One of the things I always have in my fridge is a batch of homemade garlic butter. My husband asked me to make a batch while we were cooking at his parents, and his mother asked “what would you even put it on?” I answered “we put it on everything!” Responses like this are why I tend to get “looks” from my mother-in-law sometimes. I know I am a little crazy/weird, but my husband assures me repeatedly he does not mind.
I have a confession to make…
WE ARE A GARLIC HOUSEHOLD!
There I said it. We don’t shy from garlic. We embrace it (figuratively, or I would need stronger deodorant) and lavish it upon our food with great enthusiasm.
The possibilities are only what you can imagine. My mother would put it on her bake potatoes, rolls, rice, mashed potatoes, throw a dollop in with cooking veggies or in soup. I once encountered a packet of Ramen Noodles sold in New Zealand where a packet of garlic butter was included with the noodles and seasoning. So now, I throw in a dollop if I am making Ramen.
The biggest use for garlic butter is garlic bread!
We have a pizzeria nearby with great bread, and you can by the big loaves for a dollar. My dad will get me 4 or 5 and I do one of three things.
1) Freeze them. I love having bread I can defrost in the microwave for 30 seconds. It does get soggy, but this is not a problem as I bake the bread.
2) Dry the bread for making homemade seasoned bread crumbs
3) Make garlic croutons. I cube the bread, toss it with some melted garlic butter and bake it. Amusingly enough, the croutons never make it onto salads, because my family will eat them out of the container like chex mix.
Garlic butter is entirely customizable. About the only thing that is a requirement is butter, and of course, garlic, but then again, maybe not!
I adapted this from a few recipes I saw once into the following:
1 cup of soft spread butter or margarine
1/4 cup shredded cheese (Parmesan works)
3 Tablespoons minced garlic
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/2 Teaspoon Oregano
Now, I don’t always have shaker cheese around, so I use what I have on hand. Sometimes I have added parsley, rosemary, asiago cheese, and anything I feel like adding at the time. Paprika is also a good choice or if you want your butter a little spicier, cayenne pepper works too.
I can’t post a picture because my husband just used the last of the garlic butter on some homemade dough for garlic bread to go with our pizza. I will post a picture of the garlic bread though here shortly!
My Cooking Exploitz 