Best of the Month September 2015

A recap of my most popular posts from last month (September 2015).

Last month's #bestrecipes #BestoftheMonth Sept2015  [Tweet this]

First let's look back at September's best from previous years.

Best of September 2013:

Bacon Wrapped French Toast

Sweet french toast sticks wrapped in crunchy, salty bacon.  A great handheld breakfast.  Now has 1925 views. 35 +1s, and 8 'yum's.  This is one of my most popular posts and I use it in many round-ups (like 8 Game Day Recipes, Bacon Day Round Up, and 30 Recipes for Super Bowl).

#BaconWrapped FrenchToast: #BestoftheMonth Sept2013  [Tweet this]

Best of September 2014:

Cucumber Bites

Crisp, fresh, cucumber slices on baguette spread with cheese.  Now has 586 views, 34 +1, and 46 'yum's.

#Cucumber Bites:  #BestoftheMonth Sept2014  [Tweet this]

Now back to this year's best of September:

Spicy 3 Beans and Rice

A spicy, one-pot, one-dish, vegetarian meal of beans and rice made with 3 different types of beans.  565 views and 86 +1s.  This recipe was popular on Tumblr and re-blogged about 7 times with many likes.  It was also 'Yum'ed 19 times.

#BestoftheMonth Sept2015: Spicy 3 #BeansandRice  [Tweet this]

8 Game Day Recipes

A round-up of my favorite gameday recipes.  From drinks to breakfasts snacks and meals there is something for everyone.  505 views and 62 +1s.

#BestoftheMonth Sept2015: 8 #GameDayRecipes  [Tweet this]

Beer Cheese Nacho Sauce

A spicy cheese sauce made with beer.  Great as a dip, on nachos, tacos, or veggies.  485 views, 38 +1s, and 9 'yum's.

#BestoftheMonth Sept2015: #BeerCheese NachoSauce  [Tweet this]

How to Roast Garlic

A simple tutorial on how to roast garlic.  A repost of my original from February of 2013.  416 views, 83 +1s, and 1 'yum'.

#BestoftheMonth Sept2015: #Howto RoastGarlic  [Tweet this]

Cucumber and Tomato Dill Salad with Smoked Salmon & Feta

A light and fresh salad with cucumbers and tomatoes tossed in a lemon-dill vinaigrette then topped with smoked salmon and feta.  341 views, 51 +1s, and 4 'yum's.

#BestoftheMonth Sept2015: CucumberandTomatoDill #Salad  [Tweet this]

My best of the month September from previous years:

Best of the Month September 2014

Best of the Month September 2013

Linked to:  2 Cup, LouLou Girls, Tickle my Tastebuds, Wake up, Wonderful, Full Plate, Freedom, Foodie Friends, Pretty Pintastic, Show off, Best of the Weekend

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Best of the Month August 2015

A recap of my most popular blog posts from last month (August 2015)

Best of August 2013:

Special Dark Mocha Chip Cake

A moist dark chocolate cake with a creamy mocha frosting topped with chopped chocolate chips.  Now has 477 views and 22 +1s.

BoMAugust2015 | Special Dark Mocha Chip Cake: 2013 #bestofAugust via @joybeewhatsfor  [Tweet this]

Best of August 2014:

Loaded Baked Potato Dip

A dip made with sour cream, green onions, cheese, and bacon bits.  It's like a loaded baked potato on a chip.  This dip has been very popular and I made some just last week for gameday.  It now has 1997 views and 121 +1s.

BoMAugust2015 | Loaded Baked Potato Dip: 2014 #BestofAugust via @joybeewhatsfor  [Tweet this]

Now for this years best of August:

Fish Sticks Tacos

A quick dinner fix of fish tacos made with fish sticks and slaw on corn tortillas.  508 views and 36 +1s.

Fish Sticks Tacos | #BestoftheMonth August 2015 via @joybeewhatsfor  [Tweet this]

Ginger Lime Chia Water

Water sweetened with ginger simple syrup, brightened with a touch of lime juice, and extra nutrition added with chia seeds.  490 views and 30 +1s.

Ginger Lime Chia Water | #BestoftheMonth August 2015 via @joybeewhatsfor  [Tweet this]

Smoked Salmon Mini Flatbread Sandwiches

Smoked salmon atop a warm feta spread with lettuce and red onions on miniature naan bread.  448 views and 37 +1s.

Smoked Salmon Mini Flatbread Sandwiches | #BestoftheMonth August 2015 via @joybeewhatsfor  [Tweet this]

Healthier Garlic Aioli

A creamy dipping sauce with plenty of garlic flavor and a little spice made with high protein, plain, non-fat Chobani Greek yogurt instead of oil or mayonnaise.  444 views and 37 +1s.

Healthier Garlic Aioli | #BestoftheMonth August 2015 via @joybeewhatsfor  [Tweet this]

Great Ideas for My Birthday Cake

A round-up of 10 of my favorite cakes, shared on Great Idea Thursdays link party, that I would love to have as my birthday cake. 350 views and 19 +1s.

Great Ideas for Birthday Cake | #BestoftheMonth August 2015 via @joybeewhatsfor  [Tweet this]

Check out the bests of August from previous years:

Best of the Month August 2013

Best of the Month August 2015

Linked to:  Showoff, Pretty Pintastic, 2 Cup, J&J, Lou Lou Girls, Wonderful, Whimsy, Tickle my Tastebuds

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How to Roast Garlic

A simple tutorial on how to roast garlic.

