Joanm,

Wow, I am so very sorry. I can't even imagine what you are going through. How tragic, and I am so sorry you have to go through this. The last thing you should be worrying about is a garlic dinner. Know that we are here for you if you need support. I am sending best wishes, prayers, and nothing but good thougts your way.

Shelley S.

Joan, I'm so sorry to hear about your loss.
What a shock!!!!! My best to all of your family.

Don't worry, I'll eat your share of garlic.

I'll pull a name out of the hat for the next Cookalong.

Nancy

Joan, I am so sorry, what a horrible situation. Take care of yourself and your family, you will be in my thoughts.

BTW - it is my DH Birthday this week and he is a huge garlic lover, so I am going to make a garlic dinner and let him think it is special for him too. LOL!

Here is what I have planned.....

Tossed salad with a roasted garlic aoili type dressing
Gigot de Sept Heures
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Roasted Broccoli (do I dare put garlic in here too?)

And some sort of Brittle Bark - I've tried it and it is good, but I think I can make it just as well a LOT cheaper!

Thanks everyone for the inspiration and ideas!

Alexa

Joan I am so sorry for your families loss . He was much too young, what a shock.

Take care , we'll be thinking of you.

Joan, I am so sorry to hear of your loss. My thoughts are with your parents and you.

Take care,
Kathleen

Joan, 51, that's so sad and I can sure understand what a shock this must be to all of you. The garlic ... and us will be here when you get back to it.

I love garlic like many of you and use it in almost everything. I do think it's super healthy for you. Smiles.

We are going to have a garlic weekend. Started early last night by rubbing garlic on the pizza dough after it's first bake and including roasted garlic on the finished pie. Yum. Christys pie had fresh italian sausage with plenty of garlic, onions, roasted garlic, mushrooms, fresh mozzarella and then parmessian grated on later. My pizza was roasted garlic, mushrooms, fresh mozzarella, frozen basil and provolone. Very good.

Tomorrow night Christy wants steak for her Valentines dinner and I want shrimp, so she will get a New York strip also rubbed with garlic before it goes on the grill pan or grill, depending on weather.. then topped with some of the roasted garlic made into a roasted garlic butter.

I was going to make scampi with my shrimp, but I feel like boiled shrimp so I'll do it my regular way by boiling a bunch of garlic in the water first, with some lemons, a little celery and a capfull of crab boil. No Old Bay in this house ever. Hate the stuff. I get my crab boil smuggled up North by our Louisanna relatives. ;] I'll make a nice remoulade to go with the boiled shrimp, making it heavy on the garlic.

I haven't made garlic dip in a while so I'll make some of that for us to snack on while dinner is being made.

Not quite sure yet what potato and veg I'll make. I'll bet there will be more garlic in them though.

So, none of us have come up with a garlic dessert yet, eh? Chuckling.

Sunday I'm going to make this recipe I invented many years ago when I was working in a restaurant where each night I had to come up with one vegetarian and one meat entre each night. I made these and they became a real favorite. Avocado Enchiladas. Flour tortillas, thick slices of avocado on them, garlic powder, monterey jack. Roll up and make a sauce of sour cream, thinned a bit and with a ton of garlic powder and a little sea salt. Pour over enchiladas and bake until cheese melts. It was rediculously simple but really tasty. Years later I changed it up to use roasted garlic inside and in the sauce too, but the garlic powder gives a nice kick to it and I continue to use it as well. This is one of the few places I use garlic powder in such a standout way. Hmm.. maybe I'll just make this as a side dish with out Valentines dinner instead of a starch and have a salad with. Ceasar of course.. smiles.

I have to start keeping our camera in the kitchen so we can take more pictures of our meals.

Joan I am so very sorry to hear of the loss of your brother. I'm sure it was a big shock and 51 is very young. My heart goes out to you and your family.

We have been without power off and on since yesterday so my plans are changing a bit on what I was thinking about cooking but I will be cooking stuff with garlic. Was planning on being at the store this morning but just don't feel like being seen when you have no way to dry and do your hair!:)

Joan I'm so very sorry for you and your family. I'm sending my sympathy and will be thinking of you all.

I think I will do sizzling garlic shrimp for the virtual dinner, (the Spanish gambas al ajillo tapa dish) rather than the soup as I haven't found any decent squash for the butternut soup recipe I posted above earlier. And I will be doing it on Sunday as we'll be going out tomorrow. So I'll get the little earthenware dishes out of the cupboard and buy the shrimp tomorrow.

