Archive for

Oct 31

Happy Halloween, Cheesy Cauliflower Puree With Roasted Vegetables And Pear With Poire William Creme Anglaise

Halloween is a big day in our neighborhood, our community group the Society for Clinton Hill sponsors a Halloween Walk and other events, there are months of planning that go into this. Last year there were over 3000 children and adults that participated and this year I think there will be more, judging from the response we have gotten so far. We have a halloween map showing houses that hand out candy, a theatrical production at 313 Clinton Avenue, the Dead Zombie Band puts on an incredible show and everyone looks forward to it. Because we are a not for profit organization local business donate to help us defray the expense of putting this whole thing together. I am on the board of directors for the community organization and am in charge of the PR, social media and the website as well as helping to coordinate. It’s a tremendous amount of work but very rewarding. I will post photo’s this week. Happy Halloween to all!!

Sorry about all the cauliflower recipes, as I said in the last post it’s an obsession of mine and a filling and delicious sub for carb laden rice or potatoes or pasta. In this case I probably would have served over polenta but instead served with a cauliflower puree made rich with a little creme fraiche and grated comte cheese. The vegetables are simple, a small graffiti eggplant roasted with whole cherry tomatoes and shallot. For a textural diversion I sauteed some fresh bread crumbs in garlic, butter and olive oil and sprinkled over the top.

In an effort to satisfy my sweet tooth and still stay away from refined sugar and flour I created this simple dessert by poaching pears in Poire William (pear liquor) with a touch of maple syrup to sweeten and served with a créme anglaise again with a little maple syrup to sweeten and some Poire William. Créme Anglaise is a custard sauce made with eggs, milk or cream, sugar, vanilla and rum or some sort of spirit or liquor. Because I am not really eating refined sugar I chose to lightly sweeten with maple syrup, this was adapted from Julia Childs recipe in her book, “Julia’s Kitchen Wisdom”. I was a bit worried that it wouldn’t thicken properly because there is no sugar but it worked just fine.

Cauliflower Puree with Roasted Vegetables

Really no recipe required for this I made enough for 2 servings

Cauliflower puree follow instructions but use creme fraiche rather than cream.

1 small eggplant cut into bite size pieces

cherry tomatoes

1 shallot peeled and cut into quarters

cheese of your choice I used comté and didn’t measure- grated – add as much cheese as you like

olive oil

salt and pepper

fresh breadcrumbs

1 small garlic clove thinly sliced

butter

Make the cauliflower puree and set aside. Clean and cut your eggplant and shallot, heat the oven to 400 degree’s. Place parchment on sheet pan and lay the vegetables and whole cherry tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and roast in the oven for approximately 20-30 minutes. The eggplant and shallot should be soft and the tomatoes nicely caramelized.

Heat a little olive oil and butter in a skillet on med high heat, add garlic and sauté until soft. Add the breadcrumbs stirring so that the fat is absorbed by the breadcrumbs. Toast in the skillet until crisp and browned.

Heat cauliflower puree in saucepan add grated cheese. Serve immediately with the roasted vegetables spooned on top, sprinkled with breadcrumbs and garnish with a little parsley if you like.

Créme Anglaise

2 servings

Adapted from a recipe by Julia Child

3 egg yolks

2-3 tbs maple syrup

1 cup half and half or whole milk

2 tsp vanilla

2 tbs Poire William (you can use the juices from the poached pears for this)

Whisk egg yolks with the maple syrup until the yolks are thick and pale yellow. Heat milk to scalding and add in a slow steady stream to the egg yolks whisking constantly. Pour into the saucepan and cook on medium to medium low heat until it thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon, using your finger swipe a line and if it stays intact it’s done. Remove from heat immediately, pour through a fine sieve to remove any bits of egg that may have cooked and add the vanilla and pear liquor. Refrigerate until ready to use, since this is best served warm heat over simmering water (bain marie) until warm to the touch. The créme anglaise which is usually a light yellow because of the maple syrup and vanilla is more beige in color.

Poached Pears

Heat oven to 375 degree’s. Peel, cut in half and core the pears, place in a buttered baking dish adding some Poire William, pear nectar or whatever liquid you like. Cover with foil and bake for approximately 30 minutes or until pears are soft when gently poked with the end of a sharp knife.

If your créme anglaise is cold you can warm over simmering water. Spoon onto a plate and top with the pear.

