tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28099719987159366912024-03-27T02:42:19.444-04:00The Garlic PressExploring my love of food, one dish at a time...The Garlic Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14610184041481742648noreply@blogger.comBlogger151125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2809971998715936691.post-28190635729373099422014-10-01T20:37:00.005-04:002014-10-01T20:37:46.818-04:00Ratatouille Tartine
"Ratatouille tartine" sounds fancy. But a tartine is just an open-faced sandwich. And ratatouille is a French dish of cooked vegetables.
Ratatouille usually includes
eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, tomatoes, bell peppers, garlic and herbs. If
there’s a “right” combination of vegetables and a “right” way to cook it (and
given that ratatouille is French, I’m sure there is) then I don’t know The Garlic Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14610184041481742648noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2809971998715936691.post-83707820644917256642014-09-03T21:22:00.001-04:002014-09-03T21:22:24.669-04:00Blueberry Crostata
Every year, the night before the first day of
school, I make my son's favorite foods for dinner. He always chooses salmon for dinner. And this year, blueberry pie for dessert.
Usually, I take the easy way out and buy blueberry pie from
Whole Foods. I say it's because they make a good pie that we all like. But the truth is that pie crust scares me. Cutting the butter until the The Garlic Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14610184041481742648noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2809971998715936691.post-79006628425520599752014-07-01T20:19:00.000-04:002014-07-01T20:19:05.850-04:00Grilled Corn Salad
My whole life I thought I didn't like grilled corn. All those warm summer evenings, while my husband was outside throwing meat on the
grill, I was in the kitchen. Waiting for the water to boil. So I could cook my
corn.
Did I have any inkling that I might be wrong? Maybe a few.
Like the fact that almost every other person in the world loves grilled corn.
Or that my The Garlic Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14610184041481742648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2809971998715936691.post-27948082047904698772014-06-11T16:43:00.001-04:002014-06-11T16:44:20.638-04:00Chilled Roasted Strawberry Soup
I love cold fruit soups in the summer. There's something so
fun and expected about them, like having dessert before dinner. What makes them
appetizers, though, and not dessert, is that they're not out and out sweet.
The blueberry soup that I wrote about a few years ago (still
a regular in our summer rotation) definitely leans more towards sweet than
savory, with its strong hit The Garlic Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14610184041481742648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2809971998715936691.post-35688195288152546742014-05-27T11:39:00.000-04:002014-05-27T11:39:38.223-04:00Oatmeal Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies
In his book, In Defense of Food, writer Michael Pollan
offers a response to the question "What should we eat?" His simple
and straightforward answer: "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." But three sentences does not a book make. So Pollan spends
the next 200+ pages (plus his follow-up book, Food Rules) explaining how to
live by those rules.
For example, he says,The Garlic Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14610184041481742648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2809971998715936691.post-83111642771797592172014-05-06T11:25:00.002-04:002014-05-06T11:25:54.121-04:00Garlic Confit
Everyone has a kitchen chore they can't stand. For some it's
chopping onions. For others it's doing the dishes. Some people hate peeling
potatoes, pitting cherries, or hulling strawberries.
For me, there's nothing more onerous than peeling garlic. I
don't like the sticky feel of cut garlic on my knife. I hate the strong smell
that clings to my fingers for days. And it drives meThe Garlic Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14610184041481742648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2809971998715936691.post-84569392481760878642014-04-02T20:52:00.001-04:002014-04-03T11:21:15.350-04:00Coconut Chia Seed Pudding with Mango
I'm definitely late to the chia seed party. It took me a
long time to wrap my head around eating something that I once grew into pets.
If you're a certain age, you know what I'm talking about. Ch-ch-ch-chia!
These days you don't find chia seeds at Toys R Us. No,
they're in the nutritional support aisle at Whole Foods.
chia seeds
So what are chia seeds? They're the seeds of a The Garlic Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14610184041481742648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2809971998715936691.post-12438368385350557652014-03-27T20:50:00.002-04:002014-05-06T11:01:37.912-04:00Pantry Jam Tart
If there’s a snow day, vacation day or early
release coming up, I know my son and I are going to bake. We usually go for
cookies, cupcakes or brownies. The standard fare for a 3rd grader. I
try to keep these baking afternoons in mind, making sure we’re stocked up on
chocolate chips, brown sugar, or whatever else we’re going to need.
