Grilled Garlic Bread

I watched how to make grilled garlic bread on an episode of

Take Home Chef on TLC with Curtis Stone.

 http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/grilled-wheat-bread-garlic-rosemary-oil.htm

First step is to make garlic infused olive oil (see picture below). Here's how:

You will need:

4 garlic cloves, crushed

4 sprigs fresh rosemary (chopped, about 1 tbs)

3/4 tsp coarse sea salt

1 500 ml bottle extra virgin olive oil (about 2 cups/1pt/16 fl oz)

     Finely crush garlic, rosemary & salt together to form a coarse puree. (I did this by taking a big chopping knife and laying it on its flat side, then pressing down on the garlic & herb with the heel of my hand.) Pour oil into small saucepan. Add garlic mixture to oil and stir over med-low heat just until oil is barely warm, 5 minutes. Set aside.

Next step is preparing the bread. Take one loaf of bread and cut into 3/4 inch slices (like below).

Prepare grill on medium-high heat. Generously spoon oil over both sides of bread. Grill bread until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side.

Delicious grilled garlic bread ready to serve!

Note: You can save any left over garlic oil by pouring it back into the original olive oil bottle or a jar.



Madison's How to Make Pancakes

     This morning Madison wanted to make a video showing how to make pancakes. She made the pancakes all on her own, following a very kid-friendly recipe I drew for her. (I helped with the stove part of course.) She did an amazing job and is awesome in the kitchen.

You can view the video on YouTube here: http://youtu.be/RXWtcMLA0WQ

Madison's closing words: "Pancakes are yummy!"

Baked Potato Soup

     The yummiest baked potato soup ever. :) I found this recipe when I was 15 - a hungry teenager longing for some baked potato soup. I have no idea where I found the recipe since it was 9 years ago. I thought I had lost it and have since done a lot of research online trying to find it again, but came back empty handed. Luckily my mom had saved my recipe and I just got it back last spring! Thank you Mom!

The Best Baked Potato Soup Ever
This recipe requires a LOT of stirring by the way...be prepared.

Ingredients:
(Note: The green onions, bacon & cheddar cheese say divided because you will set aside a portion to add as toppings to the finished soup before serving.)

• 4 large baking potatoes
• 2/3 cup butter
• 2/3 cup flour
• 6 cups milk
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 4 chopped green onions, divided
• 12 slices of bacon, fried, crumbled, divided
• 1 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded, divided
• 8 ounces sour cream

Directions:
Wash potatoes and prick several times with a fork; bake at 400F for 1 hour or until done. Let cool.
Cut potatoes in half lengthwise, then scoop out pulp; set aside. Discard skins.
Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat; add flour, stirring until smooth. Cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened and bubbly.
Add potato pulp, salt, pepper, 2 tablespoons green onions, 1/2 cup bacon and 1 cup cheddar cheese. Cook until thoroughly heated. Stir in sour cream. Add extra milk if soup is too thick.
Serve topped with remaining green onion, bacon and cheese (as pictured above).
Enjoy!

Purple Green Beans

The old man at the Athens Farmer's Market sold us these purple green beans. They are very purple to start, the color of beets, and they turn green as they cook! He said that they tasted better than regular green beans...but honestly they tasted just the same. Just thought I'd throw up a quick blog post on these interesting veggies since I had never seen them before.

Here is Madison cooking the purple beans. :)

Iced Chai Tea with Cream

Step 1. Boil water and make double strength chai tea. I used 2 or 3 tea bags rather than just one for 8oz of water.

I use the Tazo Organic Chai brand. Let it seep as long as directed.

Step 2. Get a glass full of ice and pour cream over the ice. 

Step 3. Take the tea bags out of the brewing tea and pour over ice. Stir gently.

Grab a cool umbrella straw and enjoy. :)

Baking Soda & Lemons

    

How To Deodorize a Space

      This is a simple little trick I picked up on how to deodorize a space. All you need is a box of baking soda and some lemons. You sprinkle some baking soda into a bowl or onto a plate. Cut a lemon in half and squeeze the juice out over the baking soda. Then I leave the lemons in the bowl and sprinkle a little more baking soda on top. I let this sit all day and over night. If a space is really bad, I'll repeat this daily until it starts to smell fresher.