Cauliflower Nutmeg Bake

My sister Kirsten and I created this recipe a few years ago. (Well it seems like a "few" but I guess it's been at least 8 years now!) We were watching a cooking show on TV and they were making something with cauliflower and seasoned it with nutmeg. We decided to come up with our own recipe. It was successful and I've been making it ever since. The flavors are so yummy together. It makes a great side dish or you can add cooked ham or chicken or even Great Northern beans and make it a meal. You can also substitute soy milk for the regular milk and make it vegetarian.


Cauliflower Nutmeg Bake

4-6 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 head of cauliflower

Boil potatoes for 15-20 min. or until soft. Steam head of cauliflower in a separate pot for about 10-15 min. or until tender. Or, if you have a big enough pot, you can cut up the cauliflower and add it to the pot of potatoes to cook together.

Sauce:
1/2 cup onion, diced
4 Tbsp. flour
4 cups milk
3/4 tsp. nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
grated mozzarella, optional

Saute onion in butter in a saucepan. Add flour. Whisk for one minute over med-high heat. Add milk. Whisk continuously until mixture comes to a boil. Should be thick. Add salt and pepper to taste (remember you will be adding this to potatoes and they tend to need more salt). Add nutmeg.

In a 9x13, mix potatoes and cauliflower pieces. Cover with white sauce. Sprinkle grated mozzarella cheese over top, if desired. Bake covered for 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Uncover for last 10 minutes or until cheese is golden.

*Can add cooked, diced ham or chicken or Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained, to make it a meal. I also like to add bacon bits sometimes.

Lemon Bars

The secret to these little beauties is using freshly squeezed lemon juice and grated lemon peel for an unbelievably lemony taste!


Lemon Bars

1 cup (2 sticks) butter
2 cups flour
1/2 cup powder sugar
4 beaten eggs
2 cups sugar
4 Tbsp. flour
1/4 cup lemon juice (or one lemon squeezed)
1 Tbsp. finely grated lemon peel
sifted powder sugar

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Blend butter, 2 cups flour and 1/2 cup powder sugar. Pat into ungreased 9x13. Prick with fork every couple of inches. Bake for 18-20 min. For filling, blend together eggs, sugar, 4 Tbsp. flour, lemon juice, and lemon peel. Pour over first layer. Return to oven and bake at 325 for 20 minutes. Loosen around edges, cut into bars and sift powder sugar over the top while warm.

White Bean Tortilla Soup

This is a tasty alternative to chicken noodle or regular chili. Delicious with a salad on the side. For a larger crowd (or if you want leftovers) you will want to double the recipe. Great way to use up "stale" chips or chips that have lost their "crunch". I have substituted cream of mushroom soup instead of cream of chicken with great results. Sometimes to make it stretch a little further I add another 1/2 to whole can of water and an extra handful of chips. We give it two thumbs up in our family!


White Bean Tortilla Soup

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 tsp. cumin
4-6 shakes of hot sauce, I like Cholula Hot Sauce (the one with the round wooden lid)
2 cans Great Northern or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 can cream of chicken soup (I like to use the 98% fat free kind) + 1 can water
1 (14 oz.) can reduced sodium chicken broth
1 (4.5 oz.) can diced green chilies
1 cup frozen corn
3 cups tortilla chips, divided

In a large soup pot, saute onion in olive oil. Add beans, soup, water, broth, cumin, hot sauce, chilies, and corn. Add 2 cups coarsely crushed chips. Stir and heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with tortilla chips and diced fresh cilantro, if desired.

*Can also add cooked chicken and/or shredded Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeno peppers

White chocolate mousse

Here it is the winner of the contest I made in my family, several weeks ago.

I'm sure you'll love it! It's easy to do and so easy to eat !!!

WHITE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

Preparation : 20 min
Cook : 5 min

For 4 people
- 9 ounces of white chocolate
- 4 eggs
- 2/3 cup of liquid cream
- ½ ounce of icing sugar
- 1 pinch of salt

Preparation:
Break the chocolate and melt it in a double-boiler or in the micro-wave.
Break the eggs and separate whites from yolks. Beat eggs whites with the salt.
Remove from heat, mix the chocolate with the eggs yolks and add the whites.
In a bowl, beat the cream in a whipped cream (Chantilly) adding the icing sugar, progressively.
In bowls (cups), pour out the white chocolate mousse and finish with the chantilly.
Leave them in the fridge for 4 hours.

