The ups and downs of roasted garlic.

Call it destiny speaking to me subconsciously, or call it lingering garlic mouth influencing my cerebral cortex as I slept, but something special happened in my dreams on Friday night... I actually DREAMED the dish I was supposed to bring to the potluck Superbowl party!!! I know it sounds crazy, but it is true. In my dreams, I saw before me a vision of roasted garlic spread in a golden glory across crusty French bread, and when I awoke, I knew beyond a doubt what I was to cook the next day.

As you may know, one cannot deny visions that come in dreams. They are usually pretty important, almost as important as the kinds of visions that show up in tortillas in Mexico. Just think about it, if she had not given heed to her dreams, the virgin Mary would never have known she was with child. She would just think she was getting fat. If he had not listened to the voice and visions in his dream saying, "If you build it, he will come" Kevin Costner's character in Field of Dreams would never have reunited with his dead father. And if Scrooge had not listen to the vision of the Ghost of Christmas Past in his dreams, Tiny Tim might have starved on Christmas day. Dream visions are important.

That is why I whipped up by far the most gourmet potluck dish to be served at yesterday's Superbowl party. It was delicious. I dreamed the garlic, Sam enhanced my vision with the addition of brie, and together we made a reality out of what started as a nocturnal inkling. Of course, in doing so I did end up with the loitering scent of garlic in my oven, in my car, and let's not even talk about the scent on my breath...

I would like to hope that someday the visions from my dreams will lead me to greatness, perhaps by guiding me to negotiate world conflict or enlightening me to scientific discoveries that will better mankind's ability to treat disease. But for now they led me to this, and this is good enough:

Roasted Garlic and Brie on Bread

Many cloves of garlic
Olive oil
Fresh Thyme
Brie cheese
Baguette

Rub the garlic cloves in your hands to remove as much of the papery skin as possible and discard. Chop the top 1/4 of each clove off to expose the layers of cloves within. Place in Pyrex dish with sprigs of fresh thyme. Drizzle with olive oil and allow to soak in for a few minutes. Turn cloves over so garlic rests on flat, exposed end. Roast in 400 degree oven for 45 minutes or until garlic is very soft. Cool slightly before serving. Encourage guests to remove cloves with a knife, spread on bread, top with brie, and enjoy. Refrain from kissing for at least 48 hours.