Comfort Food: Cauliflower Pasta

1 Head Cauliflower

2 cups pasta, broken into 1 inch pieces

EVOO

1/2 Parmesan Cheese

Salt & Pepper, to taste

Bring a pot of water to a boil, salt the water.  Cut the head of cauliflower into florets.  When water has come to a boil, add the florets and boil for 5-7 min or until (barely) fork tender.  Add the pasta after 5-7 min and boil for 8 min or until pasta is al dente.  Before draining the florets and pasta carefully extract a cup of cooking liquid from the pot (I use a coffee cup).  Drain florets and pasta and return to pot immediately.  Add EVOO (about 3-4 turns around the pot), cheese, salt & pepper to taste and slowly add cooking liquid until it is creamy consistency (you may or may not use all the cooking liquid).  Mix well and enjoy!

Serving suggestions:  add a little extra cheese to your serving.  Heat left overs with a little extra water to bring back to creamy consistency. 

Morph Your Meal - Chicken Edition

Cooking can be tiresome so I have decided to try my hand ad 'Morphing Meals.' This week I made...

Original Dish - Oven roasted chicken:
1 5-7 lb whole chicken Stuffed with:
2 lemons quartered
1.5 heads of garlic halved
1 handful of fresh thyme
Coated with: 2 tbsp of softened butter (massaged into the meat and the skin)
liberally salted and pepper
Baked at 425 for about 1 hour, until internal temp reached 165)
Serving Suggestion: Creamy Mac and Cheese and Spinach Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Morphed Meal 1 - Chicken and Rice Casserole:
1 lb of chicken cubed
2 cups rice (cooked)
1 can Cream of Mushroom
1/4 cup mayo
1/4 of vegetables (I had stir fry mix in the freezer that included broccoli, red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper and green beans)
1/4 cup wine (I had red on hand but would have preferred to use white or even chicken stock)
Salt and pepper
Topped liberally with shredded, mild, cheddar cheese
Bake at 350 for 45 min

Morphed Meal 2 - BBQ Chicken Dip:
12 oz of chicken shredded
8oz Cream Cheese
1/4 cup ranch dressing
1/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup BBQ sauce
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Combine ingredients in baking dish and bake at 350 for 25-30 min until bubbly.
Serving Suggestion: Chips or Celery

Morphed Meal 3 - Chicken with Spinach Salad (Single Servings):
Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing:
2 tbs Balsamic Vinegar
4 tbs EVOO
Salt and pepper
1 crushed garlic clove
Whisk dressing together and pour over your choice of spinach leaves and pieces of chicken for a delicious and healthy lunch.

Enjoy!

Goodbye Apartment!

We went to the old apartment today to do some last minute cleaning. We had a tendency to care for strays that came by the back porch, our cat was the most popular kitten in the complex and had several boyfriends.

As we were loading up the last of the supplies I went to the back porch to find our most regular stray sitting by the window waiting for this mid day meal. It broke my heart. He was too scared of us so we were not able to lure him into a kennel for us to take with him to the new house. So there we left him, as he watched us with a quizzical look, wondering where we were going with his sweet little meows, as I boohooed all the way home. I feel as though I am abandoning a poor, innocent animal. Now on to find something to take my mind off of my guilty conscience.

Farewell, apartment! You hold some amazing memories: Our first Christmas as husband and wife, our first anniversary eating cake and champagne in bed,first Supper Club, pool parties, game nights, movie nights and so many more. What a bitter sweet feeling of leaving our first home (apartment) for our first home (house).

Our First Home!

Me and my husband have been married 2 years. After a long life of apartment living, we have finally purchased our first home. Our "starter home" has 3 bedrooms and 2 baths. Perfect for us two, our cat and room to grow. So, this is life as a home owner and our trip through making a house a home. We plan to blog about our experiences, obstacles, do it yourself projects, and life in general.

Yesterday was my first day doing yard work. While my husband mowed, I worked on the flower beds. First of all, next time I will start earlier, afternoon heat is not my friend. Second of all, I will start with gloves, there are some prickly creeps out there and my hands have paid the price. All in all, I could get use to the gardening thing. It was relaxing at times (when I finally found a shaded area under a tree to pull weeds and wasn't dripping sweat constantly) and although I don't consider myself an outdoors person I enjoyed spending my morning and afternoon outside and felt accomplished after.

So far home ownership has been fun. My husband has successfully mounted and wired the TV over the mantle (with the help of our wonderful friends). Boxes are slowly disappearing from site. Our list of projects is beginning to grow. It's starting to feel like home.