Creamy Cauliflower Sauce

 Happy Friday! :) Have you had a good week? Is it cold where you are? It's quite chilly today - and it has snowed a tiny bit today! :) The Weather Channel says it's supposed to spit some more this afternoon, so I'll be sure to gaze out my window often... :D

Today's review is for Creamy Cauliflower Sauce, from Pinch of Yum.

OK, so I was a tiny bit skeptical. Sauce? Really? Out of cauliflower. But I decided to try it, because I like mashed cauliflower as a VERY low carb substitute for mashed potatoes - although I never put gravy on them. That grosses me out just thinking about it! :D

So I cut the recipe in half - I was the only one who would ever eat it, anyway - and went to town. The "sauce" is what you see above; I used it this way, as you see on the left, with some leftover angel hair pasta, shredded cheddar cheese, and ham chunks.

I was pleasantly surprised! It was really good! It gets a YES, PLEASE! - and I'm KIND of craving it now, even! I got two meals out of cutting it in half, but I used a LOT of it. :D I don't like dry pasta. (Oh, and in case you were worried, it's not REGULAR pasta, it's Dreamfields. :) )

It does have a LOT of garlic in it. I might cut that back JUST a bit, but there really wasn't any cauliflower taste to the sauce, which was nice. :) Lots and lots of garlic, like a white Italian sauce might have!

OK, I'm outta here! :) Have a WONDERFUL weekend! Try something new! :) Be BLESSED!

EASY Homemade French Bread

Good Monday Afternoon! :) Did you have a good weekend?

This recipe is for easy homemade French bread from Deals to Meals.

This one lives up to its name. I'm not sure it's accurate about only costing 25 cents a loaf anymore, but it's definitely inexpensive - and easily customizable. :D

I used garlic salt in place of the regular salt, and about a tablespoon extra of garlic powder in the dough. It made two HUGE loaves! The garlic flavor was much more subtle, which was part of what I wanted - it was for a meal for family members before a funeral service, and I didn't want them to feel like they needed a breath mint while talking to people!

The garlic is the only way I changed this recipe. It was easy, and the hot water in the oven worked a CHARM. This is definitely a YES, PLEASE! recipe - I think the next time I make it, I'll form four baguettes instead of the large loaves. And freeze half for future use, especially for taking meals to other people.

OK, I'm outta here! Have a WONDERFUL day! BE BLESSED!

Copycat Recipe: Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits

Welcome to MONDAY! :D Did you have a good weekend? Are you ready for a new month?! Can you BELIEVE it's APRIL!?!? WOW. Hopefully, Kenn and I are in Oregon, perhaps at a friend's house. :) I'm hoping to have some pictures to show you of food we ate along the way, but I'm not promising anything - we're on a TIGHT budget.

ANYWAY. :D This copycat recipe is from one of my favorite bloggers, Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice.

I can't wait. These are DEFINITELY a YES, PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wow, were these WONDERFUL! And the amazing thing is there's no garlic IN them. Just in the buttery blend you put on top after they bake - and man, are they good. Kenn's still mentioning them to me! :D

I halved the recipe, because I figured a)we didn't need more than a half batch, and b)we'd eat them all if we had more, and c)they'd be best fresh.

Oh, my friend. Were they ever WONDERFUL. And so inexpensive - the most expensive thing was the CHEESE!!! Warm, melty, garlicky, crusty on the outside and so incredibly tender on the inside, and NO CHEMICALS. No Bisquick. Everything's from the pantry.

Plan these into your menus, folks. I am not even kidding. These are DEFINITELY going on my FAVORITE RECIPES board, and will get served a lot when we're on the beach. :D

OK, I'm outta here! Have a WONDERFUL day! Try something new!

Copycat Recipe: Olive Garden's Chicken & Gnocchi Soup

It's FRIDAY!!!! How's your week been? Do you have big plans for your weekend? If you're in middle Tennessee, come to Lamplighter's Theater Company and see LAST TRAIN TO NIBROC. You'll be out in an hour and a half, and it's a really sweet story - bring your sweetheart!

Anyway! This is a recipe for Olive Garden's Chicken & Gnocchi Soup from one of my favorite blogs, Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice. :D And I'll tell you now, it's a DEFINITE yes, PLEASE! for my whole family!!

I used organic, free-range chicken stock from Trader Joe's; I bought some around Christmas, and Kenn used it in his chicken soup when he had a horrendous toothache. I was impressed with how rich it was, so I bought four more quarts - and we used them all within 10 days. :D So there's an extra review for free! :D

This is a wonderfully healthy soup, really; with all the garlic and spinach, it's really good with vitamins. I didn't use half-and-half, because I didn't have any. :D I used 1% milk with a scant 1/2 cup heavy cream. But it was just wonderful; the longer it cooks, the thicker the broth gets. I used Cornish game hen meat we had in the freezer; cooking it again in the soup made it so tender. YUM. It's cool in this room while I'm writing this review, and it's making me wish I had a big bowl of it right here with me. :D The next time I make this, I'm going to do copycat bread sticks, too. Ooooooh......
:D

OK, I'm outta here. SO much to do this weekend!!! Don't forget to leave a comment to win on this blog post!!! (Read it for details!)

BE BLESSED!!!

Pico de Gallo

Good Wednesday morning! Sorry I wasn't around Monday; between working too hard this weekend, and being sick, I just didn't feel like blogging. :D So!

With that being said, :D, here is Family Favorite Recipes' recipe for pico de gallo.

OK. I have to say this: this recipe is almost EXACTLY what I would use for a bruscetta topping - except the herb is cilantro, not basil, and it's got a jalapeno in it.

But it's GOOD. :) It's just amazing to me how similar Mexican and Italian can be sometimes. :) And it was part of a grander scheme of a recipe, so as an ingredient, it was good. We didn't eat it all, and I think it's because I was trying to squeeze in as much cooking as I could while my parents were gone. :D We ate WELL that week. LOL!

I'd say try it. I'd also say, if you're looking for a bruscetta topping, just change out the herb and don't worry about the jalapeno. :D So, it's going down in the history books as a YES, PLEASE. :D

OK, I'm outta here. Have a WONDERFUL day! Be BLESSED - and try something new!

Chickpea and Tomato Salad

It's Wednesday! How's your week going? It's supposed to be getting warmer here; today's recipe is a no-cook recipe.

It comes via Green Lite Bites. It's created to be an entree all in its own; I used it as a side dish, but it's full of nutrition and freshness!

Believe it or not, I didn't change a THING on this recipe. :) It's a LOT of garlic; I used bottled minced, instead of doing it myself. I think it was probably a bit milder - which was good, because raw garlic tends to make me nauseous if it's too strong. Go figure. :D

I've made it twice; once for Kenn and me, and one for the infamous barbecue for Kenn's discipleship group. :D I let it sit longer when I made it for the party; the tomatoes were especially tasty! I can't say that chickpeas - AKA garbanzo beans - are my favorite legume, but they're OK. I like hummus, but I think it's because of all the other stuff you add in. :D

So, this is obviously a YES, PLEASE! recipe. It's now safely pinned to my "Favorite Recipes" board! :D Let me know what you think - or if there's something you'd like me to try and review for you. :) Have a WONDERFUL day! Be blessed!