s stepdad, but since we’ve only known him for three months it’s not necessarily the term we grab on to! We call him a good friend! :) He’s a very nice man who has our best interests in mind and has a great bond with Cooper. We want to continue this growth and keep the family connections growing.

Although we enjoy spending time with him, Cooper really enjoys spending time with him and has a special bond that is so cute. It was good conversation and good food to be had.

Now for the pot roast… :)

Ingredients:

In the Crockpot:

  • 1 large roast
  • 2 parsnips
  • 6 medium potatoes
  • 2 medium carrots
  • 1 medium onion
  • 2 stalks celery
  • Fresh Rosemary
  • Fresh Thyme
  • Garlic salt
  • Beef Better than Boullion

For the Rub:

  • 1 Garlic bulb
  • Sea salt
  • Black pepper
  • Montreal Seasoning
  • Celery salt
  • Sugar
  • Italian seasoning
  • Onion powder
  • Dill weed

For the Gravy:

  • Beef Better than Bouillon
  • Milk
  • Flour
  • Cornstarch (optional)
  • Drippings from Roast

The night before (if time permitted) cut slits into the roast and stuff garlic cloves all throughout.

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For the rub: top roast with rosemary, thyme, and EVOO and place in crockpot.

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Meanwhile begin cutting potatoes in cubes.

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Sprinkle potatoes on roast and shove down between the sides of the crockpot and roast to help fill space.

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Chop carrots in large chunks

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Sprinkle throughout the potatoes.

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A little trick to cutting onions without crying: Chop in half, slices ends off and then peel. For some reason this always works. I don’t know why, but it does! :)

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Quarter the onion and leave chunks large

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Sprinkle on top of roast

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And lastly, chop parsnips and celery.

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Chop celery in large chunks as well. This helps keep them from shrinking too much and getting mushy.

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Add to crockpot

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imageSprinkle with rosemary, thyme, and garlic salt. Prepare the beef bouillon in hot water to lay upon the roast and veggies.
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Heat 2 cups hot water with two bouillon cubes.  This will help add additional flavor while the veggies cook all day long.

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Mix bouillon until there are no longer chunks and cover the veggies with broth.

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Allow to cook on low all day for 8 hours.

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For the gravy:

Take a ladle and scoop out as much broth as you wish. Sift out the seasonings and place in a saucepan.
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In a small bowl add 1/2 cup flour and water, keeping the mixture thick. Whish well until there are no lumps. (Keep mix thick but soft enough to pour.image
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Pour into saucepan with juice and bring to a boil. Whisk continuously until the gravy begins to form and thicken up. Boil for 1-2 minutes on a low boil.
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Turn down heat. At this point if your gravy is too thick add more juice or water to bring your batch to the proper amount. If gravy is too running at this point, mix a 1-2 tbsp. of cornstarch together with a little water creating a paste. Slowly pour into NON boiling gravy and whisk well. (This can be tricky. Adding cornstarch at this point can create lumps. If this happens simply sift out the lumps yet again.

Once you’ve reached the desired amount of gravy and proper thickness, add 1 tbsp. of Beef Better than Bouillon. Mix well. Add about 3/4-1 cup milk and salt and pepper and bring to med-high heat, keeping the boil at bay. Whisk well. Taste test to make sure you have proper flavor! :)
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Enjoy! It’s tasty! Great for guests! And…you can relax all day!
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Smokey BBQ Rub

I made my own rub the other night and used it on Mahi and Pork loin in the past. It was fabulous. Click below for the Mahi and Pork recipes.

Ingredients:

  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 2 tp garlic
  • 2 tsp salt/pepper
  • 2 tsp coriander
  • 2 tsp backyard bbq (optional)
  • 2 tbsp. minced garlic
  • 2 tsp parsley
  • 4 tbsp. EVOO

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl OR If making to keep on your spice rack, mix everything together EXCEPT garlic and EVOO until time of use.

*Mahi- Recipe

**Pork- Recipe

You can get little spice containers to make your own spices and have extra on hand. I do this for taco seasoning and Johnny Seasoning because mine don’t carry the MSG ingredients! :)

BBQ’d Chicken

Last night we had my husbands sister and her family over for dinner. They came into town last minute after finding out how quickly their mother had gone down hill with her fight in cancer.

We decided barbequing chicken and burgers would be a great way to spend some time together.

Michael did the marinade for the chicken.

Chicken Marinade:

  • 5 chicken breasts
  • 2 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp teriyaki sauce
  • Splash of lemon juice
  • ¼ cup sweet chili sauce
  • Splash of grapeseed oil
  • Splash of rice vinegar
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 ½ tsp cinnamon

In a gallon Ziploc bag add chicken with ingredients and marinade for 6-8 hours for best results. BBQ when ready to eat!
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This chicken is so moist and flavorful! The cinnamon is a key ingredient.

Here are the cousins playing in Cooper’s tent!
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