Curried Cauliflower

Lately I've been on the hunt for interesting side dishes. You can only eat steamed broccoli so many times before your ready for a change. Recently I had a head of cauliflower sitting in my fridge that needed to be used. I love steamed cauliflower with butter and salt and pepper, but my husband is not so happy to eat it in that form. So in my search of a way to make it more palatable to him I found this simple recipe on Mel's Kitchen Cafe. I can't claim any credit for it since it was perfect the beginning. But it is so good, I just have to share. My husband declared it an acceptable way to eat cauliflower and I made it again the next day it was so good. I call that a win.

One last quick note. The curry is a really subtle flavor here so even those who don't love curry flavor may be persuaded to eat this. I hardly noticed it was curry flavored.

Curried Cauliflower 
Servings: 4-6

INGREDIENTS
1 medium head cauliflower
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon curry powder

DIRECTIONS
1.    Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.
2.   Wash and core the cauliflower and cut the florets into bite-size pieces. Place in a large bowl.
3.   Toss the cauliflower with the olive oil, salt and curry powder.
4.   Turn out the cauliflower onto a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 16-18 minutes, stirring every 6-7 minutes, until the cauliflower is browned in spots and is crisp-tender.
5.    Serve immediately.

From Mel's Kitchen Cafe

The Best Biscuits Ever

I'm alive! I haven't posted in months and months. Morning sickness got the better of me for a while and then I was just plain busy! But I hope I can post on here regularly again. I've been cooking up a storm lately and have lots of recipes I want to share. The trick is remembering to photograph them. I always forget to take pictures. I'm hoping having a baby will help me remember that I actually want to document life (and maybe that will apply to the food I make too?).

Anyway, today I want to share with you my favorite biscuit recipe ever. I've heard a lot of people say they don't like biscuits. And I have experienced way too many dry, tough biscuits that are not worth eating. But these are a different story. They are flaky and light and delicious. Give these babies a chance and you might just find yourself liking biscuits.

The Best Biscuits
Makes 12 biscuits

Note: They will only turn out light and flaky if you don't overwork the dough. Be careful not to handle it too much. You want little pieces of butter still in the dough even after it has been kneaded. This is what produces the flaky, light texture.

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour (I've done as much as 3/4 wheat and they are still delicious!)
1 tablespoon sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup milk

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 450°F. In a medium bowl, stir the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt until mixed. Cut in the butter using a pastry blender or fork, until mixture looks like fine crumbs. Stir in the milk until mixture forms a soft dough and leaves the side of the bowl (dough will be soft and sticky).2. Lightly sprinkle  our over a cutting board or countertop. Place dough on floured surface; gently roll in the  our to coat. To knead dough, fold dough toward you. With the heels of your hands, lightly push dough away from you with a short rocking motion. Move dough a quarter turn and repeat 10 times. Dough will feel springy and smooth.3. On the floured surface,  flatten dough evenly, using hands or a rolling pin, until dough is 1/2 inch thick.4. Before cutting each biscuit, dip a 2 1/2-inch round cutter into  our to lightly coat it so it will cut cleanly through the dough without sticking. To cut, push the cutter straight down through the dough without twisting or turning. Cut the biscuits as close together as possible. On an ungreased cookie sheet, place biscuits about 1 inch apart for biscuits with crusty sides, or place with sides touching for biscuits with soft sides.5. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet. Serve warm.