Birthday Giveaway

Today is my birthday!  I always have looked forward to my birthday because it means fall is on it's way, and I LOVE fall!

{This basically sums up my view on birthdays, or any day really}

This year I decided to giveaway one of my absolute FAVORITE kitchen tools: a Pampered Chef Garlic Press!

 {The Pampered Chef Garlic Press}

 {After almost two years of almost daily use, it still looks and works like brand new!}

{Garlic press side view}

I received this garlic press as part of my bridal shower gifts, and I love it's full metal design.  I grew up with a Pampered Chef garlic press, and I couldn't image cooking with out.  If you want to learn how to peel garlic like a chef, view my tutorial!

Enter below for a chance to win!  This giveaway ends on Tuesday, September 23, and the winner will be announced on Wednesday, September 24.  Good luck and thanks!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Open only to US residents over the age of 18.  Pampered Chef did not sponsor this post and all content is my opinion.

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Summer Pasta

This recipe was not only delicious, but it was also fast and easy!  Originally this recipe was vegetarian, but my hubby has to have meat so I added some chicken at the beginning.  I'd have eaten this without the chicken!  I used ingredients from my local farmer's market (yay!  we finally have tomatoes and all kinds of other produce!).  I got a load of produce from my in-laws over the weekend so the hubby and I are up to our ears in fresh vegetables, not that I'm complaining!

 {Summer Pasta}

 {A one pot meal?  No brainer!}

 {Love that the pasta starch essentially makes its own creamy sauce!}

 {Summer Pasta no garnish}

One year ago:  Garlic and Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower

Summer Pasta
adapted from Barefeet in the Kitchen

Makes 4 servings

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound chicken (optional)
1 large onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
8 oz pasta (spaghetti, fettuccine, or linguine)
4 cups broth
1/4 teaspoon chili flakes
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
Parmesan cheese (optional)

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot; if using chicken then add it and cook through.
2. Add remaining except basil and cheese to pot.
3. Cook until pasta is al dente; the pasta should let off some starch to make the sauce thick!
4. Add basil right before service.
5. Serve with cheese.

 If you haven't yet, head over to your local farmer's market and take a look around!  I dare you to not walk out of there with something!  It's really cheap too!  I can get produce and flowers for $40 a week (and the flowers last two weeks)!  Have I mentioned lately that I LOVE the farmer's market?

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Grilled Honey Lemon Garlic Chicken

In the summer, I am all about the hubby making dinner.  Which means that I am continually looking for marinades that will flavor meat just right and be easy on me to mix together.  I loved this marinate because it was flavorful and fast; plus anything with garlic always gets an extra star in my book!

 {Honey Lemon Garlic Chicken}

 {I love how the marinate separated!}

 {Perfect for serving on salads like this Southern Fattoush}

Honey Lemon Garlic Chicken
from Living Well Spending Less

Makes 4 servings

2/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil
8-10 cloves garlic
1/3 cup honey (local)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons dried parsley (or 1/2 cup fresh chopped)
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken

1. Whisk lemon juice, olive oil, honey, minced garlic, parsley, and pepper together in bowl.
2. Marinate chicken in bag for at least 30 minutes but no more than 1 hour.
3. Grill until chicken reaches 160 degrees and juices run clear. 

I love making meal likes this because they are healthy and fast.  Plus, who doesn't love a cool, refreshing salad in the summer?  Not many!

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Pasta with Garlicky Broccoli Rabe

This past weekend, I didn't have anything planned for lunch so when I went to the Farmer's Market, I bought pasta from Lexington Pasta and some broccoli rabe from a local farmer to make a recipe I'd been dying to make from smitten kitchen.  I didn't get pictures because my hands were full of flowers and my god-dog that would not listen to me, but I'll be better about it in the future!

