Where did the Garlic Earth website go?

Garlic Earth is in the process of possibly merging with Adventures in Spice, LLC, another local spice company. The two companies met through Jan DeYoung of St. Patrick's Center of St. Louis. After meeting with the two companies on separate occasions, Jan noticed a lot of similarities between the companies' missions and philosophies. Together, we can do so much more, including educating the public about spices and general cooking techniques.

So, hang tight! You can still find our products in and around St. Louis. If you have any questions, you can still reach Garlic Earth at GarlicEarth@yahoo.com.

Asian Buttermilk Marinade Nighty-Night Nuggets

I found a recipe for buttermilk chicken fingers which gave me this idea for dinner tonight. I bought catfish nuggets on sale yesterday for $2/lb (they're huge). I'm soaking those in a couple cups of buttermilk (about a dollar's worth) and a few teaspoons of the Garlic Earth Asian Garlic Seasoning. The nuggets will nap all day in the refrigerator (see the bits of garlic, onion and such floating in there?). You could certainly use any of the 3 Garlic Earth flavors, but my son's favorite is the Asian.

Tonight I'll coat them in panko, a little more Asian Garlic Seasoning and Parmesan cheese. Then I'll bake them with olive oil spray and we'll see! How bad could it be?!


Tuesday Night Update: These were the best catfish nuggets ever. I dipped the nuggets in a mixture of cornmeal, flaxmeal and a little Asian Garlic Seasoning, then dipped it back into the buttermilk mixture, then rolled them in panko breadcrumbs. I then set them on a seasoned cookie sheet, sprinkled them with Parmesan cheese, more seasoning (olive oil spray), then baked them for 25 min. at 375 degrees. Crunchy, yet tender in the middle. Best ever!

Theo liked it!

I did not realize dogs liked sour cream until today. My pups enjoyed licking the sour cream container lid after my second try at a new recipe. I call it "Leftover Southwest Chicken & Lime Pasta Bake". I invented it sort of on accident while visiting my family in southern Missouri. We just used whatever was in the 'frige, including some leftover bone-in (bone-in is the best) chicken breasts that were baked the night before in a little olive oil, some Garlic Earth Southwest Garlic Seasoning, yellow onions and carrots.

I basically heated up a large container of sour cream, added some lime juice, a little more seasoning and tossed that with leftover chicken, veggies and some cooked pasta. It tastes just fine like that, but then bake that with some cheese on top and... yummy!

Garlic Earth Fans: Win a bottle!

How do YOU use Garlic Earth seasonings? Have you come up with a way to use the seasonings that has not been posted on the blog or isn't listed in the recipes yet? Every time I demo, I learn of new ways to use my own seasonings, thanks to my customers.

Please send your email to GarlicEarth@yahoo.com with the subject "2010 CONTEST". If your idea is posted, you will win a bottle of choice. If it's a recipe, try to give it a catchy title. Be creative!

Can't wait to hear from you all! Now it's back to a snow day with my son. I'm also going to try recreating the dish I made with leftovers last week. I think I'll call it "Leftover Southwest Chicken & Lime Pasta Bake".

Along with that salad and homemade croutons...

... sprinkle some flaxmeal on top. It may sound strange, but flaxmeal gives anything a light, nutty taste AND it's SO HEALTHY. One bag of flaxmeal goes a long way. You should find some breading ideas for the flaxmeal in this blog right here.

Something light: Homemade Croutons for Soup or Salad

I found some fancy, pretty expensive multigrain uncut bread in my bread box yesterday. I bought it before the rush of the holiday season, with full intention of making garlic bread, but instead I completely forgot about it. It was hard, but I didn't want to waste it. You know what they say: when life gives you old bread, make croutons! Here's a very simple way to turn old (or not so old) bread into a yummy topping for your soup or salad.

HOMEMADE CROUTONS
bread (preferably a good French bread or sourdough or multigrain)
olive oil spray
Garlic Earth Italian Garlic Seasoning
grated Parmesan cheese
dried oregano (optional)
cayenne pepper (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Season cookie sheet with olive oil spray and a few shakes of the Italian seasoning. Spread bread cubes into a single layer on cookie sheet. Spray cubes with olive oil spray. Shake some Italian seasoning, cheese, oregano and cayenne pepper onto bread cubes. Bake for about 15-20 minutes until lightly toasted.

These go very well with tomato soup or on top of a salad.

The croutons pic is from SimpleComfortFood. This picture looks very similar to my own croutons. The Italian seasoning is full of bits of garlic, sundried tomato, peppers, herbs and spices -- the croutons are full of flavor and flecks of color, naturally.

Rustic (Easy!) Potato Gratin

Need an easy and DELICIOUS side dish for the holidays? I've got one for you. This is one of the dishes that I'm taking to Christmas dinner that I first learned about from the Rachael Ray cooking show several years ago. I tweaked it by lowering the fat, using my Italian Garlic Seasoning in place of salt, and simplifying some steps. You don't need to slice the potatoes into thin slices, you just halve small potatoes until their roughly the same size and you'll see what else. It's very easy to make and it's sooooooooo yummy!


RUSTIC POTATO GRATIN

a couple Tbsp olive oil
3-4 pounds mixed baby potatoes, such as baby red, purples, and fingerlings
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup half & half (plus some to cover)
4 tablespoons butter (1/2 stick)
2 sprigs each fresh thyme, sage, and rosemary
2-4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tsp plus a few shakes Garlic Earth Italian Garlic Seasoning
black pepper
1/2 cup grated Italian Cheeses


Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Drizzle the olive oil in the bottom of a large baking dish. Halve the potatoes and toss them into the baking dish and season with a few shakes of the Italian Seasoning and some pepper.

In a medium saucepan, combine the cream, half & half, butter, herbs, garlic and 2 tsp. Italian Garlic Seasoning. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then cook over low heat for about 20-30 minutes, stirring often. This will infuse the half & half and cream with flavor. Note: This last italicized part was added on 12/27/09. I found that simmering the mixture for a while really helps to add more flavor.

Using a slotted spoon, pull out the herbs, then pour the hot cream mixture over the potatoes. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked through and top begins to brown. Cover and keep warm until ready to serve.