Hi Everyone! It's been a minute... or two. Thank you for the welcoming messages waiting for me when I logged on. I can't tell you how much that means. Happy New Year!!
This year started out rough, (not self-induced...LOL!) Again with the fever, etc...! So I dragged my butt into the kitchen and made Garlic Broth. This humble broth is as frugal as it is simple to make and the health benefits are worth the effort.
Garlic Broth has become the star of my kitchen. Its uses are endless. Use it in recipes instead of chicken or beef broth. When you're tight on time you throw in some fresh pasta, lentils or black beans, greens, seasonings and a splash of lemon. It's a hearty meal on the run. Gravy made with garlic broth is amazing! It's uses are only limited by your imagination so have fun with it.
My husband loves Mac and Cheese night and it's healthyish... I replace half of the pasta with cauliflower or broccoli and to cut a little fat I replace half of the milk with Garlic Broth. It's a beautiful flavor.
Let's not forget the health benefits of garlic. When you add sage and ginger you easily create a healing broth. Nature's antibiotics and tums rolled into a hot mug of delicious liquid.
Okay, enough gushing, here's the recipe:
Humble Garlic Broth
Yield: about 1.5 quarts
Ingredients:
2 heads of garlic
fresh herbs - your choice but I love sage or rosemerry
1 T olive oil
2 quarts water
Pull apart, peel and smash one full head of garlic. Heat the olive oil in a large pot on medium. When it sizzles add the garlic and cook until golden brown, about 10 minutes.
Cut the second head of garlic in half width wise so that you have cut each clove in half. Add the water, garlic (skins and all) and herbs to the pot and bring it to a boil. Turn it down and let it simmer, uncovered, for about 45 minutes or until it has reduced in volume by about 25%. Strain through a fine sieve and glory at it's wonder.
You may have noticed my recipe doesn't call for salt. My reason behind this is that you don't always use the same amount of salt in dishes so I like to adjust it when I use it.
There you have it. Use it right away, keep it in your fridge, can it or freeze it. Which ever method suits you.
Tip: If you are short on room in your fridge, freeze the broth in ice cube trays. When they are frozen store them in ziplock bags in your freezer but use them up within a couple of weeks to avoid freezer burn.
Still here?
For the past several months I've been working on these two Harry Potter scarves. My daughter had hinted strongly that her and her hubby would love one and here were the house colors. LOL!!
I was amazed by the amount of wool these long serpents ate up! It was worth it though to see their faces when they opened them Christmas Day! In case you are wondering her Christmas sweater says, "Shitter Was Full" LOL! I love her sense of humor.
Christmas slipped by quickly this year but it was so much fun. As always it's the kids that make the season merry.
I had a day out with my oldest Grandson. We bused downtown so he could spend his gift certificate from the comic book shop. It was a blast! We explored every inch of that store and it was crammed with treasure.
He found a toy from the 70's that's similar to a View Master but you can animate it by winding the crank. Star Wars!!! Yes .. it's pretty cool. It was a lot of "work" combing through that shop so we decided some food was in order and I knew just the spot.
If you ever come to London, Ontario I highly recommend The Early Bird Cafe. Their food is fresh, locally sourced where possible and tastes FANTASTIC! We had poutine. Fresh cut fries with crumbles of cheese curd melting under hot duck gravy. My grandson is vegetarian so he enjoyed the Veg gravy which I was surprised to find just as flavorful as the duck.
The Early Bird makes an arugula, beet and goat cheese salad that blows my mind. The best part is the strawberries and smoked boar's bacon on top. My mouth is watering as I write this.
New topic! My Granddaughter is having her church dedication in February and I am making the gown. Of course I picked the craziest but traditional pattern. This skirt is 4 feet around! and I have one foot left to crochet. The skirt will be gathered at the bodice with ribbon woven through the bobble rows.
When I need to change gears I switch to a project I've been working on for some time doing a row here and a row there. The wool is Malibrago and it's heavenly to work with. I think this simple "Close to You" shawl shows off the color changes quite nicely. It's so soft and light!! I can't wait to wear it.
That's the tip of the ice berg of things I've been up to but my message to you today is that I'm BACK and I'm feeling better. To quote a chick I know "Go Forth And STEEMIATE!" Cya tomorrow for Creatives Coffee Hour! Don't forget!
Until next time Friends...
Posted from my blog with SteemPress : http://artemisnorth.com/it-was-a-rough-start-for-2019-but-this-garlic-broth-helped/