Recipe – Cauliflower and stuff soup

Yesterday, I wanted soup – really – really badly. I was feeling miserable sick and stuffed up with a balloon for a head and I figured that soup was the only way to go.

However – there was none in the cupboard . . .

So I decided to improvise!

I had some leftover roasted cauliflower in the fridge – so – I dumped that into some chicken stock. Since I was feeling under the weather – chicken stock seemed like a swell way to go. Next up, I added about a half a head of raw garlic in . . . not a clove, a head. I wanted a super-dose of garlic to kick my cold out. Then a little handful of barley, the rest of the baby arugula and a big dollop of chili-garlic sauce.

I was really betting on the garlic to set me straight. I was also kind of hedging that bet by adding the hot sauce – just in case.

I then let all of it simmer in a pot for about 20 minutes – to make sure that the garlic got nice and mushy – – – and then whamm-o! It was time to eat.

The end result was tasty and spicy and pretty much a grand success. The cauliflower had fallen apart into little bits, the garlic was proper and the heat was abundant. I ate and ate and ate and then ended up going to the doctor – because the stuffed head managed to get worse – somehow – instead of better.

Oh well! At least I got a nice bowl of experimenting with what is in the kitchen soup!

Do you experiment in your kitchen? Or are you more of a stick with a recipe type – or – maybe a stick with the bags of pre-made stuff that comes in the box from the store – or – last maybe – one of those that just has nice people who come to your house and give you your food all ready made?

I’m itching to know . . . Maybe you will let me know?? Uhm . . . maybe??

French Toast – Recipe

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Mashed Cauliflower – Recipe

cauliflower

Here it is. It is super simple.

Take a head of cauliflower and cut off all of the florets.
the amount of milk that you use is directly proportional to how much cauliflower you have.

Get the milk to a boil – not rolling – just starting to boil – and then drop the cauliflower in.

milk_and_pot

You will have to keep stirring – so as to make sure that your milk doesn’t scorch (don’t have the heat too high) – and also to make sure that all of the cauliflower is getting some milky attention (the milk shouldn’t really cover all of the cauliflower).

butter

Once the cauliflower is done (ready to fall apart) – start mashing it all up – adding your parmesan – or peccorino romano – or whatever nice salty cheese that you have – and then a little bit of sour cream or a touch of butter (if you want)

A little salt and pepper – and that is it.

The only tough thing is the eyeballing of the amounts – too much milk – and it is all too runny – not enough – and it won’t cook properly.

Bake a Potato – or two

potato

Howdy Gang!

I haven’t given you a recipe in awhile – and – while trying to work on a stable of standard recipes (stuff that is easy – that I can do without much thinking – or muss – or fuss) I just stumbled on how ridiculously simple it is to not only bake a potato – but to do it pretty darn well.

Here is how I went about it.

1) Preheat your oven to 350
2) Wash wash wash your potatoes of choice (I used “Russet” tonight)
3) Dry them potates off
4) Put some coarse sea salt onto a plate
5) Stick a fork into the potatoes several times (to release that much talked about “potato steam!)
6) Cover them lightly with olive oil – all over! 
7) Roll your tatoes in the sea salt

*****STOP*****
Is your oven at 350 yet???? Okay – well then . . .
*****RESUME!*****

8 Place your oiled and salted  potatoes onto the rack and then put a cooking sheet on the rack right below – to catch any “potato drippings.”
9) Set your timer to about 1 hour and 20 minutes and then sit back and wait for sweet sweet goodness.

I believe that we are having some baked potatoes for dinner . . . what about you?!

Perfect Buttercream – Why – Of Course!

You guys know those evenings when all that you want to do is lounge on the chaise lounge all curled up in your softest duvet and all that you want to do is eat an entire bowl of buttercream? Well – boy-oh-boy but do I have the perfect recipe for you!

Here is what you will need:
Unsalted Butter (2 sticks)
Powdered Sugar (6-8 cups)
Vanilla Extract (2 Teaspoons)
Milk (1/2 Cup)

Now – here is what you are going to do with all of that junk:

  • Make sure that your butter is softened. An easy way to do this is to just put the butter on a plate on the counter while you are gathering everything else up – it will do all of the work for you!
  • Put the butter into your stand mixer (everyone has a stand mixer – right?) and – using the paddle mixing attachment (not the whippy whisk one) start mixing the butter up – about on Medium – or so.
  • Add the Vanilla
  • Alright – here is where the magic starts to happen. Add 1 Cup of the Sugar and then a splash of Milk – going back and forth – like that – until you have added 3 cups of Sugar.
  • The recipe calls for between 6-8 Cups of Sugar . . . and I am telling you that you would be bonkers to use that much. So proceed with caution . . . because you are venturing into sweet sweet territories . . .
  • Keep going with the Sugar and the Milk – until all of the Milk is gone – and start really tasting as you go. I think that the last time that we made this – we ended up using somewhere around 5 Cups of Sugar. The first time – I went to about 7 – I lost 5 (five) years on my teeth that day . . .

You are so – so – so done! Way to go . . . now go light some candles – put on some muzak- and eat until you get jittery.

Yum!