 {Pasta with Garlicky Broccoli Rabe}

 {Pasta from Lexington Pasta and broccoli rabe from a local farmer}

 {Heating garlic and pepper flakes}

  {Pasta with Garlicky Broccoli Rabe with cheese}

One year ago:  Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Frozen Yogurt

Pasta with Garlicky Broccoli Rabe
from smitten kitchen

Makes 4 servings

1 pound pasta, whatever shape you like

1 pound broccoli rabe, heavy stems removed, remaining stems and leaves cut into 1- to 2-inch sections
1/2 cup olive oil
5 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more or less to taste
Parmesan cheese

1. Bring a huge pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and five minutes before its cooking time is up, add the broccoli rabe. It will seem like too much for the water, but with a stir or two, the rabe should wilt and cook alongside the pasta. 
2. Drain rabe and pasta together and pour into serving bowl. 
3. In the same pot or a tiny one, heat the olive oil with the garlic and pepper flakes over moderate heat, stirring frequently for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the garlic becomes lightly golden. 
4. Pour mixture over pasta and toss to evenly coat. 
5. Shower with cheese and eat at once.

If you don't have broccoli rabe, you can definitely substitute spinach for it!  The recipe would be just as delicious!  In fact, I might go try some this weekend!

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Garlic Pepper Roast with Gravy

It's wordless Wednesday....  Except for the hubby who said "why don't you make hearty food like this more often instead because this is awesome?"....  What can I say?  He's all about the meat and potatoes.  I will admit, this was wonderful on a cold day (hopefully not too many more on the horizon!)!

 {Garlic Pepper Roast with Gravy}

 {Using a sharp knife, cut slits into the roast (left) and then shove garlic cloves in the slits (right)}

 {Coat roast in pepper (fresh ground is the best!)}

 {Take the liquid from the roast, make a roux and thicken the sauce into gravy}

Garlic Pepper Roast

Serves 4

1-3 pound beef roast
6-8 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons ground black pepper (fresh preferably)
1 cup beef broth
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour

1. Cut slits into roast and stuff garlic into each pocket.
2. Pour broth into the bottom of a crock-pot.
3. Place roast on top of broth.
4. Sprinkle with ground black pepper.
5. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
6. Pour all liquid out of crock-pot.
7. Heat butter in saucepan.  Add flour to make a roux cooking for 3 minutes.
8. Add cooked broth to roux and heat until thickened.
9. Pull roast out of crock-pot and slice.
10. Serve a slice of garlic pepper roast with gravy.

I'm a gravy girl, and this made delicious gravy.  In fact, I *might* have drank the leftovers....  I have no shame when it comes to gravy!

What is your guilty pleasure when it comes to food?

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Garlic Butter Roasted Mushrooms

Again with the garlic....  I know that I might have a problem, but how could I pass this up?  An easy side dish to a meal--just throw the ingredients together and put it in the oven which in turn makes the kitchen nice and toasty.  It's even healthy!  (Yes--fats are healthy especially when you use real butter and in moderation of course!)

{Garlic Butter Roasted Mushrooms}

{Mushrooms and garlic}

{Ready to go into the oven}

{Ready to eat!  Well with the addition of parsley and lemon juice}

Garlic Butter Roasted Mushrooms
from smitten kitchen

Serves 4

1 pound mushrooms (cremini or white), halved lengthwise if large
8 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
2 teaspoons lemon juice (optional)
1/4 cup parsley, chopped (optional or used as garnish)

1. Preheat oven to 450.
2. Toss mushrooms, garlic and oil together.
3. Place mushrooms in a baking dish.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Roast 15-20 minutes or until tender and garlic sauce forms below the mushrooms.
5. Serve.

I left the capers out because I didn't have any, and I can only guess that I didn't add lemon juice or large quantity of parsley because these smelled so delicious that I completely forgot.  I only added it because it made it look pretty (you know... as an effort to make my pictures prettier!).  It's delicious without it, or you can try it with the lemon juice and large amount of parsley.  You can bet that I will make this again, and again, and again....  You get the picture!