You can add a cinnamon stick, star anise, cardamom pod or whatever spice you like to the pears and this will infuse with a gentle warm spice that would be delicious as well.

Percy as Count Dracula

Oct 27

40 Comments

A Guest Post From Cheryl – Caramel Apples

I am overwhelmed right now, being pulled in so many different directions my head is swimming, it’s no ones’ fault but my own, I can’t say no when it comes to the community work. This came at just the right time, I was so pleased and surprised that Cheryl “Cheffie Cooks Wiser offered another guest post. This simple treat is perfectly seasonal and a delicious treat for Halloween! Thank you so much my dear friend.

Take it away Cheryl……

A fun Halloween Treat for Everyone!
Wonderful Caramel Apples, so easy and so delicious.

I use Large Rome Apples (or your choice), 2-16 ounce bags of Kraft Caramels (melted), 12 Wooden Sticks, plastic wrap, ribbon for bows.

Slowly Melt the caramels on low heat, allow to partially cool down, pierce top of each apple with the stick, dip into the caramel sauce, let them drip, then place on a large sheet pan covered with either parchment paper or waxed paper for the caramel apples to set-up. Place into the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Wrap in plastic and tie a pretty bow! Great for gifts.

Enjoy your Halloween.

Ocean Living and Cooking, Florida Fun antics and adventures for YOU!

Thank You Suzanne for letting me share this easy, fun treat! xo

Oct 20

55 Comments

Ottolenghi’s Cauliflower Cake And Apple Pear Crumble With Creamy Cider Syrup

I just have to say what a lifesaver it has been to have the guest posts. I have been so extremely busy I really haven’t cooked much of anything and most of what I have cooked is not noteworthy enough to blog about. Thank you so much to everyone who has submitted guest posts, you truly are amazing. I also have been delinquent in reading and commenting on your blogs. I will not be able to catch up there are just too many, once Halloween is done I should be able to breathe and get back to my routine.

Searching through the hundreds of cookbooks I have (and rarely use) I happened upon this recipe from “Plenty More” by Yotam Ottolenghi. Since my latests obsession is cauliflower this immediately grabbed my attention, the list of ingredients sounds delicious, I decided this is a recipe I have to try. It does contain some flour, one cup of all purpose flour but I subbed spelt flour making it lower in carbs and more healthful. It’s a simple recipe, easy to put together and with my current crazy busy schedule this was a must. I really do love Ottolenghi’s cookbooks, the photo’s are drool worthy and recipes are not complex they use simple ingredients but how they put it all together is genius.

Cauliflower Cake

from Plenty More- Yotam Ottolenghi

Serves 6-8

1 small head cauliflower broken into 1 1/2 inch florets

1 medium onion (recipe calls for a red onion)

5 tbs olive oil (I didn’t measure)

1/2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary

7 large eggs

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

1 cup all purpose flour (I used spelt flour)

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/3 tsp turmeric

1 1/2 cups grated parmesan or your favorite grating cheese

melted butter for brushing – about 1 tbs

1 tbs white sesame seeds

1 tsp nigella seeds (I misplaced them so just used sesame)

salt and pepper to taste

Pre heat oven to 400 degree’s

Place cauliflower florets in saucepan filled with salted water, simmer for 15 minutes until the florets are quite soft, they should break when pressed with a spoon. Drain and set aside in a colander.

Cut 4 round slices approximately 1/4 inch thick from one end of the onion and set aside. Coursely chop the rest of the onion and place in a pan with some olive oil and the rosemary. Cook for 1o minutes over medium heat, stirring from time to time until soft. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Transfer the onions to a large mixing bowl, add the eggs and basil and whisk well, then add the flour, baking powder, turmeric, cheese and 1 tsp salt (I used less salt) and plenty of ground pepper stir to combine and add the cauliflower stirring gently so as not to break up the florets.

Line the base and sides of a 9 1/2 inch springform pan with parchment paper. Brush the sides with melted butter then mix together the sesame and nigella seeds and toss them in the pan and swirl the pan around so that the seeds stick to the buttered sides. Pour the cauliflower mixture in the pan smooth the top and arrange the onion rings on top ( I sprinkled some of the grated cheese on top as well). Place in the center of the oven and bake for 45 minutes until golden brown and set. A knife inserted into the center of the cake should come out clean. Remove from the oven and leave for at least 20 minutes before serving. It should be served warm or at room temperature rather than hot.