Not sure what we'll have after the shrimp but as I'm shopping tomorrow I'll think about it then.

SharonCb

Joan I'm so sorry to hear about your DB...my sincere sympathy to you and your family.

Looks like dixie and I had the same idea but she maybe changing things up some due to the weather.

so far I'm thinking garlic soup, Sharon's dressing from Cut for a salad and AnnT's garlic shrimp as is or over some pasta. I'll do garlic bread too....Lars and Ann both have great recipes that I don't have on this computer so I can't post them... or I may do the one from Americas Test kitchen. I have my eye on a couple of the other shrimp recipes too.

David

Lol...I didn't read the above posts before deciding on changing to the Sizzling Garlic Prawns, (Gambas al Ajillo) which is one recipe I've used for years, but I see many others are also deciding on garlic prawns as well. They are so good and easy to make too. We had them recently at the tapas night out with friends but I don't mind having them again.
Here's the recipe for the way they're made here:

In Spain, gambas al ajillo is a favorite tapa, served sizzling hot in shallow earthenware casseroles called cazuelas. Good crusty bread is a must for dunking in the sauce.

3/4 pound small shrimp in their shells
Salt
Paprika, preferably Spanish
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 garlic cloves, sliced
1 small dried red chili pepper, seeds removed and cut in half, or 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon dry white wine (vermouth is fine)
2 tablespoons minced parsley

Shell the shrimp. (It's not necessary to devein them.) Sprinkle with salt and paprika.

Heat the oil, garlic and chili peppers or pepper flakes in a medium skillet. When the garlic is just beginning to brown, add the shrimp and cook, stirring, about 1 minute, or until just done and firm to the touch. Stir in the lemon juice, wine and parsley. Serve immediately, preferably in a small casserole. Makes 4 appetizer or tapa servings.

-- "Tapas and More Great Dishes of Spain" by Janet Mendel

SharonCb

Joan, please accept my condolences on the loss of your brother. It must have been such a shock for your family.

We are going to a concert tonight so our dinner plans may change but I hope to make the Martha Stewart recipe at the beginning of the thread with some lobster claw and knuckle meat added.

As with the ginger, I tried to incorporate garlic into some meals throughout the last two weeks. Last weekend, I modified an easy chicken recipe I make to include garlic and it turned out so juicy with the onion and garlic flavors permeating the meat.

SHERRIED CHICKEN

1 chicken, cut into pieces or equivalent amount of your favorite bone-in parts
1/4 cup melted butter
Salt, pepper, paprika
Fresh or dried herbs (optional)
1 medium onion, finely minced
1 large or two small cloves garlic, finely minced (I used 3 because it was garlic week)
1/2 cup sherry (not cooking sherry)
1/4 cup honey

Put the chicken pieces skin side up in a single layer in a baking dish or pan. Brush or rub with all the melted butter. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and paprika and add some herbs if youd like. (I used Penzeys Fines Herbs). Spread the onion and garlic on the top of the chicken.

Cover tightly and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the sherry and honey and bring to a boil in a small saucepan or heat in the microwave until the honey is liquefied. Remove chicken from oven, scrape the onions & garlic into the bottom of the pan and pour the honey mixture over the chicken. Bake uncovered for an additional 15 to 30 minutes or until chicken is done. Serve with pan juices in a gravy boat or separate dish to pour over the chicken.

Ready to go in the oven:

Done.

Plated. I had a sauce boat full of the golden pan juices in the above pic to pour over the chicken at the table.

Joan, I'm so sorry about your brother. How very sad. I will be thinking of you and your parents and family.

I don't know yet, even now, what I'm making. I think I'll try the soup, but haven't really felt as motivated about this ingredient since DH doesn't really care for garlic. I love, love, love it, but it's not much fun to prepare something you know the other person doesn't like.

Have fun, evreyone.

sally

Thanks for the kind words.

Things have quieted down here. We have recieved so much food from friends that my fridge is full. But I think I may make the soup for myself today. I think cooking something might be good therapy at this point. You folks would probably understand that. I guess you can't beat garlic soup as comfort food right?

Garlic soup and friends that care....now that's comfort.

I'm good to go!

