Cauliflower Puree

Oh my goodness.... My mom and I wanted something different than mashed potatoes for Christmas dinner. Last year at a work function the caterer had made something like a Cauliflower Puree. I convinced my mother that we should try it and all I can say is we BOTH loved it. It was better than potatoes! Is that even possible?

A must try! (a link to the site where I got this recipe is above)

yield: Makes 1 serving

active time: 10 min

total time: 20 min

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb cauliflower florets, chopped (2 2/3 cups) (We used a pound)
  
• 1 garlic clove, smashed (We used 4)
  
• 1/3 cup chicken broth (We used 2/3 which was *just* a tiny bit too much; a tablespoon or two of flour thickened it up and didn't hinder the fabulous taste)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (We used sea salt)
  
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream (We used half and half)
  
• 1 teaspoon unsalted butter 9I snuck two tablespoons in :D)
  

Preparation

Simmer cauliflower, garlic, broth, and salt in a small saucepan, covered, until cauliflower is very tender, about 10 minutes. Purée mixture with cream and butter in a food processor until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids), or mash with a potato masher or a fork (Which truly works just as well).

Lets Say Thanks

An email was forwarded to me from a friend today. I normally do not read the forwarded emails, but this one stuck out. Once I read it I knew I had to visit the site and I did. I sent out a whole slew of cards. It is SO important year round for people to know we support them and for our troops even more so.

Take a look, send a card; make someone's day brighter.

XEROX IS DOING SOMETHING COOL

If you go to this web site, www.LetsSayThanks.com you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq/Afghanistan. You can't pick out who g et s it, but it will go to a member of the armed services.

How AMAZING it would be if we could g et everyone we know to send one!!! It is FREE and it only takes a second.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if the soldiers received a bunch of these? Whether you are for or against the war, our soldiers over there need to know we are behind them.

This takes just 10 seconds and it's a wonderful way to say thank you. Please take the time and please take the time to pass it on for others to do. We can never say enough thank you's.

Thanks for taking to time to support our military!

Cooking - Homemade Potato Soup

One of the things I used to love to do was play in the kitchen. I would throw together all sorts of things, see what happened and then afterward (whether I failed or succeeded) THEN do research online. I wanted to make something my OWN.

I remember making a cream cheese based sauce that was divine, it would blow an artery out, but it was delicious. My specialty has always been desserts (go figure!), but today I had some potatoes leftover and realized I had never made potato soup!

So, realizing I had nothing to lose (except some potatoes and soup) I set about "playing" again. Here is my recipe followed up with links to other recipes (that after I started mine cooking, I took bits and pieces from).


Muses Potato Soup
*9 potatoes mostly medium size though there were a few small ones (cut as cubed as possible lol though mostly in thin quarters)
*3 cans of cream of mushroom soup (3 cans of milk as well)
*2 tablespoons fresh garlic
*5 cups of water
*3 tablespoons of butter
*1 cup chopped carrots
*4 celery stalks (without leaves) diced up
*1 Onion diced
*dried parsley
*Chicken Bouillon (5 cubes?)
*1/2c Flour (Still waiting to see if I need to thicken it up, if I do this and the 1/2 & 1/2 will be used)
*2c half and half
*shredded cheese (for garnish)

Put all the ingredients in the slow cooker and turn it on high for three to 4 hours (or low for 6-7 hours).

Now, I'm just waiting. So i thought I'd look into other people's recipes. Most of them use chicken bouillon for their base and water (I used cream of mushroom...ooops), but they all added flour and half and half as a mixture to thicken it up. I may have to do that closer to the end, I just don't know how the creamy soup will thicken up in cooking. I called for reinforcements because I could really see the flavor of onion in it and sent my mom to the store for an onion, some dried parsley and a few chicken bouillon cubes.

Was it a success? We just don't know yet. But I can tell you two things: 1. it smells divine cooking and 2. This was fun.

Other recipes:
Joe's Potato Soup for the Slow Cooker
Rick Davidson Slow Cooker Potato Soup
Slow Cooker Creamy Potato Soup

Mean people suck

I read this story today and was so touched I had to share here even though no one reads here. Posting it here is my testament to the fact that people can be who they want to, bullying sucks, girl geeks rule, geeks are awesome, and we should not judge people but embrace our uniqueness.

I'm grateful today to have read this post and wish Katie all the best.

Katie the Star Wars girl

Floating

I shouldn't be writing this today. Whenever I start the day tired, everything looks worse. But I can't seem to concentrate and the only thing I know to do when I get like this is write out what's bothering me.

I've been in many different places. I've loved them, I've hated them. But I truly experience now the profound feeling of disappointment in my current place. There is nothing that can be done to change it apparently. It stems from the top with a seemingly benevolent leader, who is a tyrant thinly veiled.

The true epitome of “my way or the highway” is the way this person leads. If you're not in this circle of comrades, you're on the street. I went from a conversation over three years ago of hope, to the place I'm at today with no possibilities.

In confidence I asked someone I know I can trust “how much is enough?”. Easier said than done when you're looking at the pavement from his very marketable, much sought after shoes. The sage words were “Don't get blindsided”. I respect those words.

I've begun to pray about this because in so many ways in my life, not just this one, I feel lost. I don't have the money to do a year long trip to find myself. I don't have the support mechanisms in place to take a risk and try something new, and in this economy any move is a risk.

In the end, today in particular I'm feeling like I'm just kind of floating along with no direction. And while I hold an oar, my raft which is falling apart slowly, despite my trying to guide it, is going no where...and my arms are so very tired.

I need sleep, a full night of uninterrupted sleep but that hasn't happened in a long time, or at least not without having to force myself to stay up so I literally pass out. I wake up choking all the time now, despite the things I do to try and ensure it doesn't happen.

It's a sad day when the weight of one line, one person's negative opinion of you can't be shaken off and begins to spiral into a snowball of hell.

I keep trying but maybe today is just a day to live up to its moniker “Blue Monday”. Add freezing to that too and you've got it just about right.

I miss happiness

I miss who I was

I miss who I'm supposed to be

I miss hugs

I miss living

I am grateful I have a job

I am grateful for music

I am grateful for the little joys that are given to me each day

I am grateful for kindness bestowed on me

I am grateful for the knowledge of gratitude

...But I still feel like crap.

/end rant