BEST Garlic Bread Ever.

I love garlic.
Really love garlic.
Really REEEEEALLY love garlic.
If any recipe calls for it, I'll probably double (at least!) the amount it asks for......just because it's delicious.

I know not everyone loves garlic itself...but I'm pretty sure the whole world loves garlic bread.

This recipe for garlic bread is my go-to, my staple, when it comes to making the stuff. These days, I'm pretty lazy about the amounts, and just kind of add whatever ingredients I know should be in there in whatever quantities I want...and it still comes out yummy. It's just that good of a recipe.

The credit goes to an Angie Asplund, who, along with her sister wrote a great little cookbook that is one of my favourites. The best part is that I won it. I never win anything! That may also be why it's one of my favourite cookbooks...to it, I owe a major boost of self-esteem. Ha.

Anyways. Here it is.

Photo Source

"Garlic Bread"...Also referred to as the best garlic bread ever. By me.
from the book eat something pretty...because you are what you eat by Kyla Hornberger and Angie Asplund

1 loaf French Bread
1 cup butter, softened
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 grated parmesan cheese

"1. Preheat oven on the broiler setting
2. Mix all ingredients except Parmesan cheese together until smooth. Cut French bread loaf in half lengthwise and generously spread butter mixture. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Broil in oven until nicely toasted, about 2-3 minutes. Cut into wedges or angled slices and serve."

There ya have it. And I think it goes without saying (but I'm going to say it anyways, ha.) that it doesn't have to be French Bread...anything bread-y will do...and I usually use the powdery parmesan in the can (because I'm cheap and that's usually all I have on hand) and it tastes just fine. Also, I just mix it all together now...including the cheese...and spread it all on. It works. Not the nicest looking...but still tasty. The end.


P.S. Don't you love how I talk about the pictures I'll take of food...and then never do? HA! 

"Harvest Loaf"...or Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

My mom asked if I'd like some frozen pumpkin, a recent victorious discovery from a freezer clean-out.
That smart, smart lady also offered-- in the same breath-- a recipe to use the pumpkin in. Otherwise, it probably would have just sat in my freezer for-ev-er.
I like that mom of mine. Lots. And now, even more-so... because the recipe she gave me, along with the freezer-pumpkin, has been the best thing to happen to this house in the last two days.

2 batches in 2 days. And it's all gooooooone.

It's a recipe for a loaf. But I made muffins, because they just go over better around here. I also used milk chocolate chips, which makes any recipe better. I'd bet they would even help the most forlorn recipe...Milk Chocolate Chip Clam Chowder. Just you wait, next posted recipe.

There's even a fer-real photo or three with this one...not another stolen internet one. Woot woot.

Harvest Loaf...Or Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

1/2 c. shortening
1c. white sugar
2 eggs
1 and 3/4 c. flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. cloves
3/4 c. canned pumpkin
3/4 c. chocolate chips
3/4 c. chopped walnuts (optional...we opt out every time...)

Directions:
Cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Blend in eggs, beat well. Mix dry ingredients in separate bowl. Alternately add dry ingredients and pumpkin to the shortening mixture. Stir in chocolate chips and 1/2 c. walnuts. Pour into pan. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 c. walnuts on top.
Large Loaf: Bake at 350 for 65-75 min
12 Muffins: Bake at 350 for 20-25 min

I also decided that I need to take a baking course/class of some kind; I'm really curious to know if adding the ingredients in a certain order actually makes a difference and why. Because I'm not convinced that it does.
Teach me! Fill me in! Seriously. The tastiness of my muffins might depend on it.

Parmesan Tomatoes

This is totally not my picture:


 But it's pretty much what this recipe comes out looking like.

It's a tasty, tasty side dish. Or lazy lunch, as my babies will attest to.

We grilled them last night, but usually I just make them under the broiler in my oven. Either way, yum. But really, what else could you expect from warm tomatoes and parmesan cheese?

And again, this is a recipe that came out of my head, after eating something like this at Jubilations Dinner Theatre.

Parmesan Tomatoes
3-4 tomatoes, cut in half, with the stem cut out.
3-4 Tablespoons mayo
1/3 c. or more parmesan cheese
sprinkle of basil (used Mom's fresh basil leaves last night...and chopped up 3 really fine...yumm!)
sprinkle of oregano (orrrr.....just use any "Italian Seasoning" spice mix)
salt and pepper to taste

Smear the stuff on tops of tomato halves, seed side. (You can take a slice off the bottom of the tomato, too, so they sit flat for you). Grill them under the broiler until the tomatoes are heated through and the cheese is either browned, or just melted-ish... (Exact science, here).

Serve warm, with a fork.

Last night, I also topped with a little feta cheese. It totally worked, baby.

The Sugar-Free List

A couple months ago, my SIL asked if I wanted to do a three-month sugar fast. We made our own rules for ourselves, but the basic idea was that we would steer clear of refined sugars. Natural sweeteners like fruit sugars, maple syrup, honey, etc. were a-okay...and I also wanted to steer clear of artificial sweeteners as much as possible. What IS that stuff, anyways? My primary goal wasn't weight loss...though it was a nice by-product...it was simply to reduce my dependence on the white sweet stuff...and learn to incorporate more nutritiously-dense sweeteners into my food.

