Ok.  I am seriously considering renaming my blog or something.  It seems my more recent (and frequent) posts have been about food.  I like food and I love to cook.  I have an index card box and 3-ring binder full of untried recipes that I long to weed through.  Then there are those pins I've pinned on Pintrest to try and other blogs I find when I'm looking for recipes that work with the ingredients and tools that I already have in the kitchen...and those recipe books too.

Which brings me to roasted garlic. GARLIC. That wonderful aroma and pretty good for your health food/spice/whatever.

It is soooo easy to roast garlic.  I do not know how I have lived this long and NOT tried it sooner!!

Let me just say this – if you love garlic and have never roasted your own – what in the world are you waiting for????  It is so easy to do but does take some time. Note the definition of easy and quick are completely different. These are not quick, as in speedy; expedient; or rapid. They are easy as in not overly complicated, requiring little to no knowledge or skill.

Roasted garlic – You will want to use a pie pan or shallow cake pan or an old muffin/cupcake pan that you do not plan on using for any further baking (cakes, pies, cupcakes, etc.). I used the only cake pan I have and after washing a couple times, it STILL smells like roasted garlic. I’m not really complaining – it’s a wonderful smell – but I didn’t realize this until after I roasted the garlic.

You want to go for the larger heads of garlic and look for ones with a relatively “flat” bottom because these will have to sit upright in the pan to the best of their ability. If you use the cupcake tin, you might be able to get away with some unevenness.

I found an old blog posting from the Pioneer Woman online. She has lots of photos! The link below will take you there and open up in a new window.

Pioneer Woman roasts garlic

Preheat oven to 375*F

Cut the tops off the garlic, trying to expose all of the cloves.

In your pan, you want to coat the bottom liberally with olive oil.

Put your topless garlic in the pan and drizzle the tops with olive oil, sprinkle with a little bit of sea salt and black pepper.

Cover your pan with aluminum foil and roast on the middle rack for 40-45 minutes.

Let the pan and garlic cool completely before you start removing the cloves. Some of the cloves you may need a small knife to get out. The cloves are soft, some may break open, but most should easily pop out whole. I have mine stored in a small container I keep in the refrigerator.

Now you have roasted garlic for a myriad of uses – add it to hummus, smear on toasted bread, throw some roughly chopped cloves on pizza, in a salad, marinades, sauces, etc.