**************************

MOUSSE AU CHOCOLAT BLANC

Préparation : 20 min

Cuisson : 5 min

Ingrédients (pour 4 personnes) :

- 250 g de chocolat blanc

- 4 oeufs

- 15 cl de crème fraîche liquide

- 15 g de sucre glace

- 1 pincée de sel

Préparation :

Cassez le chocolat en morceaux et faites-le fondre au bain-marie (ou aux micro-ondes).
Cassez les oeufs en séparant les blancs des jaunes. Montez les blancs en neige ferme avec le sel. Hors du feu, mélangez le chocolat avec les jaunes d'oeufs puis incorporez les blancs en neige. Dans un saladier, fouettez la crème en chantilly en incorporant progressivement le sucre glace. Dans des coupes, versez la mousse au chocolat blanc et terminez par une couche de chantilly. Laissez prendre au réfrigérateur pendant 4 heures.

Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting

These cinnamon rolls have a little extra surprise. They have vanilla pudding in the dough which makes them so moist! This is my favorite recipe to use.


Cinnamon Rolls

1/2 cup warm water
2 packages (about 2 Tbsp.) active dry yeast
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 box (3 1/2 oz.) instant vanilla pudding
2 cups milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
2 eggs, room temp
1 tsp. salt
6-7 cups flour

In a small bowl add yeast and sugar to warm water. Stir until dissolved. Set aside. In mixer, mix pudding and milk until well mixed. Add butter, eggs and salt. Mix well. Add yeast mixture. Gradually add flour. (Switch to bread dough hook after about 3-4 cups of flour are added.) Knead until smooth. Do not put too much flour in the dough! You want it to be very soft but not sticky. Place in a greased bowl. Cover and place in a warm spot and let rise until doubled. Roll out on floured board to a large rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Spread with filling.

Filling:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temp (I usually only use about 1 stick or maybe just a little more)
2 cups brown sugar
4 tsp. cinnamon

Spread soft butter over surface of dough. Sprinkle with brown sugar until evenly covered. Sprinkle cinnamon evenly over the top. Starting at one of the long sides, roll up very tightly. Cut rolls 1 1/2 inches wide with floss* or serrated knife. Place on lightly greased sheet cake pan (or other pan with sides) about 1 inch apart. Cover and let rise until double again. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Remove when they start to turn golden. Do not over bake. Frost warm rolls with cream cheese frosting.

Frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese, room temp
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar
2-3 Tbsp. milk

Makes about 24-32 rolls.

*Cutting the cinnamon rolls with dental floss is the EASIEST way to cut them. To cut rolls with floss: cut a 10-12 inch piece of dental floss. Holding one end in each hand, slide the floss under the rolled up dough. Bring both ends straight up and cross one behind the other. Switch hands and continue to pull ends horizontally in either direction until the floss is straight and the roll has been cut. Repeat for each roll. It's that easy! Perfect rolls every time, never squished.

Banana Nut Bread

This is one of our favorite bread recipes. I like to bake mine in the mini-loaf pans. One recipe makes 6 mini-loaves or 2 large loaves.


Banana Nut Bread

4 eggs
4 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2-3/4 cup chopped walnuts


Prepare bread pans. Spray with cooking spray and then dust with flour. Set aside. Mix first four ingredients; add dry ingredients and vanilla and nuts. Stir until moistened. Do not over beat. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes for small loaves. May need a little more time if baking large loaves.

Split Pea Soup

I love homemade Split Pea Soup and so does the rest of my family. Of all the soups I make, this is one of my boys' favorites. Who would have thought? I love to hear all of the "mmm's" and "yum's" at the dinner table. And the best part of all...it's so easy and very inexpensive to make! Serve with some buttered toast triangles and you're set.



Split Pea Soup

2 cups (1 lb. package) dry split peas, rinse and sort
8-10 cups water
1 garlic clove, minced
2 large carrots, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
3 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
4-5 mushrooms-stems removed, diced
1 onion, diced
1 tsp. basil
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp. allspice
2 tsp. salt
1/4-1/2 tsp. pepper
2 cups cubed cooked ham, if desired
1/2-3/4 cup evaporated milk (or regular milk or cream), optional


In a large pot, combine peas and water; bring to a boil, reduce heat; cover with lid slightly ajar for 30 minutes. Stir in potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, celery, mushrooms, ham, and spices. Return to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for about 30-60 min. or until peas and vegetables are tender. Stir occasionally. Add evaporated milk to give it a creamy taste if desired. Remove bay leaves before serving. Makes about 5 quarts. Freezes well.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

My friend Alyssa sent this recipe to me. She said, "It is amazing and literally only takes about an hour from start to finish. My mom invented it and it's definitely a winter favorite around our house...and it's a soup that looks a little dressy so is great for having company over.The chicken I use in the recipe is usually already seasoned (leftover baked chicken), so if you're using plain cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken meat, you'll definitely need to add more pepper and maybe some salt beyond what is indicated on the recipe." Mmmmm....It looks so good! I can't wait to try it! Thanks Alyssa!

