Last night, I came home & decided to use the beautiful orange cauliflower I'd gotten last weekend.
I LOVE getting colorful fruits & veggies, especially ones we're not used to seeing that often. Since the cauliflower is orange, I thought Cheesy Cauliflower Soup would be perfect! I just winged it, & kept track of what I put into it. Try it sometime, if you need to use a head of cauliflower, or even a large head of broccoli.
The cauliflower lightens up when it's cooked, so Ethan thought I'd put corn in it. :) Sorry about the wonky lighting, but it was dark outside when the soup was done.
Cheesy Cauliflower Soup
- 1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 of a medium onion, finely diced
- 6 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups whole milk
- 6 ounces Sharp Tillamook Cheddar, diced
- salt & pepper to taste
Place the cauliflower in a medium pan; add about an inch of water to it & cover it with a lid. Steam cauliflower for 5-7 minutes, depending on size & how soft you like it; drain & set aside.
Meanwhile, in another medium pan, over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onions & saute until soft & translucent. I turned the heat down towards the end, because I didn't want the onions to brown. Once the onions are softened, add the flour, stirring often for several minutes (you want to cook the "raw" taste out of the flour, so the soup tastes just right!).
Add the water and whole milk (or just use 4 cups of 2% milk), stirring often until it thickens up. Remove from heat, stir in the cauliflower & cheese cubes. Stir gently until the cheese is melted. Season well with salt & pepper. Enjoy!
It's been a while since I've posted anything. We've been busy with school & company, so I haven't been crafting it up much, besides adding tons of fabric to my stash. :)
We're watching Ethan's parents' kitties, Yoda & Lady Bobcat. Yoda was our kitty, until a few years ago when he got hit by a car. Thank goodness he survived, but it took thousands of dollars & surgery to fix him up! We sent him to the coast so he could live a peaceful life in the forest, away from speeding cars. Now he's back for a visit, & he's older & wiser. No more dodging cars, kid!
Lady Bobcat was a feral kitty at Nestucca High School, until Ethan's mom, Cathy, rescued her. She was named after the Nestucca mascot, but we just call her Bobby. She's really sweet & has a funny, chattery meow. She LOVES my bed...
Last weekend, we were fortunate enough to have my good friends from Washington visit us. Diane & I have known each other for 20 years, if you can believe that! I've known the kids since they were born, & babysat them a zillion times. It was so fun catching up with them! Eric, the oldest, is 18 years old & building a cabin, so he wasn't able to come down, but he wrote me a sweet card. They're such great kids!
Here are Diane, Marcus & Alaina:
Ooh...Ethan found a new gamer bud. Marcus was trash-talking him right & left! Look out!
In terms of food, I've been making lots of vegan soup on the weekends, then living off it for the week. It's super healthy & assures I'm getting plenty of veg. I usually freeze about half of what I make, so it doesn't go bad by Friday. A great trick I've discovered is blending 1 cup of cashews with 4 cups of water in my Vitamix. This "cashew cream" is a great addition to chowders. What I do is make the soup in a veggie broth base, then stir the cashew cream into it at the end. Ethan was going on about how good the potato chowder was, so I'm pretty sure it would pass for a "real" cream-based soup. Try it sometime! 
Just posting some food stuff...these rolls are so good! They stayed pillow-y soft for days afterward. Coral, Ryan, Clementine & my sister came over for dinner. Coral brought over some homemade soup & I baked these dinner rolls.
Best Soft Dinner Rolls (from Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book)
*2 teaspoons active dry yeast
*1/2 cup warm water
*3/4 cup very hot water
*1/4 cup honey
*1 1/4 cups cold buttermilk
*3 cups all-purpose flour
*2 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
*2 teaspoons salt
*4 tablespoons cold butter, diced
In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water. In a separate small bowl, mix the hot water & the honey. Add the buttermilk; the mixture should be just warm---if it's hot, it will kill the yeast, so let it cool!
In a large bowl, stir together the flours & the salt. Pour the yeast mixture & the buttermilk mixture over the dry ingredients & mix it together. It should be a pretty soft/wet dough (I had to add some water to mine). Turn dough onto a lightly floured counter & knead for 15 minutes. Really work it! Gradually knead in the butter chunks; it's awkward at first, but it'll get in there. Once it's incorporated, you're good to go.
Place the dough into a large, oiled bowl & cover with a damp towel. Keep in a warm, draft-free spot (like the oven) & let rise until doubled (about 90-120 minutes). Punch down, & let rise again (45-60 minutes).
Preheat oven to 400*F. Turn the dough onto the counter & cut into about 18 pieces. Shape the dough into 18 balls & place onto an oiled cookie sheet. They should be about an inch apart, so they have room to rise. Let them rise until doubled, then bake for about 20-25 minutes. I took mine out a little earlier than I thought was best, but Coral knew what was up (they continue baking a little, once you take them out.) After they cool for about 5 minutes, serve them with butter & some steaming hot soup!
Veggie Chowder, made with carrots, onion, corn, potatoes, celery & love!
Also, I'm addicted to this granola. A big scoop of yogurt, covered with this stuff, is the best snack ever!
Granola (based on this recipe)
*2 cups oats
*1 cup nuts/seeds (sunflower seeds, walnuts & hazelnuts are great)
*1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
*1/4 cup flax seed
*1/4 cup honey
*1/4 cup maple syrup
*2 tablespoons oil
*1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
*spices to taste
*3/4 cup dried fruit---added towards the end of baking (raisins & cranberries are my favorite)
Preheat oven to 300F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment & set aside.
Place the oats, nuts, coconut & flax into a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the honey, maple syrup, oil, salt & spices. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ones, stirring to combine. Spread onto the cookie sheet, making an even layer. Bake for about 45 minutes, stirring a couple times. Add the dried fruit, stirring it into the granola. Turn the oven off, but leave the granola in the cooling oven for several hours, or overnight. Once cool, break it up & store it in an airtight container.
