Food Lush

Mac & Cheese Style Cauliflower

Editor's note: For our last week at Food Lush, I've asked the writers to share both a favorite post by another writer, from over the last three years, and a favorite post of their own. You'll see these posts linked to at the top of their new post for the week. Enjoy a stroll down Lush memory lane!

by Sarah Anne

I'm so sad to be saying good by after such a short time with Food Lush, but I am forever grateful to have been included in this amazing bunch of women who love food as much as I do. I haven't been around long, but before I was a writer, I was a reader brought over by Caitlin (Thanks Caitlin!). So I will link you to a post of hers that gave me the guts to try something I'd always wanted to - Fresh Strawberry Jam!  As far as my own post, I think my very first post on Lentils is my favourite. 

***

Onward and upward as they say, folks. I don't have any huge "my last post" kind of post, but I do have a favourite recipe that I rediscovered this week. It's definitely one that I think you'll love. Mac & cheese style cauliflower.  

Now, hold on, don't go anywhere just because I said cauliflower.  I know. It's kind of a misused vegetable. Bland when steamed. Used as 'rice' for the raw food and paleo crowd. Whipped up into faux mashed potatoes. Poor thing. I'll admit this recipe is kind of similar in that it is an attempt to lighten up a homey, cheesy dish.  But do me a favour and give it a shot. I promise, it's a dish worth adding to your rotation. 

Source

I definitely always increase the garlic in this recipe (and all recipes, let's be honest here) and sometimes I'll add a little dijon to the sauce.  I'm sure this recipe would be flexible enough to add bacon for those that like that sort of thing, green onions, maybe even peas?  For some reason, I always feel like peas go with mac and cheese, and since I like to mess with recipes so this is no different. Try it out and jazz up the flavours a bit! What kind of flavour combos can you think up. I love recipes that are simple in flavour and technique that lend themselves to a bit of play.

The other bonus to this recipe? It can be made pretty inexpensively depending on the cheese you buy. It can be doubled for more leftovers too. Maybe it is a way to get kids (and adults!) to eat their veggies rather than that blue box that advertises cauliflower in its pasta? Far healthier and in my mind, way tastier!

I serve this with a green salad most often and call it dinner. Oh, and don't forget to try a little sriracha on top, because who doesn't like sriracha? 

Are you a cauliflower fan? Have you tried any other 'faux' recipes using cauliflower? Perhaps a recipe like this?  

'Kay, So...Let's Talk Cheese

Editor's note: For our last week at Food Lush, I've asked the writers to share both a favorite post by another writer, from over the last two years, and a favorite post of their own. You'll see these posts linked to at the top of their new post for the week. Enjoy a stroll down Lush memory lane!

By Erica H.

(Post from the archives that I most wish I had written myself: Tara C.'s funny and informative write-up of Soul Cakes. Post from the archives that I am most pleased to have written: Granny's Lemon Pound Cake.)

***

As you know by now, this is a series wrap for me here at Food Lush, which has engendered a certain sense of urgency that I impart the absolute most crucial food-related information to you while I have the chance. Down to the hungry depths of my soul have I searched! And what did I discover there (underneath the layers of garlic and yea, even eggs) but a vast pool of spicy liquid cheese: my molten core of queso.

 

In the interest of making sure that you all can fend for yourselves in my absence, I now present a very important recipe round-up.

Quick and dirty queso for when you only have ten minutes: the classic RoTel/Velveeta combo.

Oh, you have fifteen minutes? Q&D version, slightly enhanced.

Killer, real-deal queso for when you are feeling fancy enough to make a bechamel sauce.

Or just come visit me in Austin, where you can't throw a stick without it ending up in a bowl of the stuff. Seriously, come see me. I already miss you.

New Spin on Broccoli and Chicken

By Ariel

Last week my routine was interrupted by a slight case of Appendicitis.  By slight case I mean my husband went into our town's Fast ER one night and lost his appendix by morning.  FUN!  In any case, he's doing well and my heart rate is back to normal.  Far from diet food, I wanted something warm, filling, and easy on the rest of his internal organs. I had ll the ingredients on hand for a casserole, so I stuck with the basic idea of chicken and broccoli and came up with something tasty.  Unfortunately I completely forgot to take a picture, but when you've seen one broccoli casserole you've seen them all, right?

Ranchy Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

1 lb ground chicken (or breast, cut into chunks)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup milk
1 cup Munster cheese
1 cup Mozerella cheese
3 cups chopped broccoli
2 cups cauliflower
1 cup mayo
1/8 cup (or more to taste) diced onion
2.5 cups brown rice, cooked
2 Tbs Ranch
Pepper to taste
10 Ritz crackers, crumbled

Cook the ground chicken in a medium skillet with the minced garlic until fully cooked.  While that's cooking, combine the remaining ingredients in a large bowl.  Add the cooked chicken and mix thoroughly.  Transfer to a casserole dish and top with the Ritz crackers.  Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes, or until the casserole and cheese starts to get bubbly.

This got the hubby seal of approval, he went back for seconds and took leftovers for lunch the next day. This is a great traditional comfort food with some minor adjustments. 

