If you're the type that enjoys a good garlic appetizer, garlicky salad, garlic entree, garlic beverage, and maybe even a garlic dessert, you'll want to find time to visit the world's best garlic restaurants.

Garlic & Shots (several locations in Europe)

Garlic Jo's (Corona Del Mar, CA)

Garlic Rose Bistro (two locations in New Jersey)

Garlic's Restaurant (London, Ontario)

Gorikee Garlic Fusion (Woodland Hills, CA)

Honey Garlic (Ajax, Ontario)

Ninniku-Ya, The Garlic Restaurant (Honolulu)

The Stinking Rose (San Fransisco, Los Angeles)

The Garlic (New Smyrna Beach, FL)

If you know of even  more garlic-themed restaurants, please tell us about them by using the comments section below. We just can't get enough!

This classic Italian starter (which is actually pronounced 'broo-sket-ta' and not 'broo-shet-ta'), almost always has a generous dose of raw garlic. If you absolutely must, you can tame the garlic bite a bit by adding the topping to the bread before popping it into the oven.

1 head raw garlic

5 tbsp cold-pressed, extra-virgin olive oil (You can really taste the olive oil in this recipe, so use a good one!)

4 fresh tomatoes

3/4 cup basil, chopped

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 freshly baked baguette

1/2 cup pine nuts

Peel garlic and dice into tiny pieces. Toss with olive oil in a bowl. Slice the tomatoes, discarding juice and seeds, then dice. Add to the bowl along with a half cup of the basil and stir to coat with oil. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and set aside to marinate for at least an hour.

Toast pine nuts in a dry skillet on medium-high heat, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes. Slice the baguette in half lengthwise, then cut into 3/4-inch wide pieces. Arrange on an oven-safe pan. Warm the bread in a 300-degree (Fahrenheit) oven for about 5 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer to a serving platter, if desired.

Scoop garlic-tomato mixture over each piece, then sprinkle with pine nuts and chopped basil. Serve immediately.

This recipe is loved even by those who claim to hate garlic, onions and avocados. It's sweet, spicy, salty and creamy, and brings out the best of the avocado flavor. It's important to prepare this dish while people are waiting for it, and here's why: Even though they may not like the smell of onions and garlic on your breath, they'll be salivating at the smells wafting from your kitchen as you roast garlic and caramelize onions at the same time!

1 head garlic, roasted (see How to Roast Garlic)
1 small sweet onion (such as ‘Vidalia'), diced into small pieces
1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp mayonnaise (vegan mayo works just fine)
2 tbsp cilantro, coarsely chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Spicy stuff, to taste (optional)
2 lime wedges

While your garlic is roasting, sauté the onion in oil over medium-high heat until well caramelized (brown, sticky and sweet), about 7 to 10 minutes. Mash the garlic cloves and onions into the mayonnaise with a fork. Then mash the mixture into the avocados.

Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in cilantro. If you want spicy guac, mix in your favorite spicy stuff (Tabasco sauce, cayenne pepper, red chile hot sauce, diced jalapenos, etc.), to taste.

Squeeze one lime wedge into the guacamole, and stir in the juice. Use the other one to squeeze a bit of lime juice over the top. (This will prevent the guacamole from browning.) Serve immediately.

Roasting garlic is incredibly easy. And you can use the soft, mild and nutty cloves in so many different ways. Stir it into soft cheeses and soups, or mash it into soft butter to up the garlic ante. Or simply spread a whole roasted clove over a piece of toasted bread. If you really love garlic, just pop a freshly roasted clove into your mouth all by itself — you won't be disappointed! Here's how to do it right:

1. Take an entire head of garlic and peel away the outer layers of paper. You don't need to remove the skin that clings to each clove; just peel off the paper that falls away easily.

2. Lay the head of garlic on its side, and chop off about a quarter inch from the top. You want to see at least a sliver of the naked skin of each clove.

3. Set the head of garlic on a piece of aluminum foil (about 4-by-4 inches); or place on the tray of your fancy-schmancy terra cotta garlic baker. Drizzle something yummy over the top. Yummy things might include olive oil, hazelnut oil, sesame oil, veggie stock or free-range chicken broth (2 tablespoons should be plenty).

4. Pinch the foil around the top to cinch the garlic-shaped package, or put the lid on your supersnazzy garlic baker.

5. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 minutes, or until your garlic is sooooooooo delicious. You will know it is sooooooooo delicious when your home smells absolutely incredible and the cloves are soft, squishy and golden brown.

6. To release the cloves, simply squeeze each one and watch the perfectly roasted clove slip right out of its paper. Warning: Your hands will get a little greasy.

Making pickles can be time-consuming, but this method for easy garlic pickles couldn't possibly be any easier. Or tastier!

1. Slice peeled garlic cloves in half. Drop in a canning jar.
2. Pour your favorite kind of vinegar over the garlic cloves.
3. Add a tablespoon of coarse sea salt.
4. Screw lid on, shake jar, and store in the refrigerator for up to a couple months.

Feel free to add other veggies, such as hot and sweet peppers or cucumbers, to the mix. You can also add herbs, such as dill, thyme and rosemary. For sweeter pickles, add a tablespoon of sugar along with the salt.

Tune in to this free podcast of National Public Radio's Day to Day program to hear grass-fed livestock expert Jo Robinson discuss the health and environmental benefits of chowing down on pastured turkey for Thanksgiving.

Robinson is a Mother Earth News contributing editor, and we just adore her Web site, www.eatwild.com. Check it out to locate pastured producers near you and learn more than you ever imagined you wanted to know about grass-fed meat and dairy. And be sure to pick up a copy of the February/March issue of Mother Earth News, to catch her latest article, 'What You Need to Know About the Beef You Eat.'

More Turkey Day Resources:

• Saving Rare Breeds
• Discover Better Flavor This Thanksgiving
• Free-range Thanksgiving Turkeys
• How to Find Local Food and Farmers
• Choosing Natural, Grass-fed Meat
• Pasture Perfect
• A Simpler Thanksgiving
• A Vegetarian Thanksgiving
• Talking Turkey