Cauliflower Pizza Crust - Pinterest Attempt

I had such high hopes for this recipe - found on Pinterest.  It looked pretty easy, so I gave it a shot.  I love cauliflower and love pizza.  What could go wrong?  I soon found out that working with cauliflower (other than in it original form) is extremely annoying, not to mention smelly.  Oh man the smell...

Here's a link to the recipe that I tried.  Here's an initial picture of the 'dough.'

Breaking down the cauliflower in the food processor was what released the most pungent smell.  I was not prepared for it.  It probably doesn't affect everyone the same way, but wow - I'll never look at cauliflower the same way again.  Based on others' recommendations, I used multiple rounds of super awesome paper towels (Viva) to squeeze the processed cauliflower and remove some moisture.  I did not use parchment paper and chose different toppings.  Otherwise I followed the recipe pretty much to the letter. It did not make as much dough as the recipe claims, it took longer to bake than the recipe recommended, it's not easy, and the texture is not like pizza. We had to eat them with a fork because they could not be picked up without tearing apart. 

Looking beyond the difficulty factor, initial smell, and texture difference, this was actually pretty delicious!  I don't think I'll make it again, but I'm glad I stepped beyond my comfort zone and tried it out!  Attempt at your own risk. 

 

 
Enjoy!

Miscellaneous Food Adventure Pics

Here are some pics of random meals I made that I didn't want to write about individually.  Enjoy!

Nutella Pancakes

Just mix some in with your normal pancake mix.  A big hit!

Blueberry Muffin Pancakes

I love everything purple!

Butter Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Inspired by P.F. Chang's. 

Used a packaged seasoning for the chicken, basmati rice, romaine lettuce.

Baked Broccoli Tuna Rice Casserole

Cook rice; Combine with canned cream of mushroom soup, chunks of tuna, and broccoli; 

Bake covered at 350 for 30 minutes; Add crumbled potato chips on top; Serve!

Triple Decker Turkey Sandwich

This may be one of the prettiest sandwiches I've ever made. :-)

Toasted bread (3 slices); Layered with spinach, provolone cheese, pickles, mayo.

Spinach Mozzarella Bites

  

Just like the title says...

Stuff fresh spinach and mozzarella cheese in crescent roll dough and bake.  

Delicious!

Banana and Ice Cream Sandwiches

On a lasagna dinner night, I was inspired to make a lasagna-type layered dessert.  

This is what I came up with!

Graham crackers on the bottom; Layered with banana slices, ice cream, and caramel; 

Top with graham crackers; Set in the freezer for about an hour then enjoy!

Fruit Platter Paradise

This post is bittersweet for me to write.  I had so much fun making this creative fruit platter, but the person who I made it with is no longer in my life.  She was a neighbor and dear friend who donated all her possessions and moved away after her sister passed away.  I tried to stay in touch with her for a while, but she chose to start a new life and cut all ties with her past.  I still think of her constantly.  I don't know where she may be now (New Orleans last I heard), but this post is dedicated to her. 

Our Finished Product:

My friend found this idea in a food magazine.  Here's a list of materials (yes materials) and fruit that we used for this fun project.  Great for a shower or brunch-type event.

Food:

• Tons of red and green grapes - these are the main item used to cover the base/tiers
• Strawberries
• Pineapple
• Grapefruit
• Orange
• Lemon
• Homemade or store bought fruit dip(s)

Materials:

• A large, sturdy platter (we actually used a large picture frame covered with foil)
• Flat, foam circles in various sizes (found at a craft store)
• Wooden dowels (to hold up the tiers)
• Long toothpicks (like the sandwich ones)
• Floral pins (to hold larger, heavy bunches of grapes in place - image shown below)
• Tape
• Other fun, items to decorate with (fresh or fake flowers, small items that match your theme)

Step 1 - Construct the Foundation

• For us that involved first covering the frame with foil.  Then we covered the flat, foam circles with foil and grouped them for the tiers.  You could choose a different finish to cover the surfaces with, but be sure the material is food appropiate and that toothpicks/floral pins can easily penetrate it. 
• Next we taped the foam circles that would a part of the same tier together (between the two pieces).  
• Then we started assembling the tiers on the platter.  The lowest tier sits directly on the platter, so that one's easy.  We secured that first tier on the platter with tape so it didn't move.  This is very important for stability.
• We then cut the wooden dowels to create the tier level heights that we liked.  The dowels will go through part of the foam circles, so account for that when you're choosing the heights.  
• This next part was kind of a two person job...creating the tiers.  Starting at the next tier up, and moving one level at a time, we poked two dowels almost all the way through the lower foam circle of each tier (more can be used).  Then we placed tape on the bottom of the tier we were assembling (in the front section, opposite of the dowels) and adhered the taped portion to the tier below it as we set it in place.  This created some overlap, making each tier more stable and ensuring the tiers didn't move away from each other.  These have to be pretty even and sturdy because a lot of weight will end up on them (all those grapes!).  Once we were happy with the base it was onto the fruit!