What are you favorite comfort foods?

Homemade Pierogies with Granma

by Sarah Anne

It all started with a perfect little dish of antipasto, which then spiraled into a conversation about getting back to basics with cooking and food. Of course I whole heartedly agreed! What I didn't realize, was that basics for Granma included making cabbage rolls and pierogies. 

Let us stop right here for a moment. Have you ever had a pierogi? A potato-ey soft, half-moon filled with cheese, mashed potatoes, onion, cottage cheese, so tender they just melt in your mouth? Boiled and tossed with sauteed onions, maybe butter or sour cream? If you haven't, I suggest you do before you go any further. Or at least collect the ingredients (if you don't already have them, it is that simple) in this post and make them. ASAP.  

I'm a fan, as you can probably tell, so when Granma said she used to make them from scratch, I got excited.  Before I knew it, my Mother in Law and Granma were in the kitchen making dough and fillings. 

I will say this may be time intensive, but it isn't hard. Besides, it's good to get a few sets of hands in the kitchen, even kids could put the dumplings together I think. I haven't included a filling recipe here, but we stuffed ours with two different fillings. One was cottage cheese and green onion, the other was cottage cheese, shredded cheddar and sauteed onion. The options go on and on, and you can even use mashed potato inside! Pasta with mashed potatoes inside. Does it get any better than that? Do be sure to use salt and pepper to taste.

Pierogi Dough

1/4 c oil (vegetable)
1 c water
1 egg
1 tsp salt
1 c Instant Potatoes (Idahoan Brand was used here)
2 c flour

Wisk the first four ingredients together. Then add the instant potatoes and stir until combined. Let that sit for 10 minutes.

Add 2 cups of flour. Mix together and knead until the dough is smooth. Add flour as needed if the dough is sticky and continue to add flour until the dough is smooth and silky. (It really does get beautifully soft and delicate) Let it rest for 15 minutes.

Once dough has rested, roll out and cut with a small, round cookie cutter.

Use about a teaspoon of filling (see above for filling ideas) and fold over, sealing edges with a gentle pinch. Lay the filled pierogies on a flour-dusted baking sheet until you're finished. More than one set of hands really helps with this process.

A few notes about this recipe. The dough is extremely soft and tender, it won't be like pasta dough that is firm. It's doughy, soft and delicate. Because of this, there is no need to wet the edges when bringing the dumplings together.  Also, similarly to other stuffed pastas, don't overfill them, and get out the air before sealing the best you can. Oh! Please, please don't try to use real mashed potatoes. We tried. It doesn't make the same dough. Just use the instant kind. I promise, you'll thank me.

You can boil these up fresh, just until they float or they can be frozen. Make sure to put them on a floured baking sheet and freeze individually before putting them in freezer bags for the long haul. Don't thaw them though, just toss in salted, gently boiling water and wait until they rise to the top before draining and serving them up. Otherwise, you'll have a sticky, doughy mess on your hands. Trust me on this one.

I had such a great time making these with family and eating them felt cozy inside as I remembered the three of us in the kitchen, folding up dumplings.  If you give these a try, be sure to let me know how they turned out! I would love to hear about your experiences.

Do you have a family recipe that you make regularly? Perhaps a new tradition? 

Broccoli, Cannellini Bean & Cheddar Soup

by Jess M

This time of year I make a lot of soups for dinner. And cheesy soups always taste so good with a nice crusty roll and a salad on the side. But most cheese soups I’ve made (broccoli, cauliflower, potato) are very rich, have lots of cheese and are more suited to a special weekend meal rather than a weeknight dinner. This particular broccoli soup is lighter on the cheese, and is thickened with cannellini beans. It makes for a quick, creamy, and tasty soup that has a good dose of beans and greens.

Broccoli, Cannellini Bean & Cheddar Soup from EatingWell.com

This recipe is super simple: you basically cook the broccoli, and then puree it with the beans and melt in the cheese. I use an immersion blender so that I don’t have to transfer the hot soup to a blender and back again. I top it with some croutons and serve it along with a side salad. And for a vegan alternative, I think you could make this without the cheese and use vegetable broth.

(Photo from: me) 

Buffalo Chicken Phyllo Cups

By Ariel

One of my favorite party foods is Buffalo Chicken Dip. I lived into my twenties before I even knew it existed (I know, right?) but thanks to my sister-in-law, I have a delicious habit that I break out every time I have people over. 

This Halloween, however, I realized I had too many dips. (What? you say? I know, I know.) I had spinach, ranch, pumpkin, and caramel. I had already planned on making the chicken dip, but after some brian-storming with a co-worker I thought of something that might be an excellent alternative. I was right!

And it's simple: take your favorite Buffalo Chicken dip recipe (as long as it includes ranch), but  instead of using however much ranch dressing the dip calls for, substitute it for 4 Tbs (one packet) dry ranch seasoning powder. This makes the dip more substantial and fits perfectly into mini Phyllo Cups. I spooned the chicken mixture into the cups, about a Tbs fits, and stuck them in the oven at 250 degrees for about 10 minutes. You just need to keep an eye on the dough because they are already pre-baked. 

