Creamy Cauliflower

I love {love} love mashed potatoes. And while it is definitely not mashed potatoes, Creamy Cauliflower {page 364} still falls into the realm of Mashed Deliciousness.

Simple to make, and using ingredients you'd expect when mashing any vegetable, this dish came together quickly into a montage of creamy, savory, comforting goodness. The texture is not exactly the same as mashed potatoes, and the taste is a little off, but it was close enough that it fooled the Supertoddler.

I think the best thing about this dish is the lowered calorie count. Let's be honest, mashed potatoes are delicious, but not too friendly to the waistline. This Creamy Cauliflower is not only yummy, but it won't increase your pant-size.

This was a very good recipe, and a technique I will be using often, I'm sure of it.

-- Your Friendly Neighborhood Batgirl

Pastry-Wrapped Portobellos w/ Basic Mashed Potatoes & Madeira Sauce

I ashamed to confess this, but for me food in rarely just functional. As much as I hate the term, I'm a "foodie" to the core. If something doesn't taste amazing, I will eat a couple of bite, but that's about it. I'm always searching for that next euphoric food experience.

Pastry-Wrapped Portobellos {page 331} with Basic Mashed Potatoes {page 373} and Madeira Sauce {page 546} was one such euphoric experience.

Flaky golden pastry encases a tender portobello mushroom, filled with a walnut stuffing. Paired with the creaminess of the mashed potatoes and the deep, complex richness of the Madeira sauce, it was a flavor party in my mouth.

As I was eating this meal, it occurred to me that the mushrooms would make an AWESOME main dish for Thanksgiving. If anyone is still searching for the perfect centerpiece for your Thanksgiving feast, this just might be the thing.

One more thing I wanted to mention -- when I looked at the recipes this evening, the whole meal felt very daunting to make. However, it came together really quickly. I went into the kitchen at 4:45pm, did a bunch of dishes, and still had dinner on the table by 6pm. So...don't let the "fanciness" of this dissuade you, it's actually really easy to put together.

Pastry-Wrapped Portobellos is definitely a recipe worth buying this book for.

-- Your Friendly Neighborhood Batgirl