Sunday Brunch - {cauliflower gratin}

I just love gratins and casseroles.  They are such comfort foods in the colder months.  There's nothing like a casserole cooking away in the oven, warming up the whole house.  Recently, I've been trying to eat healthier, so I did some searching for a casserole that was vegetable based (vs. potatoes or grains).  I happened to have a bunch of cauliflower in the fridge & no idea what I was going to do with it when I found this recipe.

The recipe is from Martha Stewart (as usual....many thanks, Martha!).  I've made it a couple of times, and both times it was so delicious.  The first time making it, I combined Parmesan cheese with crushed up corn flakes (instead of the called-for bread crumbs) for the topping, since that was all I had on hand.  The second time making it, I wanted to eliminate some carbs, so I only topped it with the cheese.  It's so good, you don't even need a topping, really!

To make the gratin, you start by making a roux with flour and milk, then cook the cauliflower in the pan for a few minutes before mixing in the cheese (and sprinkling on the topping) and then baking it in the oven.  Easy peasy - and good for the body and soul on a cold day.

 -Cheryl

Book Nook - The Food52 Cookbook, Volume 2

The Food52 Cookbook, Volume 2 by Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs:




Argh!  For some reason, my usual amazon link is still not working.  If I can't figure it out, I'll just go back to pictures of the books.  In the meantime, here's a different amazon link to the book.

Anyway, on to the book.  Authors Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs have created an online recipe site, where new recipes are shared by the community and commented on.  I'm sort of an online recipe comment junkie - I always seek them out.  In fact, nowadays when I come across a new recipe, first thing I'll do is see if I can find it online and see if there are any comments.  Other cooks are so helpful and generous with their tips!

Well, I'll admit I haven't visited the Food52 site, but I thoroughly enjoyed the cookbook.  There are tons of color photos of the dishes and their preparation.  Recipes are organized by season (that just makes so much sense, don't you think?).  Having come by the cookbook in the Fall/Winter, naturally I gravitated toward those chapters.  But there are lots of great recipes here, throughout the book.  I definitely want to try the vegetarian mushroom thyme gravy.  I've already bought all the ingredients for the crispy spice-brined pecans (I just need to figure out a day when I can donate the oven to their slow cooking - 10-12 hours!).  When the weather gets warmer, I'm definitely making the baked ricotta and goat cheese with candied tomatoes.

And, I've already made a couple of recipes.  First, the heavenly oatmeal molasses rolls.  These are so great, especially when eating them warm with butter, just as the authors recommend.  I don't make a lot of homemade bread, but I'm definitely making these again.  Sweet enough to enjoy on their own, but not too sweet - the perfect dinner roll.  I should know, I ate most of them myself (should I admit that?).

The other recipe I tried was the burnt caramel pudding.  Oh, this recipe is a keeper!  I love pudding (and custard) recipes that use minimal ingredients, and forgo cornstarch as a thickener.  This recipe only has 5 ingredients, and is very easy to make.  Just make sure you watch your caramel closely as it cooks (I've learned the hard way to give caramel my full attention).  Everyone in the Bach house loved it, except our oldest DD, who predicted she wouldn't like it, so found another treat instead (while I ate hers, ahem).

-Cheryl

Sunday Brunch - {sweet & spicy almonds}

I love this little recipe for sweet & spicy almonds.  I've made it a bunch and I always end up eating most of it (and this is the reason I don't actually make it very often).  These almonds are perfect for snacking on at parties or game-night or just whenever you want something a little sweet.  Ours are definitely more "sweet" than "spicy" - in fact, I only put a tiny bit of cayenne pepper into the mixture, but you can make them as spicy as you like.

The recipe is from one of the Everyday Food books, but it's also online here.

-Cheryl

Moose....shout....

Moose....shout....barge....frump....piracy....entrance....lawyer....dissemble....expunge....insinuate....
netiquette....armistice....matriculation....cephalopod....chiffonade....sedition....mackerel.

These are the words our oldest Bachster had in her first ever spelling bee a couple of days ago.  She did awesome in the spelling bee - she finished in the top four (out of 80 + kids in her grade).  We were all cheering for her from the front row, and were so excited she made it so far!

I am such a proud mama!

-Cheryl

Book Nook - Bachsters

Two of the three Bachsters sat down together a few days ago and read through a bunch of new library books.......I just had to share this cute shot in my first "here's a picture instead of a book" Book Nook!

-Cheryl

Sunday Brunch - {fudge in a jar}

I've been trying to eat low-carb lately, and it is tough.  All the yummiest foods are carbs!  Well, I can give up bread products without too much fuss, but sweets.....sweets. I'm a big sweet tooth, so it's a challenge for me to give up sweets. 

So, I've been looking around lately for low-carb recipes, and I came across a blog devoted to healthier desserts.  Of course, I just had to try some of them!

The recipe that really caught my attention is chocolate fudge in a jar from the blog Chocolate Covered Katie (here's the link).  It's a very simple recipe: take a jar of almond butter, mix in coconut oil and cocoa, along with a bit of salt and vanilla and Stevia, then stick it in the fridge.  So simple!  I love that it's low-carb, and uses Stevia as the sweetener (I'm a little scared of artificial sweeteners).  But, this recipe comes with a big caveat: it's best only if you are following a low-carb diet.  If you're eating your normal diet, this fudge won't seem very sweet to you.  But if you've been off sugar for a while, this will be a real treat.

I also like that it all mixes up (and stores in the fridge) in its original jar.  And, there's leftover almond butter, so you could easily make a second batch in another jar if you wanted to.  Two jars of low-carb fudge?  Sounds good to me - and my sweet tooth!

-Cheryl

Snowy Day

Snowy Day...

Chili Day...

Hot Chocolate Day...

Play Day...

Hope you are having a great Saturday!

-Cheryl