Doggie

Easiest Garlic Knots {Non-Recipe}

by Diana on January 26, 2012

in Doggie,Non-Recipe

I made one of the easiest and tastiest things recently – garlic knots. I’ve been enjoying these things for years, but I never really thought to try to make them at home before. I don’t even have a good excuse, I just never tried it for some reason. Good thing I have Eat in Month to inspire me to try new things at home.

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And it turns out…if you use store-bought pizza dough, garlic knots are so easy a caveman? no, a husband? anyone can do it.

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But first, I’d like to share a couple random Bailey photos. Here’s Bailey modeling the new Duke shirt his grandmother bought him.

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And here he is just after carrying the newspaper in. Yup, he fetches our paper and the mail!

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But, enough about Bailey, back to the garlic knots. Hubby and I had another pizza night at the Chic house recently, and the ball of dough hubby got from the store was gigantic. I decided it was too large to fit on the pizza stone, so I tore off a couple pieces of dough to experiment with these garlic knots. Plus, I figured we could snack on these while the pizza baked.

These things were so simplistic, there’s really no need for a full-on recipe, especially since I used store-bought pizza dough, so I’ll just share some of the basics. I’m betting a lot of you already know how to make these, so for those who do, feel free to chime in (with a comment) with your tips.

Here’s what you’ll need:

  • store-bought pizza dough
  • butter, I used about 1 teaspoon for 4 garlic knots – try to sit it out for a bit so it softens
  • 1 teaspoon chopped parsley (or use 1/2 teaspoon dried)
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • a sprinkle of salt, to taste
  • feel free to add other toppings of choice – maybe oregano, red pepper flakes, or rosemary

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To make the garlic knots, I basically tore off four small pieces of the dough, roughly 1/4-1/3 cup each. I took each piece, rolled it into a long log and tied it into a knot. I baked them in a pre-heated 350 oven (on a cornmeal dusted pizza stone) for about 20-25 minutes, until nice and golden brown on top. Bake time will probably vary from dough to dough, and you may want to check your dough for suggested baking temperature, too.

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I placed the butter, parsley, garlic, and salt in a bowl and topped it with the hot garlic knots. I used the heat of the freshly-baked knots to help melt the butter. I tossed the garlic knots in the bowl until they were evenly coated.

And that’s it.

I think I actually liked the garlic knots better than the pizza we made with the rest of the dough. Anywho, I think these would be fun to make the next time we’re entertaining. I bet kids would like helping the adults form the knots, too.

Ooh…just had another good idea – cinnamon-sugar knots! Maybe I’ll try those next time.

Reader question: What are your favorite garlic knot toppings?

{ 5 comments }

Garland & Sprout Converts

by Diana on December 24, 2011

in Dinner,Doggie,Holiday

Since we spent Thanksgiving with my family, we planned to spend Christmas with hubby’s. Luckily, we had enough vacation days left for 2011 to mostly work out our plans. I was hoping to take the week between Christmas and New Year’s off, but the numbers didn’t quite line up for me, though, I won’t have to work, too much (yay!). That’s the downside. The upside? We had enough to squeeze in a quick trip to see my family before Christmas!

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{Mom, dad, sis}

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{Christmas tree bokeh}

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Mom was really proud of the garland she put together this year, so I’m sure she’ll love me sharing some photos with you guys. You won’t see this featured in a magazine or anything, but she’s only recently gotten into doing crafty things. I think it looks fantastic!

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{Bailey Claus & the Christmas tree; Dad carving the turkey}

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My parents opted for a turkey breast this year. I don’t really like the wings or legs, so it worked for me!

We had a good family effort for the dinner. Mom made the turkey and gravy…

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…dad made the mashed potatoes (and stuffing)…

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…sis made the cranberry sauce and sweet potato fries with 2 dipping sauces (maple syrup & nuts and herbed sour cream – inspired by Emeril}…

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….and I made something my family reluctantly agreed to try – brussels sprouts! Even my health-freak dad was hesitant to try the brussels sprouts. My sister told me later that they were the only vegetable he didn’t like (and all this time I didn’t think there was a vegetable he didn’t like). Apparently, he hadn’t had them since he was a youngster at the boys school where they likely served over-cooked, mushy sprouts. Ew! I was hoping to convert him (and the rest of my fam) with my Simple Brussels Sprouts recipe (shredded and sauteed and not mushy at all). And convert them I did. Even Sis (who is opposite of my dad and pretty much hates all vegetables) liked them.

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{My plate}

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And I had to save room for one of the oatmeal, butterscotch, chocolate chip bars my sis loves baking. They’re a Pampered Chef recipe and deeeeeeeelish. I enjoyed mine with some milk in one of Sis’ s cool Asian mugs.

***

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And along with some Christmas gifts, my parents sent us home with some of their old furniture they don’t want any more. Woohoo! Our empty living room is going to be looking much better after this! I’ll have to share some updated living room photos once we get things set up.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone! :)

{ 2 comments }

Stew Helps, Too

by Diana on December 4, 2011

in Dinner,Doggie

In addition to my mom’s soup and oatmeal, this has helped me feel better, too:

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So comforting…so tasty.

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{Click here for the Cozy Beef Stew recipe}

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Not to mention cuddling with Bailey, watching corgi videos on YouTube helps. Here he is in my lap watching another corgi play in some snow.

