Cauliflower Gratin with Bleu Cheese

When Biz posted this recipe a couple of weeks ago I printed it out right away! I love the humble cauliflower, cheese, and especially bleu cheese recently! It's like she crawled inside my brain and made a side dish especially for me!

I kept everything pretty much the same, except I don't have a food scale so I eyeballed the ounces of cheese. I think mine ended up more like 2 oz. of each, but feel free to play around with the cheeses to match your own tastes! Biz's sister, Jenn even made it with purple cauliflower and cheddar instead!


1 head cauliflower
1 cup skim milk
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp flour
2 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 oz. bleu cheese
1 Tbsp bread crumbs
salt and pepper, to taste

Cut the cauliflower into bite sized pieces and boil in a pot of salted water with a splash of white vinegar. (This helps keep the cauliflower white.) Cook until tender, drain well, and set aside.

Melt the butter in a small skillet, stir in the flour, and cook the roux for a minute. Add the milk, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat, add the cheeses, and stir until they are melted.

Spray a casserole dish and add the cauliflower. Pour the sauce over top, and stir until everything is covered. Sprinkle the breadcrumps over the top. Bake at 425° for about 15-20 minutes until bubbly and the top is slightly browned.

Frozen Yogurt is for the dogs

Two weekends ago I puppysat for Johnny's sister. She has two puppies and they're in their "chewing" stage, so I was researching ways to keep their little mouths busy. I read on a few web sites that dogs love frozen treats because it occupies them for awhile. With three rambunctious dogs that never seemed to tire, that's just the thing I was looking for!

I placed three small dog bones in the bottom of three freezer-safe glass bowls. Then, I simply covered each with about 1/2 cup of fat free plain yogurt. Allow to freeze overnight, then run under hot water until they pop free.

I chose to let them have these treats outside so they wouldn't get the floor dirty. (And I could get some peace and quiet for a few minutes.)

Later that night the three of them curled up together in the spare bedroom. How adorable are these little faces??

Peruvian Potatoes with Chiles and Cheese

Sorry for the rambling title - I felt it was appropriate to grasp the full magnitude of this dish.

Last November when we were in D.C. we ate at a Peruvian restaurant. It was the first time Johnny, Goran, and I had ever had the cuisine and all three of us fell in love. It's been on my mind since to see what I could incorporate into my own kitchen.

I'm not a member of any CSAs, but I am signed up for an e-mail newsletter for a local farm I considered. One of the things included in the weekly newsletter are recipes. The thing I love about these recipes are their focus - using up the CSA vegetables! It's a great resource to have for sides, as well as vegetarian and vegan meal ideas. A few weeks ago this dish came in the newsletter and I put it aside to make.

Please note, I made a lot of substitutions according to what we had on hand. I will be making it more closely to the original recipe in the future to try that out too.

2 pounds red potatoes (I used 6 medium russets)
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup finely chopped red onion (I used 2 small yellow onions)
2 minced jalapenos, minced (leave seeds according to your heat preference)
1 Tbsp minced garlic (I used a lot more - 5 cloves)
1 cup milk
6 oz feta, crumbled (I used Chihuahua, cubed)
3 hard boiled eggs, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
cilantro, optional (DISGUSTING!)

Wash and cube the potatoes. Boil in salted water until nearly tender, then drain.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and jalapenos and cook for about 2 minutes, until tender.

Add the drained potatoes and milk to the skillet. Simmer for a few minutes until the potatoes absorb some of the liquid and it reduces to a creamy consistency. Turn off the heat and stir in the cheese so it begins to melt. I used Chihuahua because I felt it was more appropriate for this cuisine than feta, plus I had it on hand.

Plate, placing the hard boiled eggs atop. (For perfect easy-to-peel egg instructions, see this post.) Garnish with chopped cilantro (YUCK!) or parsley.

This was some seriously good stuff. The starch from the potatoes and the milk made this delicious "gravy" that enveloped every bite. The jalapenos added a little something-something in the background, while the eggs where a nice change of temperature and texture. I'll be making it again, like I said - closer to the original recipe and also playing around getting more creative with it.

I am submitting this to the 100th week of Blogger Secret Ingredient (BSI), which Biz is hosting. She chose chiles and you have until November 7th to submit a recipe - new or old!


