bangers and mash.

i don't know if it's just the fact that i'm addicted to watching gordon ramsay or if it's the head of cauliflower in my fridge that's about to go bad....whatever the case may be, i suddenly had a hankering to make some good 'ole bangers and mash. now i know he's scottish....but he's got a british accent, dammit! and yay for low-carb food!



started off with cutting the cauliflowers to size and then boiling them in salted water. after that was done cooking, i drained it and took some three cheese blend, paprika, pepper, and a little bit of half and half to make the mash. added some garlic powder and then some freshly chopped green onions. beaauuuutiful!



next, i pan fried the chicken sausages in olive oil, set them aside, sauteed some onions, then added some chicken stock, pepper, a little half and half, and thickened it with a little corn starch. then put the sausages back to simmer with the gravy and that was it!

one thing i think i would do differently is probably to have more gravy to cover the sausages with. and probably a less salty sausage. this particular one was a teeny bit salty for what i had in mind. but, overall, it was still pretty good. yay! :)
 

Cheesy Cauliflower Mash
(makes 2 to 3 servings)

1/2 large head cauliflower, cut to pieces
1/8 cup or so three cheese parmesan blend
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/3 cup or more half and half
salt and pepper
1/4 cup green onion, chopped

Boil the cauliflower in salted water until soft and tender. Drain and return to pot. Add the parmesan blend, paprika and garlic powder. Over very low heat, mash the cauliflower while slowly adding the half and half. When reached desired consistency, stir in the green onion. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
 

Sausage in Onion Gravy
(makes 2 to 3 servings)

4 chicken sausages
1 small onion, sliced or chopped
i clove garlic, minced
olive oil
1 tbs flour
1/4 tsp onion powder
1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken stock
1/3 cup half and half
salt and pepper
1 tsp cornstarch mixed with a little water for thickener

Pan fry the sausages until browned in a little olive oil. Remove from pan and set aside. In the same pan, add the onions and the garlic and cook until onions are slightly translucent. Add the flour and onion powder and cook for a few of minutes. Add the chicken stock and half and half, stirring constantly. Add desired amount of cornstarch/water mixture slowly while stirring then add the sausages back to the pan. Let simmer until desired thickness (mine took 10 minutes) then season with salt and pepper to taste. If too thick, add additional stock or water to thin out. Serve sausages topped with gravy.

rusticky ham and veggie tart.

ah, tarts! one of the best ways to use up veggies going bad and little bits and pieces of other random stuff in the kitchen. :) this was a spur of the moment kind of thing and since i was home sick, cooking was an excellent make-me-feel-better activity. :D



let's start with prepping some pretty veggies. i decided to use three different kinds of onions for this one and caramelizing them before going into the tart. figured i'd add some basil and some sun-dried tomatoes to give it a little kick as well.



in to the pan the onions went with a little bit of garlic while i prepped the egg base. looking in the fridge, i spied a couple of leftover slices of canadian bacon and that was put into the mix as well. i was worried that the tomatoes would be too chewy so that was hydrated in olive oil for a few minutes. then all were mixed together with some salt and pepper and into the oven it goes!


tasty! and pretty to boot. :D i paired this up with a side of baby spinach and arugula topped with a little bit of balsamic vinaigrette for a nice lunch. mmm....perfect! definitely love when spur of the moment works! :D

heart-y not-so-scones.

this morning, i woke up uncommonly early and had the urge to make some scones. now, i've never ever made scones in my life so i omgoogled for a bit and found a promising jam-topped almond scone recipe. It seemed simple enough to do so i decided to make a go for it.


so, being the person that i am, i of course didn't have the right ingredients on hand so i substituted this for that and crossed my fingers for the best. looking back now, i shouldn't of beat the batter so much and i wish these were more thicker when i made them. the ending result was a very doughy consistency much like thick bread and not light and fluffy at all like i hoped they would be. one redeeming quality of the experiment is probably the gooey globs of jam and the nice crunchy crust from the sugar i topped the "scones" with. next time, i would definitely go with a more traditional recipe made with chopped cold butter. :/

 

I Love You Scones
(from Celebrate with Style)

1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup applesauce
2 Tbs. butter or margarine, melted
1 tsp. almond extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
4 1/2 tsp. strawberry or raspberry preserves
Powdered sugar

Heat oven to 400ºF. Grease cookie sheet.

Beat egg slightly in medium bowl. Stir in milk, applesauce, butter and almond extract. Stir in remaining ingredients except preserves and powdered sugar just until moistened.

Drop dough by 1/4 cupfuls about 3 inches apart onto cookie sheet. Pat into heart shapes about 3 inches wide and 1/2 inch high, using fingers dusted with flour. Make shallow well in center of each heart, using back of spoon dipped into flour. Place 1/2 teaspoon of the preserves in each well.

Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar while warm. Serve warm.