For Dessert was an apple Pear crumble using no refined sugar and almost no flour. To sweeten the fruit and crumble I used a little bit of maple syrup and served it with a creamy cider reduction, again made completely without sugar. The natural sweetness of the cider when cooked down into a syrup is intensely sweet, I softened it with a little heavy cream (to make even more decadent you could add a little butter also) and the end product was amazing on this simple crumble. The cider syrup would be great on oatmeal, pancakes or waffles also, instead of adding cream just add a little butter.

This dessert is great and you don’t feel badly eating it, you could even use a little less maple syrup because the cider syrup is sweet enough that you would never know that this is not loaded with sugar.

Apple Pear Crumble

Made 2

Crumble topping

1/4 cup whole oats

1/4 cup spelt flour

2 tbs toasted hazelnut flour (or any nut flour)

pinch of salt

2 tbs softened (not melted) coconut oil

1 tbs cold butter

2 tbs maple syrup

Mix everything together with your fingers until it is blended completely (it will look more like a cookie dough). Pre heat oven to 375 degree’s

2 -3 apples (if you don’t have pear use 3 apples)

1 ripe pear

1 tbs maple syrup

pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg and salt

Peel and slice the apples and pears. Oil or butter the baking dish, mix the fruit with the maple syrup, spices and salt, lay the fruit in the pan. Add the crumble topping and pour a little apple cider over it. Bake for 30-40 minutes until crumble is browned and fruit is soft. Note: The crumble topping was patted into place rather than dropping in crumbles, after baking I broke it up kind of like a cookie crust.

Creamy Cider Syrup

Apple cider

Heavy cream

Pour about 1 cup cider in saucepan over medium high heat until reduced to a very thick syrup, it took about 20 minutes. One cup of cider reduced to about 1/4 cup of syrup. The more cider you use the longer it will take to reduce of course. One cup of cider in a saucepan took a little over 20 minutes on medium high heat.

Reduces to almost nothing you can see my hand reflected in the pan, LOL.

Add some heavy cream about 2 tbs and continue to cook another 30 seconds approximately. The sauce will be thick.

Spoon over the crumble and enjoy.

Oct 17

33 Comments

Guest Post- The Frugal Hausfrau

I am thrilled to introduce Mollie –The Frugal Hausfrau. One look at her delicious recipes and beautiful blog and you will be hooked. Her food is home style with an elegant twist, whether a main course, side or dessert you will be drooling. She is one of sweetest and kindest people I know and I have to mention that she is the force behind Throw Back Thursday. Allow me to introduce Mollie, if you don’t already know her I know you will love her as much as I do. Take it away Mollie. One more thing, she hit the nail on the head when she chose this recipe, it has my name written all over it.

I’m so happy to be here today with a guest post for Suzanne. When she put out the call, I jumped. Here’s a woman who does so much for everyone whether she’s just inspiring quietly in her own way, stopping by with lovely comments and encouragement, or working for fundraisers and charities.

I admire Suzanne and her cooking style and over the years I must have read nearly every post Suzanne has ever put out. I’d like to think I have a handle on her taste and I want to be mindful of the healthy direction she’s been moving toward.

So I found some inspiration in a recipe for a roasted cauliflower from Martha Stewart, changed it up a bit and added an Italian flair, just for Suzanne. I used my fave Fennel Spice Rub, and it’s worth making, even if it is and extra step. After your first taste you’ll want to sprinkle that magic on everything!

The nutty roasted cauliflower steaks in this dish are gorgeous with the mushrooms, and those mushrooms – oh my gosh, they’re golden brown and nutty and the flavor intensifies with the roasting. I used Baby Bellas, but just about any mushroom or a combination would be wonderful.

And oh, yeah, I can’t forget the cheese. Just a smidge…it’s wafer thin. If you’re not as old as I am, you might not get the joke…Google it! 🙂 l left a section of the cauliflower steaks “nude” so you could see what it looks like before the cheese.

Then to top it all off, I went a little crazy and added my rather loose interpretation of a Chermoula Sauce (optional) made from the last vestiges of my dying garden. That piquant green sauce, kind of like a Chimichurri, adds a bright counterpart to the earthy dish.

I hope you all like it! Be prepared to have a use for the extra cauliflower if you have any.

