i am a BIG fan of garlic. i won’t deny it. when i cook with garlic and i still have that smell under my finger nails, i love it. there are very few things that i don’t add more than the recommended amount of garlic. i think you are getting the picture. i’m into garlic.

but one of the best ways to eat garlic, is roasted. roasting garlic cuts out that spicy taste you get from raw garlic and just gives you a smooth, deep, garlic flavor. there are tons of great uses for roasted garlic, but here is one of my favorites!

roasted garlic butter

serves: 2 cups butter

total time: 1 hour 30 minutes

ingredients: 1 head of garlic. 2 cups of room temperature butter. 1 tsp olive oil. .5 tsp kosher salt. aluminum foil. whisk.

start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees f. while your oven heats, chop the top off of your head of garlic and place the garlic in the middle of a square of aluminum foil. drizzle the garlic with olive oil and sprinkle with a couple pinches of salt.

wrap the garlic up in the foil till it looks like you might toss it out.

then roast it in the oven for 50-60 minutes until completely soft in the middle. pull your garlic out and allow it to cool to room temperature. now that your garlic is roasted it should be a very mushy consistency.

when you squeeze the uncut bottom of the head of garlic, the individual cloves should just squeeze right out the cut open tops.

once in the butter, season with the remaining salt and whisk well until all the garlic is combined into the butter. about 30 seconds.

serve spread on some of your favorite fresh bread or store on hand for roasting chickens, potatoes, or to use for your morning eggs.

xo, a

roasted garlic butter

serves: 2 cups butter

total time: 1 hour 30 minutes

ingredients: 1 head of garlic. 2 cups of room temperature butter. 1 tsp olive oil. .5 tsp kosher salt. aluminum foil. whisk.

start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees f. while your oven heats, chop the top off of your head of garlic and place the garlic in the middle of a square of aluminum foil. drizzle the garlic with olive oil and sprinkle with a couple pinches of salt. wrap the garlic up in the foil till it looks like you might toss it out. then roast it in the oven for 50-60 minutes until completely soft in the middle. pull your garlic out and allow it to cool to room temperature. now that your garlic is roasted it should be a very mushy consistency. when you squeeze the uncut bottom of the head of garlic, the individual cloves should just squeeze right out the cut open tops. once in the butter, season with the remaining salt and whisk well until all the garlic is combined into the butter. about 30 seconds. serve spread on some of your favorite fresh bread or store on hand for roasting chickens, potatoes, or to use for your morning eggs.

it is amazing what a difference just twenty-four hours can make. sunday, wes and i catered for one of my besties lish. we were celebrating her daughter's first birthday and baptism. it has been in the works for months and we had a full plate (pun intended) as far as what we were handling. lunch for thirty-five, four cakes (all different flavors), and a few dozen painted and dipped cookie favors had us prepping for days in advance. 

after months of planning and days of prep, the morning of the party shit was hitting the fan. yeah i said it. nothing was cooperating. i was STRESSED. level 10 stressed. we were in the weeds. luckily, wes has MUCH more experience than i do and was able to calm and focus me to power through to the finish. the party was beautiful, the food delicious and our little birthday girl had a blast. 

twenty-four hours later (eleven of which were sleeping), i felt more calm, relaxed and rested than i had in months. thankfully, come thursday the cakes and catering ramp back up, but i'm soaking up every moment of calm before the storm. and i'm going to savor all the leftovers i have from one of sunday's best dishes. 

balsamic stewed berries & ricotta toast
serves: 12 toast
prep time: 5 minutes
cook time: 45 minutes
active time: 10 minutes
total time: 1 hour
ingredients: .5 cup ricotta (you can make your own HERE which i promise is worth it and very easy, OR you can purchase some at the store. it is worth it to spend a few extra dollars on a good quality ricotta for anything you will be eating it straight up.). 12 slices from your favorite baguette or other bread you like. 6 oz blueberries. 6 oz raspberries. 6 oz blackberries. .5 cup sugar. .25 cup balsamic vinegar. pinch of kosher salt. edible flower petals for garnish (i used geraniums from my garden). 

start by making your stewed berries. combine the berries, sugar, vinegar and salt in a medium sized sauce pot. cook the berries over medium, low heat until the berries have broken down to half their sizes and all the liquid has cooked down. 

the consistency should be similar to that of a jam. it should take about 45 minutes and you should stir it every 5-7 minutes to make sure it cooks evenly. while your berries stew, preheat your oven to 375 degrees f. 

when your berries are done and cooling, toast your bread. on a baking sheet, spread out the bread evenly and toast for 7-8 minutes till lightly toasted. 

remove the toasts and allow to cool till you can handle. 

spread each toast with a bit of the ricotta. 

top each with a spoonful of stewed berries. garnish with flower petals and serve warm. 

xo, a

balsamic stewed berries & ricotta toast
serves: 12 toast
prep time: 5 minutes
cook time: 45 minutes
active time: 10 minutes
total time: 1 hour
ingredients: .5 cup ricotta (you can make your own HERE which i promise is worth it and very easy, OR you can purchase some at the store. it is worth it to spend a few extra dollars on a good quality ricotta for anything you will be eating it straight up.). 12 slices from your favorite baguette or other bread you like. 6 oz blueberries. 6 oz raspberries. 6 oz blackberries. .5 cup sugar. .25 cup balsamic vinegar. pinch of kosher salt. edible flower petals for garnish (i used geraniums from my garden).
start by making your stewed berries. combine the berries, sugar, vinegar and salt in a medium sized sauce pot. cook the berries over medium, low heat until the berries have broken down to half their sizes and all the liquid has cooked down. the consistency should be similar to that of a jam. it should take about 45 minutes and you should stir it every 5-7 minutes to make sure it cooks evenly. while your berries stew, preheat your oven to 375 degrees f. when your berries are done and cooling, toast your bread. on a baking sheet, spread out the bread evenly and toast for 7-8 minutes till lightly toasted. remove the toasts and allow to cool till you can handle. spread each toast with a bit of the ricotta. top each with a spoonful of stewed berries. garnish with flower petals and serve warm.