And while a little crazy, I've been uber-grateful for it. Not only has leftover baby-weight dropped off somehow (fiiinally), and made me incredibly aware of how much sugar I potentially consume in a day (thanks, you dang granola bars...), it's also given me countless opportunities for getting a fix for my sweet-tooth in a more natural and healthy way. And seriously tested my powers of creativity for doing so. It has taught me that deprivation is the mother of invention. Ha.

And so, my list. My "things to eat instead" list. You'll notice there's a lot of bananas. And maple syrup. And honey. And other delicious things.

(Disclaimer: it's not about calorie-reduction, just refined sugar reduction. So...no gawking at the cream; it gets self-concious.)

-Lemon Water. Sometimes a little tangy water is all it takes to get through it.

-Straight up fruit. Bananas, berries, cherries, oranges, apples...a wealth to choose from.

-Honey-Lemon Tea. (Lemon juice, water, honey)

-Toast with Honey Butter. Good for the pastry cravings. Mmm...

-Banana Pancakes. (Pancakes from scratch sweetened with a mashed banana...the effect tastes like banana-bread pancakes). Top with fruit, maple syrup, whatever!

-Banana Ice Cream. Frozen bananas, blended straight up, make ice cream. Whoever discovered this has hero-status in my books. I loooove ice cream. I liked mixing mine with natural peanut butter, but really, the possibilities are endless. And I promise, the bananas ACTUALLY get creamy like ice cream, all by themselves. Tip: peel the bananas and put them in freezer bags before tossing them in the freezer. Your fingers will thank you when you don't have to peel frozen bananas with them.

-Plain yogurt sweetened with Maple Syrup...With cut-up bananas, and/or strawberries, and a sprinkle of almonds. Best. Breakfast. Ever.

-Smoothies. Ice, fruit, honey (if needed), and a squirt of lemon juice for zip.

-Strawberries with cream, a drizzle of honey, and a sprinkle of salt.

-Raw Chocolate Milkshake Miracle. I kid you not, this or some variation of this have made this sugar-fast do-able for me. It calls for avocados and almonds, which makes it reeeally creamy and yummy, and reeeeally filling...a good breakfast shake, actually (chocolate shake for breakfast? YEEAH!) But for afternoon snacks, or random chocolate cravings, I simply blend bananas (don't even have to be frozen, though it does make it extra tasty), cocoa, maple syrup or honey, water or milk, and a touch of salt. Delicious. And good for you. Awesome.

-Naturally Sweetened Brownies. The recipe linked here is the Jillian Michael's version...but I would definitely suggest replacing the applesauce with bananas. And then cooking them a bit longer. I think it tastes better that way, but the applesauce tastes okay, too. Also, I add a 1/4 tsp salt. Again, just tastes better. And then drown drizzle a warm one with cream. SOooo good.

-The Raw Brownie. This one blew me away. I didn't actually expect a bunch of nuts and dates to taste like a brownie! But it did! And it was AWESOME! I actually used pecans instead of walnuts, and regular dates instead of the Medjool ones she recommends...and it still turned out delicious. This blogger actually doesn't use refined sugars in any of her recipes, so any dessert by her is fair game. Like this one, and this one, and this one...all of which I plan to test out. I use a lot of recipes from her site...a LOT. And I've liked every single one I've tried. The brownie recipe above this one is more like cake...this one is more like a dense, chewy brownie. Take your pick.


I think that's it. I'll add to it if I think of any more. These replacements make it easy to avoid sugar...AND make it easy to make permanent changes. Well, I think so anyways.
Give me a freezer full of frozen bananas, my maple syrup, honey, cocoa, and fresh fruit... and I'm good to go.

Popcorn Secrets.

I can come up with a lot of reasons why this blog is a good idea.

My reasons are mostly selfish (recipe organization and commentary)...except for the fact that when something works and is awesome, I want to tell EVERYONE about it. I spend a lot of my time as the mama thinking about and making meals, snacks, and treats for my family. I actually like it! Good thing.
I like me some good food, and like the idea of having a place where everything is organized with my thoughts on it...while being able to share it, simultaneously.

But in all reality, whatever reason I try to pass off as the primary one this blog exists, don't believe a word I say.

Because subconsciously, I'm pretty sure that the main reason this blog exists is so that we have an excuse to take pictures of food.

And just because this would be silly to post without food, let's start things off with the snack food our family could not live without, shall we? Because I took a picture of it some morning last week for no good reason at all.

I exaggerate not when I say that without popcorn, our family would think this world a dim and dark place devoid of sunshine. This is a staple snack in the Roberts household, morning, afternoon, or night, and usually with just the classic butter and salt. A couple other favourites, however, are to grate in a plentiful amount of extra-sharp cheddar...or drown it in buttery, brown-sugary caramel. Yes, we do take a perfectly fine, whole-grain snack, and smear its name with all sorts of calories. We have no shame around here.