Sharoncb's Garlic Prawns with champagne in front of the fire....

Cesare Salad (recipe from the restaurant Cut in Halifax)
Gilroy garlic bread (from Woodie)
Pasta Puttanesca (mine)
Veal Parm...... (the classic recipe)
a bottle of 1995 Chianti Classico I've been holding on to for years...why not!!!!

Some wonderful truffles , no garlic.....with a glass of Port before dessert ;)

I'm in the middle of cooking now. Looks like we'll end up having:

Garlic-spinach comsommee with parmesan crisps
Lobster scampi with asparagus - served over pasta
Salad with maple-basalmic dressing
Strawberry shortcake from our favorite Italian bakery

There will definitely be no vampires prowling around our high school for the concert tonight.

My house smells.....of garlic! I love it.

Just took garlic rolls out of the oven and slid the chicken in.

Chase...you are probably sitting by the fire about now, enjoy!

Ruthanna, your dinner sounds superb.

I'd love to make more comments...but I need to get back into the kitchen.....

Nancy

I made Becky's baked Shrimp Scampi this evening, accompanied by home-grown snow peas (steamed 3 minutes) and fresh broccoli. Oh, also a really good Pinot Noir. Oh my goodness, this is heaven!! Becky, your recipe is a keeper!

Thanks everyone for the wonderful garlic recipes!

Just finished our meal of Chicken With 40 Cloves of Garlic. I served it with couscous and sauteed zuchinni. We had a nice dry white wine that we got at Foxen vineyards when we last visited DS in CA. What a terrific meal!

If it had not been for this cookalong, there would have been no way I'd tried this recipe for a Valentine's Day dinner. DH likes garlic, but I only like it when it's very subtle. I couldn't believe this dish could have 40 cloves of garlic in it and yet still have such a smooth mellow flavor.

The recipe I used is from Ina Garten's "Barefoot Contessa in Paris" cookbook. If anyone is interested, I can share it. DH said it's a hands down keeper, and would be a great "company" dish.

I hope you all had as good a time participating in this cookalong as I did.

Can't sign off without offering condolences to joanm - so sad to read about your loss. Best to you and your family.

Joan, I'm so sorry for your loss. Please know I'm thinking of you.

Ann

Joan, I'm so sorry that your family is going through such sadness. My heart aches for you as well as your parents as I can't imagine losing a "child" or one of my siblings. I feel sort of silly following this up by posting about a garlic meal, but.....I can't think of any way to segue into it. :(

Amck, I'd love to have that recipe as I'm always looking for a good dish for company (since I've been cooking less red meat, I've realized that many of my company dishes were beef or pork.)

Chase and Ruthanna, you are having such feasts that I'm envious!! In another 6 weeks, there will be less of me and I can feast again (moderately of course!)

No recipes here tonight as I just winged it.... tomorrow I'll be trying Sharon's butternut squash soup as I've been drooling over that photo for days now.

Since I'm counting calories, we started with a small appetizer. Smear some roasted garlic on a toasted bread round (we used thin wafers instead.... calories you know!) and then top with a bit of cambazola cheese.... awesome combo. Got the idea from a local Italian restaurant.

Main course which was salad (sniff, sniff.... I'd have loved garlic rolls, shrimp etc). The dressing was good; combine in the food processor some green onions, garlic, EVOO, yogurt and some umbeoshi plum paste. After plating each was topped with pan sauteed chicken slices that had been marinated in garlic, lemon and olive oil. On the side, a few garlic/lemon/EVOO/oregano marinated mushrooms.

Dessert was NOT garlic though! Some sliced strawberries and a little papaya topped with a bit of plain yogurt and drizzled with a lime/honey sauce.

Grace

Turned out I wasn't feeling too great so we cut back a tiny bit. Christy had a beautiful NY strip with the roasted garlic butter I had made for her. She baked a couple potatoes and we had them with some roasted garlic sourcream. Very good. She had some nice broccoli on the side. I had garlic and lemon boiled shrimp with garlic remoulade on romaine. I boiled lots of garlic with a lemon sliced up in the water for about a half hour before putting the shrimp in. They were so good. I also made the remoulade with lots of extra garlic and think I'll do it that way in future. A very nice garlic meal indeed. Since I wasn't getting around too well we just had some chocolate ice cream with a dollop of Nutella for dessert before exchanging presents.