Re-post of original from 2/27/13 121 views updated:  pics, minor editing, tweetables, and similar posts. 

Roasted garlic is a must have for certain dishes.  It smells and tastes fantastic.  I love the smell so much I tell my husband (jokingly...mostly) I want to use it as perfume (he's all on board for that he loves the stuff too).  Roasting softens the garlic, adds a sweetness, and enhances the flavor.  It's a great addition to bread (such as Potato Garlic Bread), sauces, hummus, and, of course, makes the best garlic bread (I will post about garlic bread soon--I did, but now that post needs updating too).  Here is my way to make roasted garlic.

Let's bottle Roasted Garlic smell as perfume  [Tweet this]

Start with a whole head of garlic, or just a few cloves (my opinion is more is better, I love roasted garlic).  Using a serrated knife or kitchen shears, cut off the bottoms of each clove.  Some people keep the whole head of garlic intact and cut off the hard bottom piece, but I find that I end up wasting too much garlic that way.

More is better with Roasted Garlic  [Tweet this]

Place the cloves of garlic on a sheet of aluminum foil (no need to peel the cloves) and drizzle or spray on some olive oil (you don't need much, about a teaspoon or less).  Fold the foil around the garlic and bake at 350F for 30-45 minutes (I use a toaster oven for this, no need to heat up the big oven for a small packet of garlic).

After about 15 minutes, you will start to smell roasted garlic but keep it in the oven the whole time until it softens.  (This is my favorite house freshener.  I just have a small apartment and it makes the whole place smell great.  I joke with my husband that I'm going to rub some roasted garlic behind my ears like perfume...I love this stuff and my husband does too.)  Remove from oven, or turn the heat off, and let cool until it is able to be handled.  Then open the foil packet.

Roasting garlic makes the whole house smell great.  [Tweet this]

The garlic should be soft and slip out of the papery peel with just a squeeze on the top of the clove.  The soft garlic can be easily mashed once it is out of the peel and is ready to be added to any recipe.

Enjoy.

For recipes using roasted garlic check out:

Simple Pasta Sauce

Healthier Garlic Aioli

Potato Garlic Bread

Linked to:  J&J, 2 Cup, Lou Lou, Tickle my Tastebuds, Wake Up, Wonderful, Whimsy, Freedom, Foodie Friends, Showoff, Pretty Pintastic

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Healthier Garlic Aioli

A creamy dipping sauce with plenty of garlic flavor and a little spice made with high protein, plain, non-fat Chobani Greek yogurt instead of oil or mayonnaise.

Technically, I don't think this can be called an aioli because aioli is supposed to be made with garlic (check) and oil and egg yolk (which I usually just substitute with mayonnaise).  I love garlic aioli and could eat the stuff by the cup full.  I love having it with my fries and fish sticks but tend to eat more aioli than fish sticks (or fries)...basically I like a few fish sticks (or fries) with my garlic aioli.

I like a few fries with my garlic aioli.  [Tweet this]

I decided to make an aioli, or an aioli-like dipping sauce, that I could happily dip as much as I liked and feel healthy while doing it.  I think we have all heard about the many health benefits of garlic so I used as much as I liked (and that's a LOT).  Then, I replaced the mayo/oil with plain non-fat Chobani Greek yogurt.  First of all it's made from non-fat milk so there's no fat...good.  Second, Greek yogurt has a ton of protein in it (22grams/1 cup)...really good.  Lastly, 1 cup of Greek yogurt has about 25% of your daily calcium (women especially need more calcium)...great.  So by replacing the mayonnaise with Greek yogurt I made an aioli I can eat/overeat and still feel healthy.

Replace mayonnaise w/ Greek Yogurt for healthier garlic aioli.  [Tweet this]

The results were, and are (I make this every time I have fish sticks which is often), fantastic.  I'm not usually one to like "diet food" or foods that sacrifice flavor to cut fat and/or calories, but there is no sacrifice here.  Greek yogurt is smooth and creamy and a great backdrop for pungent garlic.  There is nothing like dipping crispy finger foods in smooth, creamy, garlicky goodness.

Dipping crispy finger foods in garlicky goodness.  [Tweet this]

Healthier Garlic Aioli

Prep time:  under 15 minutes
Servings:  1

Ingredients:

3-5 cloves of garlic, minced  (roasted garlic would be great too)
1/2 cup Chobani plain, non-fat Greek yogurt
1-2 tsp sriracha (optional)

Mince 3-5 garlic cloves (I usually go with 5 because I love garlic flavor) then press and mash them, with a sprinkle of salt, until they release their oil, are very fragrant, and somewhat paste-like.  (I sometimes use a garlic press but usually mash the minced garlic in one of my smaller mortar and pestles.  If you don't have either you can use your knife.)

Stir the mashed garlic into the yogurt until well blended then add sriracha if using.  I like a little bit of spiciness and sriracha is a garlic and pepper sauce so it goes very well with the garlic in this recipe.

Taste and add more salt if needed. Serve with fries, fish, tater tots, just about anything and dip away with no guilt.  It's great on Fish Sticks Tacos too.

Makes 1 serving.

Enjoy.

For more recipes that are/can be #madewithchobani check out:

Tzatziki            -

Mayonnaisse-less Egg Salad Sandwich

Great Guacamole     -

Check out Chobani's recipe page for even more recipes.

Linked to:  Pretty Pintastic, Best of the Weekend, 2 Cup, Lou Lou Girls, Tickle my Tastebuds, Wake Up, Full Plate

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