Veggie Feast

I just made a salad and and a pan of roasted brussel sprouts, peppers and radishes. The salad greens were from the garden and so were the radishes. Brussels and peppers were store bought, but I am anxious for the day when we will have those too--it won't be long. The garden is doing well, I am really enjoying watching it grow, taking morning and evening walks out there to check the progress and pull some weeds. I have discovered that the trick to enjoying almost any vegetable is to roast them in a bit of Mojo de Ajo and sprinkle sea salt on top. We stumbled upon this recipe over the winter on Rick Bayless's cooking show. Ever since we have kept a large jar in the fridge and use it constantly. We usually make a double batch and I have been buying the peeled cloves from Costco for convenience, but we have our own garlic growing so eventually we will use that.

Garlic Mojo
Mojo de Ajo
From Rick Bayless
Makes about 3 cups mojo de ajo 


INGREDIENTS 
4 large heads garlic OR 10 ounces (about 1 3/4 cups) peeled garlic cloves 
2 cups fruity olive oil 
1 teaspoon salt 
1/2 cup fresh lime juice 


DIRECTIONS 
Heat the oven to 325˚.   
Break the heads of garlic apart, then mash each clove (a fist against the side of a knife is what I do) to release the clove from its papery skin; if using already-peeled garlic, scoop the cloves into a heavy recloseable plastic bag and use a rolling pin to mash them slightly.  
Stir together the garlic, oil and salt in an 8x8-inch pan (make sure all the garlic is submerged), slide it into the oven and bake until the garlic is soft and lightly brown, about 45 to 55 minutes. Add the lime juice and return to the oven for 20 minutes for the garlic to absorb the lime and turn golden brown. Using an old-fashioned potato masher or large fork, mash the garlic into a coarse puree.  
Pour the mixture into a wide-mouth storage container and refrigerate it until you’re ready to enjoy some deliciousness. This mojo will keep for up to three months in the refrigerator as long as there's enough oil to keep the garlic covered. 


The kids have their second swim meet tonight. Our first one was a great success. All the kids worked hard. Johnny surprised all of us with his gorgeous stroke, Anna took 2nd in the 50 fly and David pushed through some difficult races (50 fly, 100 free). I was super proud and am very much looking forward to tonight. Boys leave tomorrow for their fishing trip. I know they are so excited and I hope that it is a SAFE and fun time for all of them.