Thanks Joan for the garlic choice. I hope you did make yourself some soup. It's nice having people give you food in such a situation, but somehow you also just like to have something you made. Guess it's comforting for us cooks to cook. You and your family are in our thoughts.

Joan, I'm ashamed to admit I don't remember if you visit the conversations page, but there's a mighty strong chain of friendship over there that holds hands for people that need their hands held. If you want, I, or any of us can post over there on your behalf, or you can do it for yourself if you prefer. Or, we can just leave it on this thread, if that's what you want.

I actually did make a garlic based meal tonight, and it was oh, so simple, because I was just plain tired after work and the emotional roller coaster we've been on with this property purchase in Oklahoma. Plus, It's starting to be spring here, and the nursery business is starting to pick up, and we had a steady string of customers today (thank heavens, at least some people are spending money) so I was too tired to peel all the garlic called for in the garlic soup recipe. I really do want to try that soup one day, but I was just too tired today. Instead, I made up my own recipe. No, I wasn't calorie counting on this one, either. I did garlic baked potatoes with a garlic-cheddar cheese-sour cream sauce with broccoli and scallion garnish. Here's what I used and what I did. I have to warn you, I didn't measure, so to write this recipe is tricky, and estimations. I'm listing ingredients as I remember them, not as they necessarily should be written.

2 good russet potatoes
1 bulb plus 1 clove of garlic separated
Sharp white Vermont Cheddar Cheese (I used Cracker Barrel) (I'm sorry, I didn't measure, maybe 1/2 cup?)
sea salt, or any coarse salt
coarse ground black pepper (can you tell I like things coarse sometimes?)
fresh broccoli florets
fresh scallion greens
1/2 cup (?) (I didn't measure) Sour cream
and/or Stoney Brook low fat yogurt, I used some of each of the sour cream and yogurt. I tasted each, and believe it or not, I couldn't tell a difference.
1 or 2 tablespoons cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, more or less
Extra Virgin Olive oil, just a smidgen to coat the potatoes and some to drizzle on the bulb of garlic.
a handful of fresh parsley, chopped

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. If you have a pizza stone, heat that in the oven as well.

Scrub the potatoes well, and dry. Rub the potatoes vigorously with the one clove of garlic, then coat with that smidgen of olive oil. Generously coat the oiled potatoes with the sea salt and black pepper.

At the same time, cut the top off the bulb of garlic and place in a garlic roaster or any small roasting dish. Drizzle with the olive oil and season with salt, just like instructed in the garlic soup recipe.

Place the potatoes on the stone, or on a baking sheet in the oven, along with the garlic bulb. Iput my garlic in a garlic roaster, on the same shelf as the potatoes. Set your timer for 45 minutes. Take the garlic out of the oven when the timer goes off, but leave the potatoes in the oven till they are tender. Let the garlic cool a bit while the potatoes bake some more.

In the meantime, when the potatoes are almost done, spoon out the sour cream and/or yogurt into a small (2 or 3 cup) bowl, and grate the cheddar cheese into the bowl with the sour cream. When the roasted garlic is cool enough, squeeze it into the bowl with the sour cream and cheese, and discard the skins. (okay, I'm channeling Paula Deen and Ina Garten combined, here, and I'm not even finished with the fat, if you can believe it. All I need is mayonaise - not!) Place the mixture into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Now this is where I really channeled Paula Deen. We have a very old blender, circa the 1950's I think, and the sour cream and cheese just didn't blend. So, I started adding cream, which happened to be in the fridge, just to add some liquid. Didn't work. So I added a pat of butter, about a tablespoon, and that did the trick. It got the blender to blending, and wallah!, there's a sauce. Once the sauce had a creamy texture, I added some chopped parsley, and seasoned to taste. I did not blend the parsley, just stirred it in. I didn't want the sauce to be solid green, just speckled with green. The parsley really helped the flavor, though.

Also, in the meantime, I boiled some water, and when it came to a boil, I added some salt, and dropped the broccoli into the water to blanch for a minute, then removed it from the boiling water, and placed it into a bowl. (I had picked the broccoli from my garden the other day and really needed to use it before it was too late. I've also got loads of scallions from my garden to use, so that's where they came from.