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40 Clove Garlic Chicken

Maybe I should rededicate this blog to all things garlic.  Why?  There are seriously few recipes that do NOT have garlic in them, desserts being the exception of course.  I tried a garlic chocolate chip cookie once--never again!  Hmmm...  Garlic Girl... Garlic and Good Eats.....  Girl Obsessed with Garlic... 

{40 Clove Garlic Chicken}

{Did I actually count them?  No, but I did use about 4 heads of garlic!}

{Caramelized chicken and garlic cloves}

{Delicious garlic sauce}

One year ago:  Pumpkin and White Bean Stew

40 Clove Garlic Chicken
from myrecipes

Serves 4

2 teaspoons olive oil
2-3 pounds chicken thighs, skinless
40 cloves whole garlic cloves
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour

1. Heat oil in skillet until hot.
2. Sprinkle chicken thighs with salt and pepper.; add chicken to hot pan.
3. Sear chicken until nice and golden brown; remove chicken from pan and place in a crock-pot.
4. Add garlic to hot skillet and saute until garlic begins to brown.
5. De-glaze pan with white wine; add broth, pepper and thyme.  Boil for about 5 minutes.
6. Add sauce to crock-pot.
7. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or until chicken is done.
8. Make a roux with butter and flour to thicken the garlic sauce.
9. Serve.

Do you have a favorite spice or ingredient that you are a bit obsessed over?

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Roasted Garlic and Chili Pasta with Shrimp

Sometimes it's the really simple dishes that are the best.  Nothing really beats an easy pasta dish, thrown together in about 20 minutes.  Plus with simple ingredients and endless options, it's a staple in our house!

 

{Roasted Garlic and Chili Pasta with Shrimp}

 

{Roasting garlic (how-to here)}

 

{I used already cooked shrimp--it was on super sale but raw would work too!  Or even chicken!  Or go vegetarian!}

 

{Sauteing everything}

 

{Cooking pasta (how-to here)}

 

{Combining everything}

 

{Adding Parmesan was definitely delicious!}

Roasted Garlic and Chili Pasta with Shrimp

Serves 4

5 tablespoons olive oil
3 heads of roasted garlic (see here for a how-to)
1/4 teaspoon chili flakes
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
12 oz shrimp, de-veined and tail off
7 oz cooked pasta
Parmesan cheese (optional)

1. Heat olive oil in pan.
2. Add roasted garlic, chili flakes, and pepper; saute until fragrant about 5 minutes.
3. Add shrimp and heat or cook through.
4. Turn off heat.
5. Add pasta and stir to combine.
6. Serve.

Do you have a simple, easy go-to recipe for those nights a quick meal is in order?

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Lemon Pepper Garlic Chicken

This was my first whole chicken in a crockpot, and I will admit that I was VERY nervous!  Just place a chicken in the crockpot with nothing else?  No broth, sauce or ANYTHING?!  To say that I was AMAZED when I came home and found the chicken practically drowning was an understatement.

{Lemon Pepper Garlic Chicken}

{To make it garlicky, I took a sharp knife and cut slits into the skin}

{Then press in the garlic (I used garlic scapes which works just fine)}

{Garlic-spiked birdie}

{Spice mix that goes onto the chicken}

[Seriously--just put the chicken in the crockpot and pour spice mix over chicken}

{This is what I found when I came home!  Amazing!!!  Plus, it fell right off the bone!}

Lemon Pepper Garlic Chicken

Makes 4 servings

1 whole chicken, about 4-5 pounds, rinsed

8 cloves garlic, halved

1 lemon, zested and juiced

1 tablespoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1. Using a small paring knife, cut slits into the chicken at even intervals.
2. Press garlic into slits.
3. Place chicken in crockpot.
4. Mix lemon zest, lemon juice, parsley, and pepper together until combined and pour over chicken.
5. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or until chicken is done.