Step 2 - Prep the Fruit

• You can use different fruit than we did, but ours didn't require much prepping.  The main  prep step was carving out some of the fruit to be used as a bowl for the dip(s).  We saved the top of the pineapple for a fun topper for the highest tier and used some of the fruit chunks on the platter, too.  

Step 3 - Setting Up the Focal Points

•  What I mean here is making sure the large pieces are displayed before adding the small pieces of fruit.  We placed all the hollowed out fruit bases (our bowls) along the tiers and put the pineapple top on the highest tier.  We secured them with a bit of tape.  TIP:  If you're going to be transporting the platter, do not put the dip in the fruit bowls until you get to your destination!   

• Here an idea of what our platter looked like at this point...

Step 4 - Landscaping!

• This is the fun part!  Start with the grapes.  These delicious orbs and their vines are perfect for hiding the raised tiers/dowels.  Do that first, and then you can fill in everything else later.  Don't focus on perfection.  This thing is going to be picked apart by party-goers, and the base/foundation will eventually be exposed.  Just try to fill in those gaps under the tiers as best as you can.  You can also place other items like flowers, etc. beneath the tiers so there's another dimension beyond the grape drapes.  For draping the grapes from the tiers, use many floral 'pins' as I called them earlier.  They hold quite a bit of weight and keep the vines securely in place.  The pins look like this:

• Once you drape and secure the grapes down from the tiers, get creative!  Start filling the entire surface of the platter and tiers with the remaining fruit.  Use the long toothpicks to secure other types of fruit to the foam tiers.  Everything else can pretty much be set on the surface of the platter and even piled on top of each other.  Use those other decoration items, too.  We chose flowers to brighten up the platter even more.  

If you're transporting the platter, cover is well with plastic wrap, and make sure you keep it level.  It's good to use a platter with a raised edge to keep any fruit juices contained as well.  Add the fruit dip to the fruit bowls, and enjoy!  Here's another look at the final platter...

Enjoy!

Xbox Controller Brownie

My husband is a gamer, so I wanted to do something video game-related for his birthday 'cake.'  He actually doesn't like cake that much, so I decided to do a brownie dessert.  This ended up being kind of a blessing in disguise, since cake is more difficult to shape in my opinion.  He and all our friends loved it!  Here's the Xbox controller brownie!

I used:

• Boxed brownie mix
• 3 Rolo chocolate candies (for joy sticks and 'D' pad)
• 4 M 'n' Ms
• 1 small tube of white icing

I cut out a brownie in the shape of the Xbox controller from the large pan of brownies.  You can make two of these if you use a large enough pan.  Use a small amount of icing to help adhere the candies to the brownie.  Then very carefully cut one of the Rolos in half to make it shorter and carve out the 'plus sign' of the directional pad (lower left on the photo).  Write the proper letters on the buttons and make the center white circle with the icing.

  

If you have a gamer in your family, this is a fun and easy themed treat to consider!  Enjoy!

Mini 'Dirty' Apple Pancakes

This recipe was so much fun to make.  It reminded me of standing in my mother's kitchen as a child and making homemade apple pie with her..especially with that distinct smell of fresh apples and cinnamon.  Yum! 

I started with two fresh golden delicious apples. You can use whichever is your favorite though.  I just had them on hand and went with it. 

I melted 1/8 of a stick of butter in a frying pan then added the diced apples for about 5 minutes.  Turn them a few times for even cooking. 

This is when you should get those (mini) pancakes cooking.  I use a box mix, but if you've prepared a from scratch recipe for these ahead of time that works, too!  Once the apples were mostly cooked through, I added granulated sugar and light brown sugar (hence 'dirty' apple pancakes), and cinnamon to taste.  It doesn't take much of any of these ingredients to make a big flavor impact.  Start light then taste test a slice to get it to your liking.

Here's how they turned out!

Enjoy!

Breakfast Pie

I had this idea after I made spaghetti pie.  We had friends visiting for a long weekend, and we had a jam packed agenda filled with fun.  So I wanted to make a breakfast that we could reheat on day two and get us out the door fast.

I went with a crescent roll crust and scrambled eggs/omelette for the pie filling.  It turned out great! 

Before

 

After

Ingredients:

• 4-5 large eggs
• 1/4 cup of milk
• 1/2 package of prepared bacon
• 1/2 of a yellow onion
• 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese

It takes about 20-25 minutes for the center to cook through. Use a shallow pie pan (and a few less eggs) to speed up the cooking process. Keep an eye on the crescent roll crust, as it can cook a little faster than the filling.

Enjoy!

More Muffin Tin Madness!

I know I've posted about my past muffin tin recipe experiments.  Here are a few additional final products of recent experiments. 

 

Blueberry pancakes from muffin tins (Left); Omelette muffins (Right)

Enjoy!