When the potatoes were done, We cut them open, fluffed them, and topped them with the chopped scallion greens, broccoli, and the roasted garlic-cheese sauce. We grated some extra of that sharp cheddar cheese onto the potatoes, just for fun. Believe it or not, my DH even liked it. He commented that he really liked the sauce, garlic and all.

Writing out what I did tonight for supper makes it seam not that simple, but it really was. It was a lot more simple than peeling all that garlic for the garlic soup, which I really, really want to try sometime.

Sally

All your galic feasts look and sound fantastic. Thanks for another thread that I'll be keeping for some future garlic dishes.

I made the roasted garlic soup with wine and extra chicken broth but without the cream and added spinach to it; then strained it and did the egg white consommee thing to clarify it. It turned out like a cup of green garlic essence and was a nice light start to the meal.

Then I made the Three Garlic Pasta recipe Joan posted but cooked some onion and red pepper slivers along with the garlic and added asparagus steamed in the microwave and some lobster meat.

We split this garlic-free dessert when we got home.

Everyone's meals sound fantastic!

Beachlily Shrimp Scampi is a favourite dish of mine, I'll have to try Becky's recipe.

amck, I'd love the recipe it sounds like a nice change up on chicken.

Grace your nibblies look awesome and that meal looks like mighty fine fare for a diet!

coconut, hope you are feeling better. Garlic sour cream...never thought of that YUM

Sally WOW on that potato don't let Grace read this! LOL

Ruthanna that looks delicious, will have go back and chek that recipe.

Our meal was lovely we both really enjoyed it. As I mentioned the pasta dish is a tradition her on Valentines Day. No pic of the Gilroy Garlic bread which was delicious but the camera steamed up!

SharonCB's Spanish Shrimp Tapas. Thanks for the recipe Sharon they were delicious. We sopped up every bit of the juice.

Caesar Salad with homemade croutons and bacon bits.

Pasta Puttanesca with Veal Parmigiana

Joan thanks for the garlic inspiration and Nancy thanks for getting this organized!

All the dinners look and sound wonderful, I was worried that garlic would be problem for Valentine's Day dinners, you have proved me wrong! Great variety of ideas here.

I ran to the grocery store to pick up a few things, one of which was a fresh whole chicken for dinner. As I walked up to the chicken area of the meat counter, a quick scan told me, no whole chickens! Never did I dream that would happen. I glanced at the customer next to me (60ish gal) and said, in a disgusted voice, "I can't believe it, no whole chickens!" She looked at me and replied, "Yes there are, they are down in the heated case at the end of the aisle, nobody buys raw whole chickens anymore." She walked away, leaving me with the feeling that I was way off base for even thinking there should be raw whole chickens. A quick check with the meat dept. mgr. confirmed that they were just sold out.
I went to the other grocery store in town and bought my whole chicken there.

Our garlic inspired dinner, Flattened Chicken with Herbs and Sticky Lemon, Garlic Rolls, Salad and steamed broccoli.

Laying the chicken down on a bed of garlic and herbs

Here's the recipe
FLATTENED CHICKEN WITH HERBS AND STICKY LEMON

Serves 4

1 whole chicken, backbone and breast bone removed, and flattened

2 teaspoons kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

5 sprigs rosemary

10 long sprigs thyme

10 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons olive oil

¼ cup sherry vinegar

1 lemon, thinly sliced

¼ cup honey

2 tablespoons chipotle pepper sauce

2 tablespoons toasted sliced almonds

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. On cookie sheet, place rosemary sprigs, thyme sprigs and garlic. Arrange flattened chicken on top and sprinkle with olive oil.

2. Place chicken in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove and pour sherry vinegar over chicken. Return to the oven and cook additional 15 minutes.

3. Place lemon slices over chicken. In small bowl, mix together honey and chipotle sauce; brush over lemon slices. Bake chicken additional 10 to 15 minutes, brushing with honey sauce (use foil to cover chicken if it starts to burn).

4. Remove chicken to platter and sprinkle with almonds and parsley.

Recipe from Pacific Region winner Elsie Lalor of Issaquah, Wash.