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

1 cup onion, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup carrots, diced
1 large (49.5 oz) can chicken broth
1 small (14 oz) can chicken broth
1 pkg Uncle Ben’s Long Grain & Wild Rice
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 pint heavy whipping cream
¾ cup Wondra flour
2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley
1 teaspoon ground sage
a shake of cloves
2 pinches coarse ground pepper
3 ½ - 4 cups bite size chicken chunks

1. Sauté the onion and celery in butter using a heavy soup pot.

2. Add the large and small cans of chicken broth and bring to a low boil. Add the carrots.

3. Add the rice and seasoning packet. Simmer on low for 20-25 minutes.

4. Dissolve 2 bouillon cubes in 2 cups water. Mix in heavy whipping cream and add the Wondra. Add this mixture to the soup pot with the parsley, sage, cloves, and pepper.

5. Simmer on low until soup thickens. Stir often.

6. Add the chicken chunks. Do not boil after this point.

Gypsy Soup

2 tbsp. oil
2 large onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 cups peeled, chopped yams
3 cups chicken broth
1 bay leaf
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. basil
dash of salt
dash of cinnamon
dash of cayenne
1 cup chopped fresh or canned tomatoes
3/4 cup green peppers, or green beans, or peas
1 can garbanzo beans
1 tbsp. soy sauce

Heat oil and saute onions, garlic, celery, and yams for five minutes. Add broth, bay leaf and all spices. Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes. Add tomatoes, peppers (or other green), garbanzo beans, and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in soy sauce just before serving.

Favorite Soup Recipe Challenge

Attention all "La Bonne Cuisine" cooks!

The leaves are falling, the weather is getting cooler, the smell of burning fires is in the air, and soup season is officially here! I am in need of some good soup recipes. I challenge you to post your favorite soup recipe(s). The more the merrier! Chicken noodle, chowders, vegetable, chili...anything counts!

Thanks!

P.S. If you wish to be a "Cuisine Cook" and contribute to our recipes, please leave a comment!

Pumpkin Soup

This is my most favorite soup of all time! I LOVE it. I would eat it a few times a week if it were up to me. I actually made this recipe up on my mission in Belgium. They eat a lot of pumpkin over there but not really in "sweets". You can even buy Campbell's Cream of Pumpkin soup over there. In fact, that is what inspired me to create this recipe. We bought a can one day and there was a recipe on the back of the label that included zucchini, ham, and spagetti noodles and I just went from there. When I returned home and found out I couldn't buy pumpkin soup I had to create my own recipe! I've contuned to adapt it a little since then. I finally have it just right! Try it with different noodles if you'd like. I think elbow macaroni might be my favorite pasta to use in this soup. It makes it a lot easier for the kids to eat. So yummy! I also tend to put more veggies and noodles than the recipe calls for. I like a good thick soup!


Pumpkin Soup

1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin (not sweetened pie filling)
1 (14.5 oz.) can chicken broth + 1 can milk or soy milk (or use 1 can evaporated milk)
1/2 c. diced onion
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large (or 2 small) zucchini, cut into small pieces
4-5 mushrooms, stems removed, chopped into small pieces
1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp. allspice
salt and pepper to taste (I usually just use Lawry's Garlic Salt instead of salt)
1 cup finely chopped ham (optional)
spaghetti noodles (diameter of 1/2 dollar)-uncooked, break into quarters (or about 1 cup, uncooked, of your favorite pasta noodles-I've used penne, spirals, and elbow macaroni)

Boil quartered spaghetti (or other pasta) in salted water according to package directions. While spaghetti is cooking, in a separate large pot, heat olive oil and sauté onion, garlic, zucchini, and mushrooms. Add ham if using. Add canned pumpkin, chicken broth, and milk to vegetables. Add cooked noodles, salt, pepper, and allspice. If too thick, add more milk or chicken broth. Simmer till heated. Leftovers can be stretched further by adding milk when reheating. Tends to thicken as it cools.

Creamy Chicken Rotini Rice

I love all of the flavors in this dish. It makes a ton! My husband, Tory, actually created this recipe. I was pleasantly surprised! It is so good! Make it vegetarian by omitting the chicken and substituting a homemade white sauce (using soy or rice milk) for the cream of chicken soup.



Creamy Chicken Rotini Rice


1 box Rice Pilaf (I use Rice-A-Roni), prepare as directed
1 (14.5 oz.) box rotini noodles, boil as directed
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup finely chopped fresh mushrooms
1 can green beans, chopped
1 can cream of chicken soup (I use the 98% fat free)
1/2 can olives, chopped
1 (12.5 oz.) can chicken
1 can black beans, rinse and drain
1 can great northern beans, rinse and drain
1/2 c. slivered almonds, if desired


Prepare rice pilaf and noodles as directed. In a separate skillet, sauté onion, garlic, and mushrooms. Add green beans, olives, cream of chicken soup, chicken, and beans. Heat till warm. Combine with warm noodles and rice pilaf in a large serving bowl. Serve with slivered almonds sprinkled on top.