As of recent, I’ve begun working with Laszlo Marton of the Galena Garlic Company. One little trip to Galena, IL has opened up an opportunity to exercise my creativity in the kitchen. The best part of it all is that the primary ingredient is GARLIC! Garlic has many health benefits, but its one stigma is the odor. Once you get past the odor, you will come to realize its heavenly taste and health benefits. Garlic is said to lower your cholesterol and to prevent heart disease and cancer. I’ve also heard that is wards off Vampire too!

Stay tuned over the next few months. I’ll be posting some delightful recipes for the products that Laszlo has at the Galena Garlic Company. Anyone can become and instant chef with these affordable, easy-to-use, garlic products!

Greek Chicken

(video)

So above is a You Tube video with instructions on how to cook a chicken in the oven.  It is a very short, easy to follow video.  But I want you to scratch the Lawrey’s seasoning and try rubbing it with Greek Garlic blend from the Galena Garlic Company.  Rub about a tablespoon on the outside and additional teaspoon on the inside.  When rubbing the bird on the outside, lift up the skin (without tearing it) and rub under the skin too.   On the inside of the bird, cut a lemon in half and place it on the inside along with a half of and onion and about 3 large garlic cloves.   Place the bird on the cooking rack with about a cup of chicken stock on the bottom.  Cover with foil and cook as instructed in the video.   For the last 25 minutes of cooking, drizzle a little butter over the top of the chicken and keep the foil off.  This will make your chicken delicious and crispy.  Be sure to let your chicken rest for about 20- 30 minutes before cutting into it.  This will prevent it from drying out.

With the dripping that are left over, skim as much of the fat off as possible and serve on the side.  You may need to add a little more chicken stock if it is too salty.

So Ryan and I made a trip to Galena, IL a few months ago. It was our first time there, so we didn’t know what to expect. First and foremost, it was COLD! Secondly, we found the coziest inn called Le Fevre Inn to help keep us warm. It was warm and our room had a large whirlpool tub big enough for two. The fireplace in our room gave the entire vacation a romantic ambience. Le Fevre Inn is about a 5-minute drive from the downtown area, which is sprawling with little artsy shops, boutiques, inns, novelty shops, tasting rooms and restaurants. Amongst the shops, we stumbled across the Galena Garlic Company. We were just going to keep going past the shop, but it was so cold (and it smelled so good), we couldn’t resist going it. There was so much to choose from, it was almost overwhelming (in a good way). I narrowed it down to the Greek Garlic blend and the Galena Garlic blend. They are nothing short of amazing. The Greek Blend is amazing to rub on chicken and bake until crispy. All you have to do is add a little chicken stock and a dash of white wine and viola! Perfection! If you are going to make a trek to Galena, definitely check out Le Fevre Inn as well as the Galena Garlic Company. You won’t be disappointed.