I used to love eating “cheap grocery store garlic French bread.” You know, the kind that is slathered in bright yellow margarine, overly seasoned with garlic salt, and sprinkled with dried parsley leaves?! Typically, these loaves of garlic bread are packaged in some type of foil bag and you bake it at home. All I know is this… there is a time and place for this type of bread. For me, I haven’t eaten this type of garlic bread in years. I guess I stopped eating it when I stopped attending community dinners which served this type of bread along with spaghetti, and an iceberg lettuce salad covered in ranch. Those were the days.
Fast forward to today. Although I don’t occasionally mind indulging in this type of garlic bread, I’ve moved on to a lighter cheesier version. One where the bread isn’t saturated with margarine but is seasoned with a light coating of butter and minced garlic. I also like to top it off with a little cheese, just for the fun of it.
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Tonight I heard the sweetest words come out of my picky 8 yr old daughter’s mouth. “Mom, that was the yummiest dinner ever, can you please make it again sometime?” A moments like this is what I live for as the cook of the house. This simple sentence coming from the pickiest eater (ever) is the best un-solicited compliment I could ever hope to hear. I was so happy all the while watching her help herself to seconds. What can I say, the girl has exquisite taste buds when it comes to steak, and a mighty fine steak at that.
Seasoned only with salt and pepper, I grilled rib-eye steaks for this evenings dinner. It is my favorite way to prepare steak because of its simple preparation and cooking method. Of course everyone knows how succulent, tender, and juicy rib-eyes can be when prepared properly. And if you don’t know, now you do! In my opinion, medium-rare is the ideal way to experience steak at its most tender point. However I do not recommend cooking it beyond medium. The longer you cook it, the less tender it will be and the texture becomes less optimal. With that said, I have a husband who prefers his steak well-done and doesn’t mind the texture being borderline beef jerky.
What sends this steak into the category of divine is the big dollop of homemade garlic butter adorning the steak like a crown of glory. [click to continue…]
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Today I went to the farmers market and bought 1 bunch of basil for $2. Of course I knew I would be making fresh garlic and basil pesto to use for a variety of dishes. What I love about pesto is its versatility. You can use it as a sauce on pizza, mix it with cream sauce, toss it with pasta, or on top of chicken and even on salmon.
Although you can buy basil in a jar at your local supermarket, nothing can compare to the taste and color of homemade pesto made from fresh basil and garlic. [click to continue…]
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