Roasted Cauliflower Steaks with Chermoula Sauce

1 small head cauliflower, trimmed and cut into 4 inch thick slices
3/8ths cup of olive oil, approximately
8 ounces mushrooms, shiitake, cremini or a combination, cut into 3/8″ slices
2 slices rustic bread, or enough so stacked it will be about 1″ thick, crusts removed and torn into small pieces, about 1/2 inch across
1 teaspoon (or to taste) Fennel Spice rub (see below) or salt and pepper to taste
4 thin slices of Provolone
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Position racks, one each in the upper and lower third of oven.

Prepare the ingredients:

Rub the cauliflower on both sides with olive oil, season with the Fennel Spice Rub and place on a single layer of a rimmed baking sheet.
Toss the mushrooms with about 2 to 3 tablespoons oil and spread on a second baking sheet.
Toss the breadcrumbs with the remaining oil and set aside.
Place cauliflower on the upper rack and bake for about 10 minutes. When the time is up, add the mushrooms on the lower rack and roast for 12-15 minutes more, until the bottom of the cauliflower is golden brown.

Flip the cauliflower and mushrooms, sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the mushrooms and continue to roast both trays for another 10 minutes.

Remove the trays and combine the mushrooms and cauliflower. Spread into a single layer, top with cheese and place back in the oven for three to four minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and melted.

Serve immediately.

Fennel Spice Rub:

1 tablespoon Fennel seeds
1 teaspoon Coriander seeds
3/4 teaspoon white peppercorns
1 teaspoon sea salt
Toast seeds and peppercorns in a small skillet, tossing often until fragrant. Remove from heat and allow to cool before crushing. When cool, crush using a blender, mortar and pestle or pan. Mix with the salt. Store excess in small container or zip type bag.

Chermoula Sauce, about 1/2 cup

3 tablespoons crushed nuts, hazelnut or pecans
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon whole coriander
3/4 cups of roughly chopped herbs and greens, lightly packed, parsley, cilantro, arugula are good choices
1 teaspoon orange zest, reserve 1/2 the orange if juice is needed
1/4 teaspoon garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
pinch or two of salt
Mix all ingredients together in blender, blend until a cohesive sauce is made. If necessary add a little orange juice to get the blender moving.

Oct 13

22 Comments

Guest Post – Keralas Creative Kitchen

The next guest post comes from Sumith whose amazing blog Keralas Creative Kitchen is a compilation of delicious recipes and artistic food styling. I was so thrilled that he agreed to do a guest post for me. Thank you so much Sumith this is a gorgeous dish and everyone please visit his blog you will be inspired and amazed because it is about much more than just cooking. Sumith takes you on a journey of the senses, an artistic romp with food. I hope you enjoy, follow the link below to see this post.

Thank you Sumith!!

Spiced Stir Fried Sirloin Steak- Sense of touch in cooking and eating food

Oct 11

34 Comments

Guest Post From The Thankful Heart

When I asked for some help from everyone with guest posts I was thrilled and honored that so many of you wonderful and talented people stepped up to help me out. If you don’t already know her I want to introduce you to Rhonda, her lovely blog The Thankful Heart is not just chock full of delicious recipes and stunning photography but it also gives us a peek at her beautiful family and unwavering faith. She is truly an inspiration and I want to thank Rhonda for sharing two of her great recipes with us all.

Without further ado I want to introduce you all to Rhonda, The Thankful Heart.

Hi friends– It’s September and the oven has been put back to good use around. I’ve been baking up a storm. And nothing smells so good coming out of the oven as something laced with cinnamon. This little muffins are kind of second cousin to cinnamon rolls, lots of the same flavor and the crunchy nuts, but a whole lot less time and effort is involved.

I made them for our lovable group of 20 & 30 something’s who come in on Thursday nights– and the muffins all disappeared! I love baking for those guys– such an appreciative group of eaters. And just all around fun to spend an evening with them.

CINNAMON ROLL MUFFINS

Topping:
1 cup brown sugar
1 tab. cinnamon
1 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
3 tab. melted butter

Muffins:
2 cups flour
1 tab. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1 egg
1 cup milk

Frosting:
2 oz. cream cheese (1/4 of a block), softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 to 2 tab. milk
few drops of vanilla

First make the topping. Mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon and nuts. Then completely fold in the melted butter. Set this aside for later.