I will definitely be doing more of this in the future!  Just stick a bird, covered in some spices, in the crockpot and letting it cook was WAY. TOO. EASY.  Go make some chicken in a crockpot.  You won't regret it!

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Garlic Scape Pesto

I've probably mentioned before that my grandparents are growing garlic, and one of the perks (you know--besides GARLIC) is having garlic scapes in the early summer.  Garlic scapes are the stem of the garlic plant that would eventually flower.  However, when growing garlic, you want the plant to concentrate on the growing the bulbs and not the flowers so you pick off the stem once it curls in to itself.  This is called a garlic scape. 

{This is a garlic scape.  See how it's curled in on itself?  Also notice the light green/yellow part?  That would have become the flower if allowed to grow}

Garlic scapes taste just like garlic and can be used in any garlic application.  Because we had so many, not only from their garden, but because we bought some at the Farmer's Market, I wanted to preserve mine so I have it for the next few months (if it lasts that long).  I decided to make garlic scape pesto that can be used on potatoes, meats, and pasta.  It's yummy and VERY garlicky!

{I froze them in snack bags}

{I had to weigh my out because I had so much!}

{Give the scapes an initial chop before putting other ingredients in so you can get the other ingredients in}

{Add parmesan cheese, olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and lime juice}

{Blend until smooth}

{I served the pesto with baked potatoes}

Garlic Scape Pesto

Makes about 4 cups

1/2 pound garlic scapes
2 cups Parmesan cheese, grated
3 tablespoons lime juice
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste**

1. Place garlic scapes in a food processor until chopped.
2. Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.
3. Use or freeze.

**I wouldn't go crazy on the salt and pepper because unless you know what you are going to use it for, you don't want the pesto to make your dish too salty/peppery.

If you want to try some garlic scapes, they will most likely be at your local farmer's market.  If you live in Lexington, Blue Moon Farms is a garlic farm, and they had plenty the last Saturday!

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Middle Eastern Garlic Chicken

This was a recipe I found on my exploration into the world of crockpot cooking.  A recipe for Middle Eastern Garlic Chicken?  No brainer for me just because of the word 'garlic'.  This dish is fantastic!  I made soooo much, that my husband, mom, and I have had it in so many different ways: in a pita, on a salad, straight from the bowl (that would be me), in a tortilla, on bread, etc.  I took a gamble and made about 4 pounds which made at least five meals between my mom, husband, and myself.  So feel free to half it for a small family or just eat on this fabulous chicken for a week :o)

{I had mine on lettuce with some feta cheese!}

This recipe was not "in-your-face" garlic despite having roughly 14 cloves of garlic.  The spices really help to round this dish out and tone down the garlic.  In my house, this is definitely a repeat!  In fact, my husband has already asked for this again, and it's only been a week since I made it!

{The original recipe called for allspice which I missed on my grocery list.  Instead I substituted cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and black pepper which worked out just fine!}

{Getting the chicken ready for marination!}

{This is the amount of garlic I used for this dish}

{Mixing the marinade; I sliced half the garlic and mashed the other half}

{Chicken reveling in garlicky glory!}

{Dump everything in a crockpot and turn to warm/low}

{Shred chicken about 15 minutes before service}

{I invited my mom over for dinner; she had hers in a pita pocket}

Middle Eastern Garlic Chicken

Serves 8

4 pounds chicken breast, boneless and skinless

12-15 cloves garlic (depending on the potency), half sliced and the other half minced

2 teaspoons Kosher salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 cup lemon juice

3/4 cup olive oil

1. Mix all ingredients together except chicken until well blended.
2. Place chicken in a container with lid; pour marinade over chicken and marinate overnight.
3. Place marinated chicken in a crockpot on warm/low for 6-8 hours.
4. Shred chicken.
5. Serve chicken over a Greek style salad or in a pita pocket.

Seriously easy dish to make.  Seriously versatile.  Seriously delicious (eyes might have rolled into back of heads and deities might have been blessed).  Seriously just go make it!

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