Garlic Knots (see my note at the bottom of the recipe on how I finished them)

Relish Magazine

Rolls:
1½ tablespoons active dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
2 cups warm water
(105F to 115F)
3 cups bread flour, divided
1 tablespoon salt
3 cups all-purpose flour

Topping:
2⁄3 cup pure olive oil
2½ cups shredded Parmesan cheese
½ cup diced garlic
½ teaspoon oregano

Instructions
1. Sprinkle yeast and sugar over water in a large bowl. Stir until combined. Let the stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.
2. Add 2 cups bread flour and salt. Whisk vigorously until smooth, about 3 minutes. Stir in remaining bread and all-purpose flours, 1⁄2 cup at a time, using a wooden spoon. The dough will form a shaggy mass and clear sides of bowl.
3. Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead about 5 minutes, adding more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, as necessary, until dough is soft, silky and resilient. It should not be sticky.
4. Place in a greased bowl and turn once to grease top. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until

tripled in bulk, 1 1⁄2 to 2 hours. (At this point, dough can be punched down and placed in the refrigerator to rise again overnight.)
5. Portion dough into 2-ounce rolls (about the size of a golf ball) and place on lightly greased rimmed baking sheet. (You can also shape the dough into three 16-ounce loaves if desired.) Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, 30 to 40 minutes.
6. Preheat oven to 400F.
7. To prepare topping, combine olive oil, Parmesan cheese, garlic and oregano in a bowl until blended. Remove plastic wrap from rolls. Spoon topping over each roll.
8. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown. Makes 24 rolls.

Recipe courtesy of Geppetto's, Anacortes, Wash.
Nutritional Information
Per serving: 210 calories, 9g fat, 5mg chol., 7g prot., 25g carbs., 1g fiber, 240mg sodium.

My Notes:Use melted butter instead of olive oil.
Make into knots, rise and put part of the topping on. Bake. When ready to serve, divide the rest of the topping equally among rolls. Place back in the oven for about 5 minutes to reheat and melt topping. Remove from oven and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese. Serve.

The chicken is a new recipe and turned out excellent. The only thing I'll change the next time I make it, is to place a few herbs and garlic under the skin on the breast.
I did not remove the backbone, just the breast bone.
The honey did not make the chicken sweet, it just balanced out the vinegar.

I'll draw a name for the next Cookalong, please check this thread asap on Monday morning....it might be YOU!

Nancy

I worked yesterday so dinner was something easy to put together quickly when I got home.

We started with crostini with roasted garlic and warm goat cheese. I roasted the garlic in the morning before leaving for work. And the slices of baguette were toasted on the grill.

The beef was pre-salted earlier and rubbed with garlic and lots of black pepper and grilled. Served with Parisienne Potatoes, asparagus and Kabocha squash mashed with butter and more roasted garlic.

No dessert.

yum, everything sounds and looks great!

I didn't "feature" garlic quite as much as the rest of you, but we did consume plenty of it yesterday. I started to take pictures and have pics of the bread, and the bruschetta, but then forgot to take pics of the rest of dinner :)

Started with bruschetta with wild mushrooms and goat cheese (and garlic), with a glass of sauvignon blanc.

Main course was pork tenderloin stuffed with dried apricots, pistachios, garlic, ginger (do I get extra points for using BOTH garlic and ginger?); garlic mashed taters, and green beans with a simple vinagrette, and a nice Italian Barbera wine.

Dessert was individual fabulous chocolate falling down cakes with raspberry sauce and a little bit of vanilla ice cream. We have a couple of these left so maybe I'll remember to get a picture tonight.

I've been too busy to participate in this, but my gosh everything looks great! I'm gonna be cutting and pasting like crazy! I love garlic! I planted 75 cloves in part of the garden for harvest this summer, so when the fresh garlic comes in I'll be ready! Y'all are some talented cooks!

Duane

Opening this thread and hitting 'end' because I'm running out the door

In Nancy's honor I made Chicken Marsala last night and braised brussel sprouts, both with garlic. Shoulda put some on the red roasted rosemary potatoes but forgot to. And certainly not on the apple pie, LOL!

Everything looks great! We love garlic and we had plenty of it last night.

Salad with Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette. I loved the dressing. I found a recipe on the internet that I hadn't tried before but will be making it again.

Ann's Garlic Shrimp that was very good.

Ann's recipe for Garlic Dungeness Crab which was equally as good as the shrimp.

I also made crusty bread to go along with the shrimp and crabs but forgot to take a picture:(

For dessert...

Just kidding!

I was going to make cupcakes but my husband wanted cookies so I made a different recipe for M&M Cookies (he loves M&M's) and it included Chocolate Chips also. They were just as the woman described...crisp on the outside and moist on the inside.