For the muffins, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Then mix in the oil, egg and milk. (The batter will be stiff.) Take 1/2 cup of the brown sugar topping mixture and stir it into the batter.

Use muffin papers or spray a 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray– then scoop the batter into the muffin tin. Put of spoonful of the brown sugar topping on top of each muffin, patting it down a bit with the spoon to make it stick well to the batter.

Bake them up at 350 degrees for 15 to 18 minutes until firm to the touch.

While they are baking, make the frosting. I softened the cream cheese in the microwave for a few seconds. Then with a whisk, beat together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon of milk and the vanilla. If the frosting seems runny enough to drizzle over the muffins from a spoon, that’s great! If it is too thick, add the second spoon of milk and blend it completely.

Drizzle that luscious frosting over the muffins, hot from the oven and enjoy that cinnamon smell while you do it! Scrumptious eaten with friends and mugs of tea.

Cheddar Zucchini Rice
Posted on August 4, 2016 by Rhonda Sittig

Hey there– here’s a new favorite side dish, easy, fast, fresh and creamy delicious. It is a good match for a whole list of main dishes. I made it a couple weeks ago when my dear friend Jenon came for dinner– lime salmon, asparagus, sturdy bread, a bright salad and this yummy rice. Add in easy conversation with an old friend and it makes a fine dinner…

CHEDDAR ZUCCHINI RICE
2 tab. butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup rice
2 cups water
1/2 tsp. salt
2 zucchini, grated to shreds
1 cup grated cheddar cheese*
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Stir in the garlic and cook 30 seconds over low heat. Then stir in the rice, water and salt. Bring up to a low simmer and cook 10 minutes until all the water is absorbed and the rice is tender.

Stir the uncooked, grated zucchini and the cheddar into the hot rice. Taste and add salt and/or pepper if you want to season it a bit more. Easy, beautiful and delish!

*I used Colby-jack cheese, any easy melting cheese will do.

Oct 7

70 Comments

Roasted Chicken And Vegetable Dinner

The method I use for both chicken and turkey is pretty much the opposite of the way most people prepare it. The usual method is to start out in a high oven temperature for a short time and then lower the temperature to finish cooking, the chicken or turkey is also roasted uncovered. For turkey I use my black and white speckled enamel graniteware pan which is where I learned about steam roasting. The poultry turns out moist and delicious every time and also cooks in record time. Today I made a small chicken, about 4 1/2 lbs, my graniteware is huge so that wouldn’t work for this little bird. A cast iron pan is great to roast chicken in, everything just seems to turn out perfectly. The chicken was done in a little less than 2 hours (this includes both rounds in the oven and resting time), I then roasted the potatoes, shallot and carrot in the same pan with the drippings. My Mom made chicken like this and always added the vegetables in with the chicken, I remember it being one of my favorite meals that she made.

I have been a bad girl and have not gone to the party at Angies for a few weeks so this week I am bringing this chicken and roasted vegetable dinner with me to the party. Fiesta Friday #140 is co hosted this week by the talented and beautiful Julie @ Hostess at Heart and Linda @ Fabulous Fare Sisters.

Chicken With Pan Roasted Vegetables

Serves 4 generously

1 whole chicken 4-5 lbs

1 whole shallot

1/2 lemon

3-4 sprigs thyme

handful of parsley

olive oil

salt and pepper

potatoes (I used micro potatoes)

carrots

shallot or onion

Heat oven to 375 degree’s. Coat the bottom of your cast iron skillet with olive oil. Wash and pat dry the chicken. Place in the pan and drizzle olive oil on the skin of the chicken and rub so that it covers the entire chicken. Sprinkle a little salt in the cavity, had lemon half (cut in half) shallot, handful parsley, 3 sprigs of thyme. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and drizzle a little more olive oil, squeeze the other half of the lemon in the pan. Cover tightly with foil and roast for 50-60 minutes. Take chicken out of the oven and remove the foil, increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees. Put the chicken back in the oven uncovered for approximately 20-30 minutes, just until nicely browned. Remove from oven and place the chicken in foil on a sheet pan, spoon some of the pan juices on the chicken and cover it to keep the chicken warm.

Put the potatoes, carrots and shallots in the pan with the drippings, stir around to coat the vegetables, season if you need to but I didn’t. Place another sprig or two of thyme in the pan and roast uncovered at 425 until vegetables are browned and tender approximately 20-30 minutes. At the end I put the chicken back in the pan with the vegetables, place back in the oven (after I turned it off but it was still hot) for about 10 minutes to heat through. Serve immediately.

