Hello fans ...

I have finally surfaced after much time spent recovering from my vacation.  I spent 3 days in the mountains with some of my bestie pals, 1 day in the city with my husband (of which you will get no details!) and 6 days on the beach with some other bestie pals. It was BUSY and FUN and RELAXING and I walked out of it with bronchitis. However, sufficient quantities of antibitoics and steroids over the past week have restored some of my health, so I guess it's my turn to be posting.

The weekend wedding was entirely awesome as NightOwl has previously mentioned. Fabulous company aside - there were several vegetarian dishes that I wish I had the recipes for. I do love my vegetables!

Cauliflower is an espeical favorite of mine. Most people don't like it for some reason. It does sort of look like zombie broccolli I guess. But I really like it's crisp  nutty flavor when it cooked just right. Becasue of this - I chose to make Califlower Cheese for my contrribution to the potluck.

Cauliflower Cheese is an English dish often served for Lunch or Dinner as a main course. The recipe I used is as follows and was provided by the god of food Mr. Alton Brown:

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 large head cauliflower (about 2 pounds)
• 4 1/2 ounces Cheddar, grated and divided
• 1/2 cup homemade coarse bread crumbs
• 1 whole egg
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions

Grease an 11 by 7-inch glass baking dish with the butter and set aside.

Position 1 oven rack in the middle position and 1 in the top position and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the cauliflower in a small glass bowl, stalk end up. Use a paring knife to remove the lower leaves. Trim the curds off of the stem, keeping them as intact as possible. Try to keep the size uniformly large and make as few cuts as possible. Discard the leaves and stem. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 4 minutes. Rest, still covered in plastic, for another 4 minutes. Uncover and rest for 4 to 5 more minutes while preparing the rest of the dish.

Combine 4 ounces of the cheese, the bread crumbs, egg, salt, mustard, paprika, black pepper, and cayenne in a large mixing bowl. When 1 minute remains on the cauliflower rest period, microwave the cream on high for 30 seconds. Add the cream to the bowl with the cheese mixture and stir to combine.

Using your hands and a tea towel if the cauliflower is still hot, rub the large florets between your hands to break up the curds. Add the curds to the cream mixture and stir until the cheese is thoroughly melted and combined.

Spread the cauliflower mixture in the prepared baking dish, place on the middle rack, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the baking dish and turn the broiler to high. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 ounce cheese atop the cauliflower. Place on the top rack and broil until the top is bubbly and appropriately brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Rest 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy !!
I'm going back to bed before I pull a muscle coughing.

Thanksgiving leftovers

For me, one of the best things about cooking a huge meal for Thanksgiving is all the wonderful leftovers. Because the boyfriend had to work, I ended up cooking at home and bringing food in for him and his co-workers. It was a small group, so there was quite a bit of food left to bring home. Here's what I did with some of it:

Thanksgiving Leftover Pie (are you seeing a theme here?)

3 cups turkey, diced into bite-sized pieces
2 cups gravy or thickened stock
1 sixteen ounce package of frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
leftover mashed potatoes and/or dressing

Combine turkey, gravy, and vegetables in a lasagna pan. Mix well. Top with the potatoes and/or stuffing in whatever mix you choose. Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees.
Serves 4.

It was tasty.

post-wedding feasting with friends

After too long apart, last weekend I got to spend time with the Daybird and her pet ogre. We got to be Kitchen Witches together at a house in the Catskills. Friends of ours rented a huge house in the ski area near Hunter Mountain for their wedding and hanging out afterwards. Friday was the wedding and reception at a local restaurant, but Saturday night was food prepared by everyone at the house - essentially an on-site potluck dinner.

So here's what I cooked!

Easy as Pie Shepherd's Pie for a Crowd

3 lbs. lean ground beef
1 one-pound bag of frozen chopped onions
2 one-pound bags frozen mixed vegetables (carrots, corn, peas, green beans, aka soup mix)
1 tub Knorr beef stock concentrate
2 cups water
Wondra flour
salt and pepper to taste
Idahoan instant mashed potatoes (16-serving box)
roasted garlic (I used the stuff in the jar)
butter
milk

Brown ground beef. Remove beef from pan and brown onions in drippings. Drain off excess fat and place beef and onions in large stockpot. Add the frozen vegetables, Knorr stock concentrate, and 2 cups water. Bring to a low boil. Take about a quarter cup of the Wondra and mix with very cold water, stirring until there are no lumps. Drizzle into simmering beef mixture and stir until thickened. Adjust seasoning. Remove from heat.
Following the directions for the mashed potatoes, heat the water, butter (margarine sucks), and a heaping tablespoon of roasted garlic and simmer about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, add the milk, then add the mashed potato flakes and stir thoroughly.
Place the ground beef mixture into two 9 x 12 pans. Cover each with half the mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with chives, paprika, or parmesan if desired. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes.

This isn't a fancy dish, but it's great for a large group - it goes together quickly and doesn't take a lot of time to prepare.

Chicken and Biscuits

3 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs
butter
1 one-pound bag frozen chopped onions
2 one-pound bags frozen mixed vegetables (same as above)
1 tub Knorr chicken stock (this stuff is frickin' AWESOME)
2 cups water
Wondra flour (are you seeing the pattern here?)
salt and pepper to taste
2 tubes Grands biscuits (or generic version thereof)

Melt about 2 tablespoons butter in a dutch oven. Brown chicken thighs in melted butter; remove from pot. They don't need to be cooked all the way through, you are just browning the outside for flavor. When they are cool enough to handle, cut thighs into bite-sized chunks and reserve. Meanwhile, brown onions in drippings in dutch oven. When onions are lightly browned, add 2 cups of water. Add tub of stock and frozen vegetables. Bring to a simmer. Add cut-up chicken and simmer for about 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked all the way through. Take about a quarter cup of the Wondra and mix with very cold water, stirring until there are no lumps. Drizzle into simmering chicken mixture and stir until thickened. Adjust seasoning. Remove from heat.
Split chicken mixture between two 9 x 12 pans. Cover each with a layer of biscuits. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Check them halfway through; if the biscuits are already starting to brown, cover with foil and continue for remaining time.

Serves...I dunno...twelve? sixteen? Depends on how hungry you are and what else there is to eat.

Okay, Daybird, now it's your turn. Cauliflower gratin recipe, please.

Disclaimer: This is how I cook for large groups- easy, tasty, but not fancy. This is NOT how I cook for small groups where I pull out all the stops.

~the nightowl