I'm also sharing this with Just Another Meatless Monday, a weekly collection of meat-free dishes, snacks, and meals to be inspired by! (Click the image above for more information.)

Happy Halloween! (His & Hers Edition)

His

Hers

Friday Firsts - Halloween Goodies

Hello everybody and Happy Friday! (Click the image above or on my sidebar for more information.)

Between my birthday and Halloween fun around here I'm a little backlogged in posts. I have been trying out some new recipes, but they're just not posted yet!

So for this week my firsts will be a whole bunch of the Halloween fun I've been sharing with you this week.

I've shown you some of the Halloween decor around our house.


And I've shared two really cute recipes - witches' broom cookies and cheesy toes with stinky dip.


Now it's your turn to tell me about your first! To participate in Friday Firsts create a blog post featuring a "first" of yours. Next, link that blog post below and tell us about it! If you don't have a blog or a specific post to link to please tell us about your first in the comment section! Any and all participation is welcome!



If you would like to display the Friday Firsts button as a badge in your post or on your side bar, you can copy and paste the following code:

<a href="http://www.dinneratchristinas.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://glc.dinneratchristinas.com/i/fridayfirsts.png" alt="Friday Firsts / DinnerAtChristinas.com" style="width: 220px; height: 220px; border: none"/></a>

Cheesy Toes with Stinky Dip

Another cutesy Halloween treat! This time, these came from the Cooking Club magazine. I kept the recipe as is, but changed the dip up some.


Please note: The recipe says it makes 5 dozen toes. Ours were ~1 1/2" long and we only got like 40.

Official warning: If you are on a diet please shield your eyes. I have my own growing thighs to worry about, I can't be held responsible for your undoing too.


Cheesy Toes:
2 cups extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cubed
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups flour
sliced almonds

Stinky Dip:
1/2 cup sour cream
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
1/2 tsp dried basil
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Pulse cheese, butter, and salt in a food processor until well-blended. Add the flour and blend until a dough forms. Form dough into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for an hour until firm.

Remove dough from the refrigerator and shape into toes, making about 1 1/2 inch long, by 1/2 thick. Press a sliced almond onto the tip for a nail, and use a spoon to press "knuckle creases" into the dough. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and freeze for 30 minutes, until firm.

Heat the oven to 400° and bake 10-12 minutes until golden brown (I checked the bottoms because the tops didn't brown.)

To make the dip, simply combine all of the ingredients and stir well. Serve chilled dip with warm or room temperature toes.

YUM! The toes were deliciously cheesy and soft on their own, but the dip definitely kicks it up a notch! I'm not sure if it's the fresh garlic or the lemon juice, but there is a definite tangy, biting punch that is enjoyable for your taste buds! You can't help but giggle when you're munching these down - they really do look like little toes!

Witches' Broom Cookies

Bear with me, I'm in a cutesy Halloween baking mood. These came from Betty Crocker and were too adorable to pass up making!


1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
2 Tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1/8 tsp salt
pretzel sticks/rods (*see note)

2 tsp shortening
2/3 cup chocolate chips
butterscotch chips, optional

Preheat the oven to 350°. Mix the brown sugar, water, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Add the flour and salt, mixing until the dough resembles coarse crumbs. It should hold together when squeezed with your fingers.

Shape dough into twenty 1 1/2 inch balls. Press onto the ends of each pretzel stick/rod. (Note: I purchased pretzel "dipping sticks" which were about 4" long and the perfect size. If you are using full-sized pretzel rods, break them in half.) Shape the dough ball into a broom shape, and use a fork to create "bristles."

Bake for about 12 minutes, not allowing them to brown. Remove from the cookie sheet and let cool.

Place the cooled cookies on wax paper. Over a double-boiler melt the chocolate and shortening. Spoon chocolate over the brooms, "sealing" the part where the pretzel meets the cookie. Optional: drizzle with melted butterscotch chips.



Tips:

• I read in some of the reviews that these do not keep well. In a closed container the cookie moisture tends to make the pretzels stale. These are best eaten day-of. (Don't mind if I do...)
• This would be a great recipe for kids to make with you. There are no raw eggs in the batter so it's safe for little mouths to "taste test."