Garlic

I have been doing a lot of cooking lately but today instead of a recipe I want to talk about garlic. Now I have always loved garlic and known it has health properties that match its wonderful taste. I have put garlic in most every savory dish I have prepared for years but until last month I had always just minced and added it to the dish as it cooked. So what this all is leading to is my discovery of the versatility and smooth, slightly more subtle, flavor of roasted garlic.

Roasted garlic works better blended in sauces, it is spreadable on bread, and its subtlety makes it easier to deal with because it’s not too strong to be eaten in larger pieces which can be easily tossed in to accent any meat. Also roasted garlic is already cooked so if you decide a dish is missing something you can toss it in without adding to cook time.

Best of all it’s easy and stays good for at least two weeks. (I bake 3 bulbs at a time, so they haven’t lasted long enough to go bad)

Process:

1. Peel off extra skin, you want the bulb to stay together but the extra papery outer layers of skin can lead to burning.

2. Cut off tips of each clove, again to avoid burning.

3. Rub bulbs with just enough olive oil to cover.

4. Wrap individual bulbs in foil.

5. Place on cookie sheet or in muffin tin and bake at 350 for about 45 minutes*.



*You should check the bulbs at 30 minutes. I use an older and slightly unreliable oven so cooking varies. After 30 minutes the bulbs are pretty well roasted but not quite tender enough for spreading on bread, especially the center cloves.

Time for Challenges!

Happy New Year's Eve!

Another year is ending and I hope everyone is having a great time celebrating. But now is the time to consider what is coming for us and what we want to shoot for.

I know a lot of people who aren't making resolutions this year because they believe they are worthless and no one keeps them anyway... This makes me sad. There are many benefits to having goals.

Stay Motivated
Give your life directed purpose
Make your hard work worthwhile
Organize your life based on personal priorites
Be specific about what you want

Make sure to write them down; give yourself a focal point to come back to and remember what you promised to reach for. When deciding what to reach for remeber this is the pursuit of your happiness; make sure your goals are things that bring you joy. Don't let society or family and peers influence you or impress their goals upon your own. If you choose goals that excite you, you will stick to them. Every step won't be easy but the accomplishments will make you exultant.

I know it's a corny reminder, but you only one life to live. Shouldn't you aim towards what makes you happy?

So here are my goals for the coming year:

1. Get into a healthy shape - so I can be active and even run around with the kid.
2.Read two books every month - This includes at least six closet cloggers (books I already own) and 12 selections from the Debut Authors Elevensies (class of 2K11 challenge).*
3. Make my degree worth something and augment my education as much as possible to make this easier. (Read publications from IEEE)
4.Start earning my way, ie making some freaking money with all this knowledge I keep acquiring. This includes getting a job I want to go to in the morning, not one I dread.

Good luck with your dreams, don't forget you're the key in making them reality.


*The debut author challenge is a reading challenge supporting new YA authors coming out with their first books this year. This challenge is strongly supported by The Story Siren and this is the third year going strong. I will do a post shortly joining the challenge, giving info to others who want to join and introducing some books I'm excited about.