Early Retirement

You may have noticed the absence of new content here lately.  It appears the Eater has been on a bit of a hiatus.  I've been eating all right, just not blogging about it.

First there was Ribfest where Roy and I sampled some of Chicago's finest ribs and maybe a maple bacon doughnut or two.  We kept it classy by sharing our dinner on a parking curb outside CVS.  Ribs are one of those things you just cannot eat standing up.

Then there was the Brad Paisley concert at Wrigley Field which was one of the coolest experiences of my life.  We had field seats so not only were we (kind of) up close and personal with Mr. Paisley and Miranda Lambert, we got to make Wrigley our playground for a night.

And just when I thought life couldn't get any better, Lululemon opened a new store in Wrigleyville and threw a housewarming yoga party on Wrigley Field. If God is trying to make up for the Cubs dismal 2012 season, it's working!

Long story even longer, life has been busy with work and personal obligations.  So I decided to give early retirement from my "career" as a food blogger a try.  The first time I made dinner and didn't photograph or blog about it was hard.  But like most people who retire from one thing or another, I quickly assimilated to the new relaxed pace in my kitchen.

This has been a wonderful experience - I learned more about marketing and social media, grew new skills when it came to writing, reconnected with old friends, found shared hobbies with new friends, and I learned a few things about cooking too!

But I'm ready to return to that more relaxed style of cooking and eating.  One where I'm not focused on snapping photos and feeling guilty because I want to do anything but sit at my computer and work on posts.

I started this as a way to share recipes and connect with my friends who live a few states and a couple of countries away.   That has been one of the most rewarding parts of this experience.  And I'm not ready to give THAT up just yet.

So here's the deal, while I'm officially "retiring" from food blogging, I'll still be cooking up a storm and sharing the highlights of what I'm cooking via a monthly email.  Just a simple note once a month from me to you with what's been happening in my kitchen lately.  Links to recipes I've made, tips I've learned, recipes or entertaining ideas from Pintrest.  You get the idea.

I'm getting ready to write my first email which will include the 8th secret ingredient you didn't know about in 7 layer Mexican dip, some of the things I'm saving to make for my next Girls Night Out (or In) like baked brie puffs, and some of my favorite farmers market recipes. 

If you want in on the monthly emails, email me at justaneater@hotmail.com and I'll add you to the list.  Doesn't matter if we met as kids, in college, or on Pintrest.  No advertisements, no selling your email address, no third party anything and you can be removed at anytime.  The first one will be in your inbox by the 4th of July.

THANK YOU for reading for the past 16ish months.  This wouldn't be a blog without people like you reading, commenting and sharing your own food experiences.  This adventure will go down as a highlight for me.  I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have!

Until the next time...

xoxo,
The Eater

Herbed Garlic Bread

I write a lot about my weaknesses for chocolate and baked goods (if you were here right now, you'd smell a pan of brownies baking in the oven in fact).  But I don't put a lot of words towards one of my other weaknesses.

Bread. 

Specifically... warm, crusty, fresh baked bread.  Served in a basket with a linen napkin and a little bit of melty butter or EVOO and fresh grated Parmesan at a restaurant.  I could eat complete meals of nothing but bread.

I eat it in moderation at home, but all bets are off when I'm at a restaurant.  I will absolutely take that bread basket, thankyouverymuch.

A few weeks ago I made some veggie laden "secret" spaghetti so I thought I'd indulge and make this new herbed garlic bread to go with it. 

It was a few more steps than normal garlic bread but I really liked the inclusion of the minced garlic and the fresh parsley.  It added some really nice fresh flavors and the crust got good and crispy while the middle stayed soft.  The bite from the itty bitty garlic pieces was really nice, and something you don't get when you use a traditional garlic bread spread or sprinkle.

Spreading the mixture between the slices was challenging, and unfortunately I wasn't able to cover enough surface area on a few pieces.  It was nothing that a little bit of "after the fact" butter couldn't fix though, and the mixture is so flavorful it doesn't need to cover every square inch.  For the most part, it seeped all the way through.  And on those pieces it was divine!  Both the night of and surprisingly, as leftovers.

Next time I'm going to try slicing all the way through the loaf, laying the slices on a baking sheet, drizzling with the mixture and baking uncovered.  I may also add a sprinkle of cheese because cheese makes everything better.  This was a fun variation on an old standard and it can definitely feed a crowd!

*****

Herbed Garlic Bread
5 mins active, 25 mins total

1 loaf Italian Bread
4 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp EVOO
2-3 minced garlic cloves
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp chopped parsley

Slice a loaf of Italian bread, stopping short of the bottom so the loaf stays intact.

Melt 4 tablespoons butter with 1 tablespoon olive oil; add 2 to 3 minced garlic cloves and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons chopped parsley.

Spread the garlic mixture between the bread slices; wrap in foil and bake at 375 degrees F, 15 minutes. Unwrap and bake until crisp, 5 more minutes.