But this week I got caught off guard. In our
townThe Garlic Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14610184041481742648noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2809971998715936691.post-30389763944596269692014-03-06T20:44:00.003-05:002014-03-06T20:44:41.191-05:00Creamless Creamy Vegetable Soup
On the one hand, I’m so ready for spring. We enjoyed our
share of sledding, snow tubing and skiing. But this was one of the coldest,
snowiest winters I can remember. I’m ready to walk down the sidewalk without
slipping on a patch of ice. I’m ready to leave the house without snow boots, a down coat, hat and mittens. And I’m so ready to put away the shovels and ice scrapers.
The Garlic Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14610184041481742648noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2809971998715936691.post-82288121489641621362014-02-27T20:26:00.003-05:002014-02-27T20:26:55.621-05:00The Best Banana Bread
This
is it. The only recipe for banana bread you need. The only one you’ll ever make
again. Dense. Moist. Banana Heaven. Go ahead and toss all your other banana
bread recipes.
Then go make this banana bread.
Whisk
together dry ingredients – flour, sugar, baking soda, salt.
Add
walnuts and stir to incorporate them.
In
a separate bowl, mash The Garlic Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14610184041481742648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2809971998715936691.post-34222519016570651622014-02-10T21:05:00.002-05:002014-02-11T08:55:06.579-05:00Shakshuka
A few weeks ago my husband and I went to see
Gravity in the theater. Watching a movie in a theater is a big deal for us. If
I’m paying for a sitter to go watch a movie, then the movie better be worthwhile.
Most movies we go out to see are big budget
action flicks best appreciated on the big screen. Think James Bond and Jason Bourne.
We’d heard and read a lot about Gravity. That theThe Garlic Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14610184041481742648noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2809971998715936691.post-9764635779463131292014-01-28T20:59:00.003-05:002014-01-28T20:59:45.433-05:00Red and Wild Rice Salad with Roasted Squash and Other Yummy Things
Sometimes choosing a recipe is like buying a new shirt. You
search through racks and racks of clothing looking for something interesting, something different. You promise yourself you’re not going to buy another
black sweater. But then you see one that has a
different neckline. And just as you reach for it, your shopping buddy spots you and yells, “Put that
down right now! The last The Garlic Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14610184041481742648noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2809971998715936691.post-88829014810215261902014-01-20T20:50:00.001-05:002014-01-20T20:50:55.391-05:00The Best Buttercream Frosting
Have you ever watched a child eat a cupcake? The way
they dive right into the frosting, lick off every last bit, then ask for
more?
Have you ever stood there wondering if it would be
remotely acceptable to do the same? No? Oh. Just me.
Okay then, while I’m at it, I might as well make
another confession. I like supermarket cake. Supermarket cakes are
surprisingly good. But The Garlic Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14610184041481742648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2809971998715936691.post-39190767253101418842014-01-13T21:17:00.000-05:002014-01-13T21:17:11.759-05:00Pasta e Fagioli
Pasta e fagioli.
Pasta and beans. We all know the rhyme about beans and what they're good for. But
while we tend to remember the second part of the rhyme, we often forget the
part about them being “good for your heart.” Beans are naturally low in fat
and high in fiber, iron and protein. And they're filling, delicious and easy on
the wallet.
This time of year,
I can't imagine anything The Garlic Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14610184041481742648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2809971998715936691.post-35211906482980884922014-01-02T11:42:00.000-05:002014-01-03T10:33:51.391-05:00Homemade Christmas Gifts
Every year, we gather. My family. My sister’s family. My
parents. My brothers-in-law. Their families. My sister’s in-laws. There are a
lot of us. Mostly adults, though the kid count is starting to creep up.
Every year we gather for Christmas. Baking cookies. Planning
meals. And buying presents. Because we all love to give. And who doesn’t like
to receive?
Over the past few The Garlic Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14610184041481742648noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2809971998715936691.post-80429370117383400862013-12-20T12:19:00.001-05:002013-12-20T12:19:13.419-05:00Baked Orzo with Eggplant and Tomatoes
If your holidays are anything like mine, then the next week
or two will be a study in decadence. There will be rich, roasted meats, hearty
sides, and of course, lots and lots of cookies. Christmas only comes once a year,
and I don't intend to shy away from its culinary celebrations.
But that means eating sensibly in the weeks before and after the holidays.
With snow on the groundThe Garlic Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14610184041481742648noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2809971998715936691.post-10899661968806897612013-12-03T20:22:00.000-05:002013-12-03T20:22:15.836-05:00Cod Cakes
Psst. Over here. Come closer. A little closer. Okay. I have
to tell you a secret. I don't like
leftover turkey. At all. In any form. Not sliced in a sandwich. Or shredded into soup. Not cubed into a pot pie. Or minced into a meatloaf.