We enjoyed our meal very much.

Oh does my house ever reek of GARLIC! I love what everyone has contributed to this thread.

I roasted three whole heads of garlic wrapped in foil with a drizzle of olive oil for nearly an hour in a muffin tin so they were like butter and at the same time I rolled chicken tenders, cut in half, in ground almond and put them to bake in a cup of homemade chicken broth and a bit of sliced onion and black pepper, in the toaster oven at the same time as the garlic. The roasted garlic when cooked was squeezed out and mashed together with steamed potatoes and cauliflower, half each, for a delicious garlicky mixture that was the second course together with the chicken.

First course was Sizzling Garlic Prawns which turned out well, using sherry in place of white wine and lime from our tree in place of lemon.
The sauce mopped up with hunks of brown crusty bread. I used a couple of spoonfuls more of olive oil than in my recipe higher up in this thread.

I will have to stand apart tomorrow at my Pilates class as I know I will still reek of garlic! But that was fun.
Coffee and a mandarin orange are coming up as soon as I post this!

SharonCb

Oh YUM everyone!

Sharon I misnamed (is that a word?) the first course I served it was your Sizzling Garlic Prawns, great dish!

Mine even looked like yours so I guess I did it right!

I was in a hurry this morning and didn't have time to comment on everyone's garlic dinners. Nice to see a good number of participants.

Garlic was a great ingredient since it is one that most of us always cook with.

Sally, Those potatoes sound wonderful. Saving your recipe.

What's not to like about Ruthanna's pasta. Has everything in it that I like. Especially the generous amount of lobster.

Sharon Chase, your dinner is a favourite of ours. Moe is happy to make a meal out of just the Garlic shrimp.

Nancy that chicken looks amazing. I tried to open the smaller pictures but I couldn't.

Prairie love, your bruschetta with wild mushrooms and goat cheese really sounds delicious. Love that combination.

Dixie, what great pictures. I'm glad you tried the roasted crab. I need to make that again soon.

SharonCB, I like how you used the muffin tin to roasted your garlic.

Oops... sorry the thumbnails won't open. Photobucket has changed stuff around, guess I haven't figured it all out yet.

Nancy

I joined in too! Tonight for DMIL's birthday dinner I made pork tenderloin marinated in garlic, ginger, hoisin sauce and tamari soy. Skillet potatoes with garlic and rosemary. Nothing too inventive since DS isn't adventurous and I didn't know about DMIL's guest's preferences either.
Good ingredient, lots of ways to use it! I do want to roast garlic next time, just didn't get to it today!

Checking in here at the last minute. Great looking dinners everyone! I was on my own for this one so I kept it simple for the most part.

Ceasar Salad with Sharon's dressing from Cut.

AnnT's Shrimp Tapas with Woodie's Gilroy Garlic Bread. I put this over some pasta to make it a dinner for me.

Nancy, thanks for putting this together and the idea overall. This will be fun as it progresses with different ideas. Sorry I missed the first one. Great to see so many cook along with everyone!

David

I'm putting out an APB for.....

Sheshebop.....Sherry are you out there?

I drew your name, it's your turn to pick the next ingredient focus.

Nancy

Everything looks and sounds so good. SharonCb, I'm in awe of your photography.

Nancy, in my never ending quest for making good rolls, (for some reason, I'm lousy at it, especially forming the rolls) I'm going to try your recipe.

Thank you, Ann, I'm honored. Your crostini sound delicious.

I've got to save the pasta and salad recipes, too. Dixiedog, can you share your salad recipe?

Sally

Nancy that chicken looks great as well as the rolls.

David I liked Ann's shrimp a lot. Yours looks good over pasta. I've got Woodies Gilroy Bread saved for another day as that sounds really good.

Shesh - congrats for getting picked for the next ingredient. I can't wait to see what it is.

Sally, here is the salad dressing recipe that I found on Food TV:

ROASTED GARLIC VINAIGRETTE
M.S. Milliken & S. Feniger, Food TV

12 garlic cloves, roasted and peeled
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
Juice of one fresh lime
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Combine the garlic, vinegar, honey and lime juice in a blender and puree until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add the oil until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper.

To roast garlic: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil over unpeeled garlic cloves, and wrap in aluminum foil. Place on a cookie sheet and bake about 1 hour, or until soft throughout. Set aside to cool, then peel.

