I {heart} Garlic.

So, you should probably already know this from the recipes that I've shared with you, but I love garlic.  

Pretty much every meal I make starts with sautéing garlic.

I think Brian particularly loves this about me.

But, anyway, I buy a lot of fresh garlic.  And I've found that, while I do use it pretty much every day, I still lose a few cloves because they sprout or go bad pretty quickly.

So, I did a little research and found a few different ways to keep garlic fresh.  

You want to keep the garlic in a cool, dry place...but the key is to also make sure that fresh air can get to it.

An overturned flower pot is ideal because of the hole in the bottom.

You could also use a mesh bag, a wire basket inside of your cabinet, an egg carton or a paper bag...

I chose this method because it provided the opportunity to combine two of my favorite things...

garlic & chalkboard paint.

I found everything that I needed at my local crafts store.
I already had the flower pot, but you could find one at a
crafts store,  hardware store or garden center.

What else I can I paint with this...
taking suggestions.

The directions on the paint said to do 2 coats,
but I ended up having to do 4 to get the coverage I wanted.
I waited an hour in between coats.

Then let the paint cure for 24 hours.

And then "condition" the paint by lightly rubbing chalk
over it & then rubbing it in, {I just used my hands.}

ta-da

So, I love this.  It was a really fun project, too.  

Seriously trying to figure out what else I can use this chalkboard paint for.

Those salt & pepper shakers look mighty plain...

I used some of that garlic the other night in some seriously delicious Quinoa Burrito Bowls.

More on that later, though.

Until then.