Roasted Garlic

1 head of garlic

about 2 tablespoons olive oil

about 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt

about 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Place a baking sheet in the oven as the oven preheats.

If your garlic head is covered in several layers of white skin, peal off a few layers. Keep several layers around to hold the head together. With a sharp knife, cut the top off the head of garlic exposing a bit of each each clove of garlic.

Place garlic head in a piece of foil or parchment paper. Drizzle olive oil on top. Top with a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper. Seal the foil around the garlic or parchment paper. If using parchment paper, use a kitchen string to seal the little package.

Place on the pan in the oven and roast for 30 to 40 minutes, or until completely tender when poked with a fork or knife.

Allow to cool slightly before spreading on toast or adding to pasta. It’s delicious.

Grilled Chicken Cordon Blue

This was so light and refreshing. The ingredients are a bit pricy, but totally worth it!

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin
Olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound brie, thinly sliced
2 lemons, halved
8 paper thin slices prosciutto
1/4 pound baby arugula

Heat the grill to high.
Brush the chicken on both sides with oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Grill until slightly charred on both sides and just cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Put a few slices of cheese on each breast, close the cover and let it melt slightly, about 40 seconds. Brush the cut side of lemons with oil and grill, cut side down until golden brown and slightly charred, about 45 seconds.
Put the chicken on large serving plates, top each breast with 2 slices of prosciutto and some arugula. Squeeze the grilled lemon on top and drizzle with olive oil

Fish Tacos with Cabbage Slaw

These are so fresh and light, and the flavors are all there! Tangy, sweet, and salty. Perfect for a warm summer night!

16-20 Corn tortillas
2 lbs tilapia
1 packet Lawry's taco seasoning

Coleslaw:
3 cups angel hair coleslaw mix
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
4 radishes, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro, optional
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper

Creamy Remoulade Sauce:
1 cup sour cream
1 clove garlic, minced
3 green onions, minced
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill

Optional toppings:
Cheese
Diced tomatoes
Avacado

Turn the broiler onto high. Coat tilapia with taco seasoning and place on a lined baking sheet - make sure there are sides because the fish will be juicy. Broil for 7-10 minutes or until the fish is white and flakey.

While the fish is cooking, in a medium bowl, combine the coleslaw mix, red onions, radishes, and cilantro. In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, honey, salt, and pepper. Add to the coleslaw mixture, tossing gently to coat.

In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, garlic, green onions, mustard, lemon juice, and dill. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

Rosemary Focaccia Loaves

These were light, fluffy, and super good. It tasted just like Macaroni Grill's bread. I served with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and a few cracks of fresh ground pepper.

1 c. warm (105-115 degrees Fahrenheit) water
1 Tbsp. yeast
1 Tbsp. white sugar
1 tsp. Kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
2 Tbsp rosemary (dried or fresh), divided
1/4 tsp dried oregano leaves
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 1/4-2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

In a large mixing bowl, combine warm water, yeast, and sugar. Allow to stand for 10 minutes or until bubbly. While the yeast is getting bubbly, combine 2 C of the flour, salt, 1 1/2 Tbsp. rosemary, oregano and garlic powder.

Add flour mixture to yeast mixture along with 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Mix well. (I put it in my stand mixer with the dough hook on). Slowly add remaining flour to make a very soft dough–try and resist the urge to add too much flour. You want a soft, wet dough.

Cover and allow to rise 45 min- 1 hour or until double in size.
Lightly flour your work surface and transfer dough onto this surface. Divide in half. Shape each half into a rounded loaf and place on a greased cookie sheet or pizza stone. Cover and allow to rise another 45 minutes.
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Use remaining tablespoon of olive oil to brush over tops of loaves, discarding excess if you have any. Sprinkle with remaining rosemary and some Kosher salt.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until very lightly golden-brown. Serve immediately (if you can) with olive oil and balsamic vinegar (if you want) and feel your butt get bigger (you will. It just happens. And it’s worth it.)

Old – Time Beef Stew

This was really hearty and super easy! I made it with the Rosemary Foccacia bread and it totally completed the meal! Super delicious!

2 pounds stew beef
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups beef stock
2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 sprig rosemary
1 medium onion, sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Dash ground allspice or ground cloves
3 large carrots, sliced
3 ribs celery, chopped
1 lb baby potatoes halved (red potatoes cut into bite sized pieces would work too)

Brown meat in hot oil. Add beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, minced garlic, rosemary, onion, salt, sugar, pepper, paprika, and allspice. Cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours. Remove rosemary sprig. Add potatoes, carrots and celery. Cover and cook 30 to 40 minutes longer, or until veggies are tender. Add more salt and pepper to taste.

Raspberry Glazed Chicken Breasts

This super simple three ingredient sauce is brushed onto chicken breasts, then grilled to glazed perfection. You could use this recipe with peach jam and peaches, strawberry jam and chopped strawberries too.

1/2 cup raspberry jam
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons honey
Pepper and salt to taste
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 Bottle raspberry walnut vinegrette
1-1/2 cups fresh raspberries

Marinate chicken breasts in vinegrette for at least two hours prior to grilling. Prepare grill. Brush rack with vegetable oil. Mix raspberry jam, mustard, honey, pepper, and salt. Place chicken on grill, cover and cook for 8-9 minutes per side, brushing frequently with the jam mixture, until juices run clear and center of chicken is no longer pink when thickest pieces are cut. Discard remaining jam mixture and serve chicken topped with raspberries.

Wedge Salad

This is just like Outback Steak Houses Wedge Salad. So good, and so easy to make!!!

Balsamic Glaze
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/8 cup raw honey
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Salad:
1/2 head iceberg lettuce, cut into a wedge
1 cup grape tomatoes, cut into halves
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
6 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
1/2 cup blue cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup pecan pieces, toasted - Optional

Dressing:
3/4 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup blue cheese, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
In a bowl combine all the dressing ingredients and mix well. Refridgerate for at least two hours.

In a small saucepan combine balsamic glaze ingredients, bring to gentle simmer and reduce to a thick syrup, about 5 min (the syrup will really thicken up as it cools).

Cut the iceburg lettuce head into quarters and sprinkle the tomatoes, bacon, red onion, blue cheese, and pecans equally over all four quarters. Top with dressing and balsamic glaze.

**I chilled the serving plates in the freezer for an hour before serving. The salad is best when the lettuce is served really cold too.