Cauliflower Is So Hot Right Now Soup

Cauliflower is so in right now. – actual quote overheard at a West Village restaurant

Here in New York, they can make anything trendy. Even the often forgotten, relatively bland white cousin of broccoli. The line made me laugh, but sure enough cauliflower has been appearing on menus more and more. Roasted, fried, pureed. Mixed with bacon, pine nuts, pomegranate seeds.

I made my cauliflower into an easy soup that knocked my socks off. You start by roasting the cauliflower until it’s golden brown. The original recipe called for a cup of cream which wasn’t going to happen in my kitchen, but it truly didn’t need it. The whole thing blended into such luscious heaven, cream was really not needed. It is among my new favorite soups.

You heard it here. Cauliflower will be 2013′s answer to the beloved 2012 brussel sprout.

cauliflower soup

Cauliflower Is So Hot Right Now Soup

Author: Love U Madly, via Sweet Paul

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 cauliflower, broken into pieces
3 cups chicken stock
½ cup milk (i used fat free lactaid milk) (yogurt would be nice too)
salt and pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 380F.
Place onion and cauliflower in a large oven proof dish and drizzle with olive oil.
Sprinkle with some salt and pepper.
Roast until golden.
Place the cauliflower and onions in a large pot and add stock (keep a handful of cauliflowers aside to top the soup at the end).
Bring to a boil.
Let it boil 5 minutes.
Puree with a blender and add milk, salt, and pepper.
Allow to cook for another 10 minutes.
Serve topped with roasted cauliflower on top.

cauliflower pan

cauiflower soup bowl

Posted on December 20, 2012 at 6:00 am | 2 Comments

My New Favorite Gift: Pinch in a Pouch

I have a favorite new gift and I just have to share it with you. It was gifted to me recently and I could not get over it. It has everything a girl might need “in a pinch,” all in the tiniest of tiny pouch making it the perfect stocking stuffer or shoot-i-forgot-to-get-you-something-and-now-i’m-seeing-you Hanukkah gift.

minimergency kit

The Minimergency Kit (for her) contains… hairspray, clear nail polish, nail polish remover, emery board, lip balm, earring backs, clear elastics, mending kit, double-sided tape, stain remover, deodorant towelette, pain reliever, tampon, breath freshener, dental floss, and an adhesive bandages ALL IN A 3 INCH POUCH! I know it’s crazy. The kit for Moms has all that plus crayons, a thermometer, caffeine gum, sanitizer wipes etc. And there is a great one for guys too with all those weird things they like: lint remover, shoe shine wipes, and styptic pencils (don’t worry, i had no idea what a styptic pencil was either but apparently it’s for razor nicks, minor cuts etc – it’s a guy thing!)

metallic_alt3_600

Yes, I’m just a little bit obsessed with these. And, no, this is not paid advertising – I just think it’s the best thing ever.

Find them here: For Her, For Him, For Mom, For Labor & Delivery, For Mother of the Groom

Posted on December 18, 2012 at 6:00 am | 2 Comments

Holiday Party Host Gift: Christmas Vodka

On the first night of Hanukkah, we went to an awesome Christmas party and I, a total non-drinker, brought my own infused vodka. It made it all the more fun. The party was at a friend’s newly renovated apartment that I couldn’t help but drool at their gorgeous and open outside-the-city-sized kitchen including the farm-style sink and chef’s stovetop.

To celebrate the occasion, we brought our home-infused very merry cranberry lime vodka. It was a big hit (even with the non-drinker ahem,) and the only thing I would have done differently was make much more of it!

Ingredients

1 bag of cranberries
1 lime
2 tbs of sugar
Vodka

Instructions

Peel the rind of the lime.
Poke a hole in each cranberry (I used one prong of a fork).
Drop each cranberry into your empty bottle or jar. Drop pieces of lime rind alternatively throughout the layers of cranberry. Fill to the top.
Add the sugar.
Using a funnel fill the bottle with as much vodka as can fit. Seal the top of the bottle/jar. Leave in a dark place for 7 days.

Posted on December 10, 2012 at 6:00 am | 9 Comments

Will Workout For Latkes: Earning My Holiday Treats

I’m not good about working out. I generally lack the discipline and motivation and, instead, I get a random burst of get-my-butt-to-the-gym inspiration, also known as shoot-my-butt-doesn’t-fit-in-my-pants inspiration. Last week, I was a gym rat. Okay, I went three times but that’s pretty impressive, don’t you think? I returned to my old stomping ground at Physique 57 for two sessions of crazy burning in my quads, abs, and above-mentioned butt and I also tried Soul Cycle for the first time. I now see why people are absolutely crazed for it. It’s basically spinning on crack with awesome music, hot instructors, and tons of energy.

This weekend, I also tested out a new latke recipe. They have a delicious Greek twist – packed with feta, spinach, and topped with tzatziki. And if you do three workout classes in the same week you make them you can have as many as you want. And, I did.

Spanolatkes

Author: Love U Madly via Food Network Magazine

Recipe type: Hanukkah, Holiday

Cuisine: Jewish, Greek

Prep time: 40 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 1 hour

Serves: 12 latkes

Ingredients

•3 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for frying
•3 ounces spinach, stems removed, chopped (about 4 cups)
•2 leeks, white parts only, thinly sliced
•Kosher salt
•4 scallions, thinly sliced (about ½ cup)
•1 pound russet potatoes
•3 large eggs
•2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
•1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
•1 cup crumbled feta cheese
•Freshly ground pepper
•Tzatziki, for serving (optional)

Instructions

Heat 1½ tablespoons vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the spinach and cook until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a colander set in a large bowl; refrigerate until cold, about 15 minutes. Squeeze out any excess moisture; set the spinach aside.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1½ tablespoons vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the leeks, sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the scallions and cook 3 to 4 more minutes. Let cool.
Peel the potatoes and grate on the large holes of a box grater. Transfer to a clean kitchen towel, gather into a pouch and twist closed, then squeeze over the sink to remove as much liquid as possible. Transfer to a large bowl; add the leek-scallion mixture, spinach, eggs, flour, dill, feta, 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper and mix with your hands until combined.
Heat ½ inch vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350 degrees F. Working in batches, scoop about 2 tablespoons of the potato mixture into the pan for each latke and flatten with a spatula; fry until golden brown and cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels. (Return the oil to 350 degrees F between batches.) Serve with tzatziki.

Posted on December 3, 2012 at 6:00 am | 1 Comment

A Funky Thanksgiving Table DIY: Wine Glass Candlesticks

I have been longing for a do-it-myself project for weeks and weeks now. I just haven’t felt inspired (er, yes, I know that’s a fine line between lazy and inspired). And then I saw the above gorgeous table in an Anthropologie magazine and I got those little inspiration tingles. Sure, Anthropologie had a live rabbit on the table and I wasn’t going to do that since my rabbit was busy (kidding). BUT more importantly, floppy was next to some very funky candle sticks made of stacked wine glasses and I thought… I could do that. And that’s how a DIY is born.

Step 1: Gather a variety of wine and champagne glasses. I found mine at the $dollar$ store. I also used a couple of my leftover dollar store candle holders from this diy.

Step 2: Play around with how you want to stack these before gluing them. My hubby liked this part. Isn’t he cute? Once you’ve figured out your order, use a glass glue (that dries crystal clear) to adhere them to one another.

Step 3: Let the glue dry completely. Place candles in candle holder on top, or use some glue or wax to adhere candle to the base of the wine glass on the top of the stack.