Cauliflower Alfredo

I have been dying to try this for a while and finally got to do it, and it was fantastic!
Now I am a cheese based person, so we did sprinkle fresh grated parmesan cheese on top, but it was fantastic without it, just needed to satisfy my cheese craving :-)

Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce

INGREDIENTS
1 medium head of cauliflower 
1 large yellow onion
2-3 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon butter (or coconut oil)
5 cups chicken broth
¾ cup milk (or non dairy milk if needed)
½ teaspoon salt (I used Himalayan Pink Sea Salt)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cut the onion and garlic into thin slices. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a skillet on low heat, add onion slices and garlic and sauté covered on low until the onions and garlic are golden and caramelized (about 20 minutes).
2. Bring chicken broth to a boil. 
3. Cut the cauliflower into florets and cook in broth until tender (7-10 minutes). Reserve 3/4 cup of broth, drain the rest.
4. Place the tender cauliflower into a blender or food processor together with the caramelized onions, garlic, 3/4 cup of broth (or more as needed), milk and salt. Puree until smooth.
5. Store the sauce in a container with a lid (like a mason jar) and place in the fridge, if not using right away.Depending on the size of you blender, you can also double the recipe.

Loaded Chicken and Potato Casserole

I tried this recipe the other day and LOVED it.   I tweeted it a bit for lack of all the ingredients on and hand for wanting to see the smoked paprika used :-)

INGREDIENTS

1. 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
2. 5 medium Russet or Idaho potatoes, cut into approximately 1 inch pieces
3. 3 Tablespoons olive oil
4. 1/2 Tablespoon paprika  (I used it half regular paprika and half smoked paprika)
5. 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
6. 1 teaspoon salt (I used Himalayan Pink Sea Salt)
7. 1 teaspoon black pepper
8. 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (I was out of shredded cheese, i chopped up cooper, swiss, mozzarella and cheddar slices and tossed that on top)
9. 1/2 cup cooked, chopped bacon or pancetta 
10. 2 green onions, sliced thin (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400° F. Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish with non-stick spray.
2. Spread the diced chicken and potatoes evenly into the baking dish.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Pour mixture evenly over the chicken and potatoes. Stir to coat the chicken and potatoes.
4. Bake, uncovered, for 50 to 55 minutes.
5. Remove from oven, and sprinkle evenly with the cheddar cheese, chopped bacon, and onion. Bake another 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

I tried this recipe the other day and LOVED it.  

Wholly wholesome pizza dough

This worked pretty well, made several little pizzas and pizza pockets with it :-)

Kraft Cooking Creams

So  I was out of the cooking creams and wanted to make a chicken dish that Ken loves.  I knew I had plain cream cheese, but wasn't sure how to go about making my own.  Turns out, after a quick Google search I found a super easy way to do it and very cost effective!

Ingredients:

1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 T Italian Herbs and some Grated Parm cheese to your preference

In a small saucepan, combine the cream cheese and broth. Stir over low heat until the cheese is melted.

It's that easy.

Wild tree

I continue to love this company's products more and more.  Just tried the everything spice, per the directions on the bottle. O...M....G!!! So very good.  They are also making changes to have a gluten free facility!  They are also already nut free , which affects some people I know.  Love, love, love their products.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

Ok, tried the whole Chicken Cordon Bleu casserole thing that I have seen several recipes on.
So good!

Casserole:
1 whole Cooked Chicken, Bones Removed, Meat Diced Or Shredded (rotisserie Chicken was recommended and it worked beautifully.  You want about 5-6 cups of chicken)
½ pounds thinly sliced Deli-style Ham, Rough Chopped  (I used Pit Ham)
¼ pounds sliced baby swiss cheese (we had longhorn and it worked well)
Sauce:
4 T butter
4 T gluten free flour (I used Better Batter)
3-¼ cups Milk (I Used Whole Milk)
2 T lemon juice
1 T dijon mustard
1-½ tsp salt
½ tsp smoked paprika
¼ tsp white pepper
Topping:
6 T butter
1-½ C Ian's Gluten Free Panko Bread Crumbs
¾ tsp seasoned salt
1-½ tsp dired parsley

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
2) Put cooked shredded or diced chicken on the bottom of the baking dish. Rough chop the ham and scatter it over the top of the chicken. Lay the Swiss cheese on top of the ham.
3) Melt the butter in a large sauce pot over medium heat. When butter is melted, quickly stir in the flour to form a smooth roux. Do not brown! Once the roux is smooth and bubbly, slowly pour in the cold milk while stirring briskly to make a smooth sauce. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens. Stir in the lemon juice, Dijon mustard, salt, smoked paprika and white pepper. Bring sauce just back to a low boil and turn off heat. Pour sauce evenly over the casserole.
For the topping:
4) Melt the butter.  If using the microwave, heat it for 30 seconds at a time and stop once it’s melted. Take the bowl out of the microwave and stir in the panko bread crumbs, seasoning salt and crushed dried parsley. Sprinkle over the top of the casserole.
5) Bake casserole uncovered for 45 minutes until hot and bubbly throughout and topping has turned a light golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool before serving. 

Gluten free alcohol

totally helpful slideshow on gluten free boozing:
http://www.glutenfreesociety.org/wp-content/uploads/Consuming-Alcohol-on-a-Gluten-Free-Diet.pdf