I used mixed lettuce, cukes, cherry tomatoes, squash, carrots, cubed cheese, kidney beans, baby carrots and purple onion.

Hi all sorry I'm late to the party again. I cooked Saturday night, but it was so last minute, and I realized after I made dinner that the only thing that had garlic in it was the dressing and it was purchased,(although it was a great dressing). So as fantastic as Saturday's dinner was, I decided to make something last night that contained garlic.

I made some stroganoff meatballs, smoked gouda mashed potatoes, soy beans, salad, and fresh homemade rosemary french bread. (bought a new french bread pan I wanted to try). Dinner was great, but sorry no pics.

Everyone's dinners look amazing. I really love seeing what everyone comes up with using the focal ingredient. It's nice to see such a varied assortment of dishes, and love the recipes everyone posts.

Looking forward to seeing what Nancy picks.

Shelley S.

Thanks, Dixiedog!

Sally

Sherry....I'm watching for you

I got here late also, but I did see that David mentioned my garlic butter. Here's the recipe I use:

Ingredients

1/2 head of Garlic, about 8-12 cloves
2-3 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
1-2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme (all stems removed)
1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 pound unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1-1/2 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp ground cayenne (red pepper)
1 - 1-1/2 tsp salt
1/3 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions

Peel the cloves of garlic, remove stems, and chop coarsely, into about 4-6 pieces per clove. Put into a small food processor with the oregano, thyme, and basil. Process until the garlic has been finely chopped and then add one stick (1/2 cup or 1/4 lb.) butter and blend until smooth. Add peppers and salt and the remaining butter and blend. Lastly add olive oil, to make the butter easier to spread and for flavor. If you want the butter to be softer add more olive oil.

*Note: The proportions of the herbs can be varied to taste. You may want to omit the basil in one batch and the thyme and oregano in another. Never substitute dried herbsit is better to leave them out if you do not have fresh. If you use salted butter, omit the salt.

Store in a jar in the refrigerator. Mark the expiration date of the butter on the jar.

************

I also noticed in my file, under garlic, that I had written a recipe for Garlic Shrimp with Lime and Cilantro

Ingredients

1-1/2 pounds of shrimp, deveined
2 cups water
2 dried red peppers, seed removed
2 tsp crab or lobster soup base (vegetable can be substituted)
5 tbsp unsalted butter
2-3 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp flour
1/2 cup finely diced onions
1/2 cup finely diced celery
2 tablespoons minced garlic
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons minced cilantro
dash of hot sauce or cayenne, to taste

Directions:

Peel shrimp and place shells in a small saucepan with 2 cups water, the dried red peppers, and soup base. Set the shrimp aside. Bring the water to a boil and simmer covered while you chop the vegetables.

Dice the onions and celery, mince the garlic and cilantro. Check the stock you are making, and when it has simmered enough, remove from heat and strain.

Melt butter in saucepan with olive oil over medium heat. When melted, stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly about 3 minutes until the flour is golden brown. Add onions, celery and garlic. Continue to stir 3 to 5 minutes more, or until onions are translucent. Add 1 cup of strained stock. When well blended, add the shrimp and turn off the heat. Continue to stir until the shrimp has cooked approximately 5 minutes.

Add lime juice and cilantro just before serving. Adjust seasonings and add hot sauce or cayenne, if desired. If mixture is too thick, add more stock.

Serve over rice.

I think this recipe is loosely based on Crawfish Étouffée.

I saved several recipes from this thread - thanks!!

Lars

Sorry, Nancy. Had my chocolate contest, and then had the grandkids...by the time they left Sunday, I was too tired to do anything at all. Didn't even cook. Maybe the next one.

OK. So, I pick carrots!
(Sorry Ann T)

Below is the link to Cookalong #3--Carrots

Guess I didn't do the link right, I'll try again

Lars, thanks for posting that recipe again! I can save it on my new computer now. I have it and Ann's printed out along with a lot of others....need to take that old tower in and get it fixed or at least get the recipes and pics off of it.

David

Dixiedog, your roasted garlic salad dressing is great! I made a salad for lunch this week with white kidney beans, tuna, sliced black olives, chopped red onion, tomatoes and parsley, and capers. I tossed it with the garlic-lime dressing and it was perfect for it. Thanks.