It’s 10:49pm. I’m off to attempt to go to bed “early.” Maybe I’ll read or something. G’night!

{ 1 comment }

Sky Top Orchard 2011 {U-Pick Apples}

by Diana on October 11, 2011

in Doggie,Life

After our delicious artisan lunch in Flat Rock, we headed straight to Sky Top Orchard to go pick all the apples we could carry. Or…at least all the apples we could afford since we sort of forgot that not everywhere takes credit cards. Silly city folk!

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With just under $20 in our pockets, we had to be selective but could actually afford quite a bit. Prices are pretty reasonable at Sky Top – $1 per pound of apples if you get under 15 pounds ($0.75/pound if you go over 15 pounds). The snacks were the most expensive things, but we definitely wanted to splurge on some of those!

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2011 – Our first family trip to Sky Top! The last time I came to this orchard, it was with my immediate family (mom, dad, sister), and I think I was in middle school!

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{The front of Sky Top’s main building}

Sky Top was pretty busy when we got there. There were families and tourists wandering around everywhere! Luckily, the place was pretty easy to navigate. They had one main building where you pretty much got everything – you could buy snacks, pick up baskets to take to the orchard, pay for your apples, or buy already picked apples.

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{The back of Sky Top}

Things were pretty crowded behind Sky Top’s main building, mostly because people waited here for the hay rides, which looked to be quite popular.

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After scouting out the place, we made a plan of action: get a sweet snack, go apple picking, pay, and get hot, fresh, apple cider doughnuts.

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We got a caramel apple to split and took it outside to eat.

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While we were snacking, Bailey met another corgi…

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…but that corgi didn’t seem too keen on Bailey. I love this photo, though, because it’s photo-evidence that Bailey is a lover, not a fighter. Look at that defensive move!

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Next up, we found a basket…

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…and headed out to the orchard.

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Unfortunately, hubby and I learned that we could not throw apples at each other.

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The weather was a little cool, but overall, it was gorgeous!

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We tried walking through one of the closer rows of apples, but they were picked clean.

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Hubby and I weren’t too worried since we knew they had so many pre-picked apples for sale. Picking our own would be more fun, but at least we knew we wouldn’t leave the orchard empty-handed.

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We ended up following a trail of people heading down a steep hill.

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And halfway down one row of apple trees, we hit jackpot. We found a tree with apples all over it! Hubby had to climb into the tree and toss the apples out to me, but after just a few short minutes, we enough apples to call it a day. Apple picking is pretty quick work if you find a good tree.

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Cha-ching!

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The basket was so large, it kind of made you want to fill the whole thing up. But, hubby and I were trying to be reasonable about how many apples we could actually eat.

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Since we don’t have kids yet, we (ok…I) took photos of Bailey instead…

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…A ridiculous amount of photos. I can only imagine what the other apple pickers thought. Hehe…oh well.

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Back to the main building!

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The check-out process is pretty simple at Sky Top. Get however many plastic bags you need…

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…fill em up. Get in line to check out. Pay by the weight. Can you believe hubby and I picked 10 1/2 pounds of apples! It totally didn’t look like that many to us, but we didn’t care because we still had enough money to buy apple cider doughnuts!

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We’d heard the wait for the doughnuts would be long and it was.

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But, when in Rome…

We had driven all the way out to the orchard, so we figured we may as well wait for the doughnuts, regardless of how long we had to wait.

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After 40 minutes in line, we had doughnuts!

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They were piping hot and rolled in cinnamon sugar.

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They were tender, cake-like doughnuts scented with apples. Just one wouldn’t do, so I had a second.

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And one last Bailey photo where normal most people would have taken photos of their kids. :lol:

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Soon enough it was time to hit the road and head home. Farewell mountains! Till we meet again!

Reader question #1: Have you been apple picking before? Which orchard is your favorite and where is it?

Reader question #2: What’s your favorite apple recipe (links welcome)?

{ 24 comments }

Lunch in Flat Rock {Artisan-Style}

October 10, 2011

I’ve wanted to go apple picking for the last couple years, but for one reason or another, the trip has eluded us. 2011 did not disappoint… We hit the road for a day trip to a nearby apple orchard just over two hours away. We were originally going to make a long weekend of it [...]

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Whole Health Noodle Soup {Recipe}

October 5, 2011

I know you guys know I like my noodle bowls, but this week, I’ve been feeling something else – noodle soup! And by the way, is it just me, or do the words “noodle soup” conjure up memories of Joey on Friends? “Mmm…soup…I mean noodle soup! I mean soup!” Oh Joey… I’ve been a bit [...]

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Parmesan Parsley Mini Frittatas Recipe + More Casual Eats

October 4, 2011

One of my favorite things to do when I have guests over is make them TCL-style eats. My sister is the easiest to please because she always comes prepared with a list of things she wants to try. I decided to make a few of my most popular recipes for my friends Beth and Bri. [...]

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Outfit: Simply Working It

September 6, 2011

Hi, my name is Diana, and I work in corporate America. We like to stick to mostly neutrals, though I do like to add color now and again. For this particular outfit, I went neutral. For this outfit, I knew I wanted to wear one of my favorite skirts – a tie-front Elie Tahari skirt [...]

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