Garlic May Lower Chances Of Hip Arthritis

Interesting on Garlic from BetterHealthResearch.com

Happy Fat Tuesday

Happy Fat Tuesday ya'll
now we aren't down in N'Awlins but we're gonna try n hep ya'll to cook a little Cajun today wit dissin here Garlic Jambalaya..

• 1 lb Andouille sausage  (or italian sausage)
• 1 1/2 cups diced smoked ham
• 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
• 1 tbsp CA Cajun Seasoning
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped garlic
• 2 chopped celery
• 2 cups long grain rice
• 3 cups chicken broth or 3 cups stock
• 2 jars Spicy Garlic Festival Salsa ( or mild if you prefer less heat, or one each!)
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions with top
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

1. 1 Brown sausage in heavy 4-6 quart pan or skillet, drain fat.
2. 2 Add peppers, onions, celery and Cajun seasoning. Simmer until just about tender, then add garlic and cook until tender.
3. 3 Add rice and stir until rice is mixed in and coated with sausage and vegetables.
4. 4 Add broth and salsa, bring to boil. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until rice is tender. Let stand five minutes covered.
5. 5 Add fresh chopped onions and parsley and fluff with a fork just before serving.

Tasty for St. Patrick's Day

Pour the green beer and a put on a pot of corned beef, St Patrick's Day is just a few days away. We'll be celebrating and hoping for a little luck o' the Irish here in California and we never miss a chance to cook up a pot of corned beef and cabbage.

Garlic Festival Foods is a great way to add a bit of extra flavor to your St. Patrick's Day meal..

Start by liberally adding Garli Garni to your pot when you cook up your corned beef brisket. We also like to add fresh, whole peeled garlic cloves which will not only add flavor but mellow and soften during cooking so they can be easily mashed into your tater! Yum!

When serving, accompany your brisket with a dollop of Garlic Festival mustard in your favorite flavor. Or for a quick twist to your old favorite TRY THIS:

After removing your brisket from the cooking broth, place in a roasting pan and slather with Garlic Festival Mustard and broil until lightly golden (about 5 min). Serve with all the traditional accompaniments and of course that glass of green beer! Erin go Bragh!

but we already knew that...

From today's New York Times:

"According to a Provençal saying, “Garlic soup is a life saver.” This simple broth, made by simmering crushed garlic cloves in water with sage or other herbs, is recommended as a cure for ailments as varied as hangovers, stomach ailments and colds.

Garlic has been known for its therapeutic benefits since ancient times. Studies have linked it to lower cholesterol, serum triglyceride levels and blood pressure. Sulfur-containing compounds including allicin, which give garlic its pungency, along with high levels of vitamin C, vitamin B6, manganese and selenium seem to be responsible for garlic’s beneficial cardiovascular effects. Allicin helps to prevent platelets in the blood from sticking together and is also a powerful antibacterial and antiviral agent that may be useful in weight control. - Martha Rose Shulman"

Of course we already knew that. Visit the source for some yummy sounding soup recipes or try one of ours.

Creamy Garlic Soup
• 1 bulb fresh garlic, separated and peeled
• 1 qt. chicken stock
• 1 tbsp Garli Garni
• 1/2 tsp ea. fresh sage and oregano, chopped
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 4 slices sourdough or country bread, toasted
• butter or margarine

Combine garlic, broth, Garli Garni and herbs in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered until garlic is tender. About 45 minutes. Whisk eggs and cheese together. Whisk mixture into soup until smooth. Butter bread and toast, removing crust if desired. Ladle soup into bowls and top each with toast slice.

Got Salsa??

Got a jar of half eaten Garlic Festival Salsa in the the fridge? Me too... well don't let it go to waste, TRY THIS!

Mix salsa with baby salad shrimp or crab meat and serve with chips OR with a quesadilla filled with melted cheese and chopped pickled garlic.

OR

pour it in a hollowed out cabbage on a platter arranged with pickled garlic (or baked garlic heads) and Garlic Festival Stuffed Olives. Instant hors d'ouevre platter..

OR

dump a jar of GF salsa over hot cooked pasta and toss, sprinkle on a bit of grated parmesan and voila!! instant meal!

spring tease

When you visit our home page, you may have noticed that our banners change with the seasons. Its something we planned our new site around and its fun and challenging to keep the content fresh and changing.

Usually, most of the images you see in these banners are from our immediate area. Snapshots of our surroundings at any given time. We find our area so very beautiful, bountiful and inspiring and we try to draw from those things every day.

Our current banner is a little teaser of spring. I think we're a little closer to it than many of our fans in other states, however just when we start feeling a little cocky we DO get some crazy weather. Just this past weekend it SNOWED in our area! This is extremely rare, only occurring every 10 years or so. So we got put in our place a little bit but we can still drive or walk around and see little clues that spring is near.

*Blossom photo by my gifted photographer friend Joleen.

itsy "Bitsy" bulb

There is a new little "bulb" in da house. Bitsy Alli joined the family a couple of weeks ago after being rescued from an alley over in the valley. She was a tattered little thing who was scrounging in trash cans where our head honchette Caryl, found her and decided she needed to come home.

A few bowls of kibble and a much needed bath later we had ourselves a new mascot.. watch out Lorenzo!

Bitsy Alli likes to come to work and play with garlic bulbs (yes, really), "help" answer emails and take naps in her basket. She is so good and a lot of fun to have around the office. If only she caught mice!

Sometimes she gets to go home with me and play with her best friend, Sophie, my daughters kitten (rescued from a busy rural road on the way to school) who is the same age and size as Bitsy Alli. We're trying in vain to get some video of their antics because it is just downright funny. Not much success yet, but we hope soon.

In other Garlic news.. its March tomorrow and with that comes one of my favorite holidays.. St. Patrick's Day!! Did you take advantage of our promotion and stock up on Garli Garni? Its GREAT in the pot when cooking your corned beef and the perfect accompaniment is one of our delicious garlic laden mustards.. there is still time to save!
So hop on over to our website and be sure to enter the promo cide to get your freebies!