Cheesy Cauliflower Bake

Who else out there is watching Extant? I am on the 3rd episode..woo...good stuff! I hope it sticks around, sci fi shows don't always do well in mainstream television. 

BTW....it 'feels' like 100 degrees here today. LORDY it's HOT. 

Food time!

This recipe is super-easy, the 'hardest' part is cutting up the cauliflower. But it's worth it...yum.

Cheesy Cauliflower Bake

4 ounces cream cheese, softened and cubed

12 ounces cauliflower florets, steamed

6 to 8 ounces white cheddar, shredded

1/2 cup baking mix 

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

3 large eggs, beaten

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup sliced green onions

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 400. 

Coarsely chop cauliflower. 

Combine cheddar and cream cheese. Stir in baking mix and ricotta, blend until smooth Stir in eggs, milk, green onions and salt. Stir in cauliflower. 

Transfer to a greased 2 quart baking dish. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until center is set and browned. 

Dig in!

Boston Market Copycat Squash Casserole

When we lived in Tampa, I fell in love with Boston Market sides....not the chicken, just the sides. One of my favs was their squash casserole. Recently, I bought a copy of a recipe book with a ton of restaurant copycat recipes. The squash casserole was included....and now I'm sharing it with you. It's DELICIOUS. I altered the recipe slightly to work with what I had on hand.

Boston Market Copycat Squash Casserole

1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix

4 1/2 cups diced zucchini

4 1/2 cups diced yellow squash

1 cup chopped yellow onions

1 1/2 sticks butter (12 tablespoons)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon diced dried thyme leaves

1 cup chicken broth

1 teaspoon minced garlic

8 ounces cheddar, diced

Prepare cornbread according to package direction, set aside to cool. 

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 13x11 glass casserole dish with cooking spray. 

Place zucchini and squash in a large pot with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and reduce to medium-low and cook until tender. Drain. 

Meanwhile, melt butter in a skillet over medium and saute onions until tender. Add salt, pepper, and thyme. Add garlic and saute another minute. Add drained squash and diced cheese, stir. Crumble prepared cornbread over mixture and chicken broth. Mix well. 

Spoon mixture into prepared casserole dish. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 50 to 60 minutes until golden brown. Remove cover for the last 20 minutes. 

Cool for 5 before serving. 

Dig in!

Mexican Pancakes with Chili Beans

I know I am 2 posts behind the 4th of July, but how was your's to my American friends? We had friends over for dinner and went to fireworks after. This is Luke and I, yes he's huge now....5 months old. 

Cooper and Daddy....Coop did his first sparklers that night....

Luke is developing such a personality....I tried to get a non-wiggly without flash picture of him in his car, but he moves too much and it was blurry. So I had to use the flash, which just startled him. 

Now...onto MEXICAN PANCAKES WITH CHILI BEANS!!!!

I am normally a classic pancake girl, I even have a hard time thinking about an APPLE pancake, so this was a bit strange to experiment with but I was glad I did. YUMMY. We served it with the Cheesy Corn from my last post. 

It was a very filling dinner!

Mexican Pancakes with Chili Beans

2 cups pancake mix (I used Jiffy)

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1 egg, well beaten

1 1/2 cups milk

1 cup ( about half a can) cream style corn

1 can chili beans in sauce

Sour cream and cheese for serving

Combine dry ingredients. Add egg and milk, mix well. Add corn, mix. 

Pour 1/3 cup of batter onto a hot skillet sprayed with cooking spray. Cook like you would any other pancake. 

Meanwhile, heat chili beans in sauce pan over medium. 

Serve pancakes topped with chili beans, sour cream and cheese!

Dig in!

Cheesy Corn for the Slow Cooker

I cannot remember where I got this recipe, I've had it in my collection for several years now. I would pull out the recipe. glance it over, think nah....and put it back. WELL, I FINALLY tried it and was pretty happy with how it turned out. It seems a little strange to me to used sliced cheese in a recipe, but it worked! This recipe makes a TON of corn, I actually cut back on the ingredients. It would make an excellent pot luck dish!

Cheesy Corn for the Slow Cooker

2 16-oz bags frozen corn

6 ounces cream cheese, cubed (about 3/4 of a block)

1/4 cup butter, cubed

3 tablespoons water

3 tablespoons milk

2 tablespoons sugar

6 slices American cheese, cut into squares

Combine all in slow cooker. Cook on low 4 hours until heated and cheese is melted. If liquidy at the end of cooking, take lid off and cook on high 20 minutes. 

Dig in!

Tomato Baked Beans

I don't think I ever shared the story of our broken camera...

On Cooper's last day of school, the parents were invited for a little party and I was SO EXCITED to see my boy at school. I was happily taking pictures and video of our sweet boy with his teachers and friends, and bam...I dropped the camera on the floor, lens out, jammed. We just JUST got the camera 3 days before I had Luke. I was SO upset. We are going to get a new one, but with plumbing work and just life in general, we just can't go buy a random camera because it's Tuesday, know what I mean? 

AND we don't have fancy smart phones, just very basic can't even send a picture message phones. 

That's why I have been posting a little less, I have a bunch of recipes archived that I pull from to blog at least once a week, until I can start taking pictures of food again. I haven't even really tried new recipes and ideas because I can't blog them. 

My mom is bringing me her camera to use this weekend, so I will be able to get by with it for now. Sigh.

Not that the camera took a beautiful pic of the beans below...but they were yummy, and easy....

Tomato Baked Beans

1 (28 oz) can vegetarian baked beans

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes

1/4 cup molasses

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Preheat oven to 425. Lightly spray a 2 quart baking dish with cooking spray. Combine all ingredients and pour into baking dish. Bake at 425 for 25 to 30 minutes, until edges are bubbly. 

Caesar Roasted Red Potatoes

It's JULY! Luke will be 5 months in a few days....wow. 

We have been staying busy doing library programs, story times and vacation Bible schools. Cooper has done 3 so far, 2 more to go. 

Plans for the 4th? We have friends coming over for late lunch/early dinner and fireworks that night. We are looking forward to it!

I am 96% I will be making this recipe below for our get together....

Caesar Roasted Red Potatoes

5 to 6 medium red potatoes, cut into wedges

1/2 cup Caesar salad dressing

1/4 cup sliced green onions

1/2 cup shredded Italian blend cheese

Preheat oven to 400.

Place potatoes on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave potatoes on high 8 to 12 minutes, until tender.

Transfer to a greased 13x9 baking dish, Bake 15 minutes. Toss with dressing and green onions. Top with cheese. Return to oven 3 to 5 minutes to melt cheese. 

Dig in!