But leftover mashed potatoes? Now that's another story
altogether. A nice big scoop served with a ladleful of gravy? Yes, please.
But since The Garlic Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14610184041481742648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2809971998715936691.post-67849377570759072342013-11-22T14:29:00.001-05:002013-11-22T14:48:02.778-05:00Slow Cooker Chicken Stock
I'm going to guess what you're thinking. "It's the week
before Thanksgiving. Why on earth is she posting a recipe for chicken stock?
Why not turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes. Or even gravy, for the love of God?!"
I'll tell you why. Because chicken stock is going to be the
backbone of nearly everything on your Thanksgiving table. It's going to moisten
the bread in your stuffing. It'll The Garlic Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14610184041481742648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2809971998715936691.post-4913773195819246002013-11-05T11:57:00.001-05:002013-11-05T11:57:16.442-05:00Chicken Piccata Pasta
I love the flavors of chicken piccata. As far as I'm
concerned, the chicken is an afterthought. It's the sauce I'm after. Rich with
garlic and shallots, bright with lemon juice and capers.
capers
Capers are the edible flower buds of the caper bush. When
you bite into a caper, it releases a little burst of salty, pickle-flavored juice. The flavor of
capers is the defining flavor The Garlic Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14610184041481742648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2809971998715936691.post-73221033593816027992013-10-09T11:33:00.002-04:002013-10-09T11:33:53.632-04:00Smooth and Creamy Hummus
I thought I'd continue with the theme of healthier Game Day
snacks. In my last post, I talked about buffalo cauliflower bites, a lighter and
healthier version of that Game Day stalwart, buffalo wings.
Another quintessential Game Day (or any day) snack is chips and dip. When I was little, that meant Lays potato chips with
sour cream and onion dip. Tortilla chips withThe Garlic Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14610184041481742648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2809971998715936691.post-10726023857152847782013-09-25T22:32:00.000-04:002013-09-26T09:26:42.588-04:00Buffalo Cauliflower Bites
I joined a Fantasy Football League. Yeah. It still sounds a little weird for me to hear those words coming out of my mouth.
Until I got married, I'd never even watched an entire football
game. But my husband went to Michigan. Go Blue! See? It's a reflex. I
literally can't say "Michigan"
anymore without following it up with "Go Blue!"
I hear it's impossible to go to a Big The Garlic Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14610184041481742648noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2809971998715936691.post-89327106537734384982013-09-14T12:33:00.000-04:002013-09-14T12:33:32.212-04:00Potato Gnocchi with Simple Tomato Sauce
Todd, who is The Daring Kitchen’s AWESOME webmaster and an
amazing cook, is our September Daring Cooks’ host! Todd challenged us to make
light and fluffy potato Gnocchi and encouraged us to flavor the lil pillows of
goodness and go wild with a sauce to top them with!
I never thought I’d make homemade potato gnocchi. Made
properly, gnocchi are soft and pillowy, light as airThe Garlic Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14610184041481742648noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2809971998715936691.post-81911523835336333652013-09-09T12:04:00.001-04:002013-09-09T12:04:36.971-04:00Melted Zucchini
Go to any grocery store or farmer's market right now and
you're going to see summer squash. It's one of my favorite vegetables. And now I've got a new way to
cook it.
This recipe is simplicity itself, both the preparation and the
flavors. Just grate the zucchini and yellow squash, then slowly cook it down
with some garlic and olive oil until it practically melts.&The Garlic Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14610184041481742648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2809971998715936691.post-92184573966316349222013-08-14T09:33:00.000-04:002013-08-14T09:34:03.681-04:00Shrimp Biryani
Grace, one of our talented non-blogging Daring Kitchen members, was our Daring Cooks' August hostess who shared with us some of her family's tried and true Bengali Biryani recipes -- all of them delicious and all of them prepared fresh from our own kitchens!
I've said it before. Rice strikes the fear of God in me. I
know the formula: one part rice to two parts
water. But I've had The Garlic Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14610184041481742648noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2809971998715936691.post-87628961230341519832013-08-01T09:14:00.000-04:002013-08-01T09:14:21.874-04:00Thai Basil Tomato Salad
Caprese salad, the classic Italian combination of
tomatoes, basil and mozzarella dressed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It's a summer standard at my house. The salad, as is, makes a great a light
lunch on a hot day. Sometimes I leave out the mozzarella and serve it alongside grilled fish. Or I throw in some minced garlic and we pile it on top of toasted bread. Recently I even The Garlic Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14610184041481742648noreply@blogger.com0