Oct 5

54 Comments

Guest Post- Cheryl “Cheffie Cooks” Wiser

Over the next few weeks I will be highlighting some of the wonderful bloggers I know who have stepped up to do guest posts. First is my dear friend Cheryl whose blog Cheryl “Cheffie Cooks” Wiser is one I have been following for a while now, I have mentioned Cheryl before on several occasions, she manages 9 blogs, 5 children and about a thousand other things all at once. How does she do it, well, I wish I knew, and she seems to do it all seamlessly. Cheryl is sharing her recipe for a seasonal favorite, Pumpkin Nut Bread. Thank you so much Cheryl.

A Special Post for Suzanne!
I hope you will enjoy this easy and tasty Pumpkin Nut Bread for the Fall-Autumn months ahead.

Pumpkin Nut Bread

Yields one loaf (approx. 16 slices).
INGREDIENTS:
1-2/3rds cups All Purpose Flour
1 cup Sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 Beaten large Eggs
one 15.5 ounce Pumpkin Pie Filling ( I use Libby’s brand, any will work)
1/4 cup Canola Oil
1/4 cup Cold water
1/2 Cup chopped Walnuts (or pecans)
Optional 1/3 cup golden raisins
PREPARATION:
I use a food processor but you can use a mixing bowl and hand mixer, add dry ingredients into processor and pulse to combine, add wet ingredients and run processor to fully incorporate batter. Fold in chopped nuts and optional raisins. Transfer to a prepared 5″ x 9″ Loaf pan and bake @ 350 for 65 minutes. Allow to cool, remove from loaf pan and slice.

I hope you enjoy this recipe.
Thanks to Suzanne for allowing me to share a recipe with you all.
Cheryl “Cheffie Cooks” Wiser.

Oct 2

76 Comments

Cauliflower Mash

My food choices lately are really pretty uninteresting and I apologize for that, my food repertoire is not that varied. Right now I am eating what works for me and my schedule and my taste and maybe later I will do a little more experimentation. This is not a recipe, and I am sure that many of you have made or tasted cauliflower as a subsitute for potatoes. It looks just like them, and really tastes very close but doesn’t have the high carb count that potatoes do. I put butter and sour cream or cream in the cauliflower just like I do potatoes. I don’t really count carbs but as a comparison I wanted to see what the difference is. One cup of cooked or raw cauliflower is 5 carbs and 1 medium size potato is 37, big difference. If you have leftover mashed cauliflower you can make soup with it, simply add some vegetable or chicken stock or even water, heat it up and you have creamy cauliflower soup.

Request: I would love to have some of you do guest posts, if you would like to please let me know in the comment section and I will contact you, or you can email me directly my email address is listed on the site. I would love to schedule several guest blog posts. Thanks so much.

I don’t know how cauliflower mash is usually prepared but here is what I did and it worked great.

Cauliflower Mash

Makes approximately 6-8 servings

1 large head cauliflower cleaned and cut into florets

3 tbs softened or room temperature butter (2 when you blend or process and one on top when serving)

approximately 1/4 cup hot cream, milk, half and half or sour cream (that has been brought to room temperature)

salt and pepper to taste

Place cauliflower florets in pot of salted water and boil until tender. Drain. Turn oven to 200 degree’s and put the cauliflower on a baking sheet. Place in the oven for about 45 minutes so that it dries out. The reason for this step is that Cauliflower absorbs liquid almost like a sponge and if you process the cauliflower straight from the boiling water it will be more like soup. NOTE: Alternately you can steam the cauliflower which would prevent it from absorbing so much water so the time in the oven to dry would be less, maybe 15 minutes.)

Put the cauliflower straight from the oven into the blender or food processor breaking it up into small pieces. add the butter, salt and pepper and a little cream or sour cream. Blend or process until smooth adding more cream as needed so that it’s the right consistency.

Dinner of roasted chicken, cauliflower mash and oven roasted asparagus

Percy is going to go to a Pug Meetup Halloween party next weekend and I am working on his costume, the cape was made by one of our Instagram friends at Fauxpaws Accessories. I am trying to find him a white tuxedo type bib to go underneath the cape and an amulet as well, I won’t push my luck with vampire teeth.