They were a hit! They were the first to disappear off the table, so next time I'll be doubling the recipe (I made 60 this round). I can't wait to try these as an appetizer for the holidays, I have a feeling they'll be a hit there as well! 

Product Recommendation: Kraft Cheese with a Touch of Philadelphia

By Ariel

We had our annual Halloween party this past weekend, and one staple I always make (because I love it so much) is some variation of a spinach-artichoke dip. I usually like to grate my own cheese, it just seems fresher that way, but I've been seeing a ton of coupons lately for Kraft's cheese with a touch of Philadelphia. They claimed it would make my cheese extra gooey, so I decided that warrented trying out.

Wow, they were not kidding. This cheese is wonderful! I prefer my spinach dip warm and served in a bread bowl, but obviously throughout the night the dip will firm up a bit. Substituting my normal cheese with the Philadelphia blend really helped keep the dip more plyable and, well, dippy. Straight out of the oven, the cheese came out like ooey-gooey pizza cheese and I was really impressed with the texture and taste as well. Like I said, I normally grate my own over buying bagged shredded, but I think for dishes and pizza this might become my go-to cheese.

I also counted what looks like seven different varieties, so from Italian to tacos there is one for you to try!

(Photo credit: Kraft.com)

Little Monster Party Sandwiches and Cookies

By Tara C.

Last weekend I helped host a Little Monster-themed baby shower for my sister, whose first baby (a boy!) is due in November. These "monster" sandwiches came together much faster than I expected. We copied the idea from this Little Monster 1st Birthday Party. We made two plates of sandwiches--one with lunch meat and cheese and the other with cheese slices or herbed cheese spread.

I used a combination of wheat and white breads, which I cut with a biscuit cutter. For the cheese slices, I used a scalloped-edge cookie cutter. Both are shown below. If you don't have cutters like these, you could just use the back of a glass to cut the bread and cut jagged "teeth" in the cheese slices by hand.

The olives are pinned on by toothpicks, which also help prop up the sandwiches on the plate.

Aside from a Little Monster-themed shower or birthday, I think these sandwiches would be fun at Halloween, too.

I also made little monster sugar cookies as party favors. The cookies were cut out with the scalloped cookie cutter shown above. I am not much of a cookie-decorator, so the candy eyes I found at the grocery store really helped.

I put each cookie into a cookie sleeve in a bread basket to give to guests as party favors.

(Peek-a-boo!) More Little Monster shower pictures can be found here.

(photos from: me)

Breakfast Tarts

By Ariel

I realized the other day that I havn't writen a post featuring cresent rolls in a over a year.  I don't even know who I am anymore.  Anyway, this is a throwback twist to my bacon tarts I blogged a million years ago. 

Behold:

These are super simple and very little "recipe" is involved.  One roll of cresent rolls, pop each cresent into the tin and bake on the recommended heat for about 5 minutes, just enough to "toughen" up the cresent.  This is mostly so the bottom of the cresent cooks after you put in the filling.

As for the filling...I scrambled up two eggs and threw in a handful of diced onion, some chopped up sausage, bacon, tomato, and mozerella.  You want this mix cooked, then spoon into the partially cooked cresent roll cups. 

Finish cooking until the cresent rolls start browing up nicely, and you couls also throw some sharp cheddar on top for an extra cheese fix. 

A tube of cresent rolls was WAY too much for two people (What? Our eyes are bigger than our stomachs.) The good news is these reheat surprisingly well.  These would be great for a breakfast brunch or holiday morning, maybe a tad too rich for a day to day breakfast!

What special breakfast treats have you made lately?

Waffle Irons: They're Not Just for Waffles Anymore

By Tara C.

Here at Food Lush, we appreciate a good waffle. Evidence can be found here, here, and here. But did you know you can cook your grilled cheese sandwich with your waffle iron, too? I didn't until I saw this post on Dinner a Love Story. Brilliant! The waffle maker acts as a panini maker and creates lovely, crispy waffled sandwiches. For a while there, I was putting all of our sandwiches in the waffle iron. My husband loves his peanut butter and jelly sandwich waffled--he claims it "carmelizes" the jelly. Personally, I prefer giving my grilled cheese the waffle treatment. All you need are two slices of bread and some cheese. Any bread will work as long as it's not too thick. You may need to hold the waffle iron down if it won't close.

There is a chance that the cheese could ooze out of the waffle maker, but don't worry. It's worth it.

See that crispy cheese on the outside? That's the best part.

It turns out that sandwiches are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to things you can waffle. In a previous post, a commenter mentioned that canned cinnamon rolls can be cooked with a waffle maker. It's true, you can do that!

And then I found The Waffleizer, the website that provides 30 answers to the question "Will it waffle?" You have got to see these gorgeous creations.

Behold the waffled chocolate chip cookies:

The waffleburger:

Holy moley, it's a waffled egg! It's the croque madame:

All this waffling of non-waffles seems a tad rebellious to me. What are my other appliances hiding? What hidden potential is lurking in my kitchen? What about you? What off-label uses have you found for your waffle iron? Or any other kitchen appliances for that matter?

(photos from: me, The Waffleizer)