garlic = #love.

i waited tables in a tasty little italian restaurant my last two years of college. & said ristorante had its own brilliant way of serving bread... hand-tied bread knots fresh out of the oven came with a petite bowl that contained a piping hot roasted garlic bulb cut in half for easy access. as a patron you were welcome to eat your garlic, clove by clove or... your server could whip up a little somethin' somethin' out of that bulb of garlic for your eye-roll-back-in-head pleasure. customers fiended for this stuff. annnnd, working there, eating it myself more often than i'd like to admit, i never ever ever got sick. go garlic. you're love.

ROASTING GARLIC

you probably ought to roast a few bulbs at once, because they're going to go fast. so, get your hands on three or four good-sized garlic bulbs. wrap each of them loosely in aluminum foil, make sure these little foil pockets are sealed tight. toss them on a cookie sheet and throw them in an oven preheated to 375.

let those babies fester, for at around 45 minutes. as they approach completion roasting, your entire dwelling will begin smelling like heaven.

THE INFAMOUS MIXTURE

while you're waiting, round up your extra virgin olive oil, your balsamic vinegar & some fresh grated parmesan. you can use the parmesan shaker too, but i advocate fresh grated...

douse a serving bowl with something like a 1/3 cup vinegar and a 1/3 cup olive oil. then, add a half a cup of cheese to the bowl. set this aside.

BACK TO THE GARLIC

carefully take one foil pocket out, and with oven mitts or a dishtowel carefully peel open the foil and give the bulb inside a little squeeze. if it's squishable, they're done, take the others out. if not, put it back and give it a little more time. blah blah blah fast forward....

unwrap the foil pockets, carefully remove the bulbs without burning your hands. slice the bulbs in half and again, carefully squeeze the soft cloves within into the mixture you set aside in your bowl. stir it up and have at it. spread it on bread and prepare to melt.(and to be super healthy!)

NOTE:

don't eat this alone. everyone you encounter post eating it will think you stink. eat it with people you love. and that love you. even if you smell super garlicky.

happy birthday kristakins!

love,

sunlovey