Cauliflower- Mashed Potatoes

I have tried a few recipes that substitute some of the potatoes with cauliflower for a healthier option. I have not liked them so far...and some of them are quite involved when it comes to combine it all... but this one is really good and pretty simple. (though, I have found with any of them that they are not actually that much healthier, as you add ingredients to make them taste better...)

Sorry, the only picture I have of them is with a bat wing on top... and we only need to see those once... Just picture mashed potatoes in your mind, and you've pretty much got it down. But you can see the entire dinner here.

Cauliflower-Mashed Potatoes
makes 8 servings

{ingredients}
4 quarts water
2 tsp. salt
2 lbs. Yukon gold potatoes, cubed. (the great thing about these potatoes is that they do not need to be peeled though you can peel them if you want a smoother texture. They also make very creamy mashed potatoes.)
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1/2 c. butter, softened (I didn't soften my butter, just tossed it in with the steaming potatoes. It melts fast enough...)
2 (5.2 oz) packages garlic and herb cheese spread instead I used... a package of the Philadelphia's Savory Garlic Cooking Cream
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

{directions}
In a large pot, combine water and salt. Add potatoes and cauliflower. Bring to a boil over over medium-high heat. Cook 10-15 minutes, or until tender. (The smaller you cut, the faster they cook)

Drain well, and return to hot pot. Add butter, and cheese spread cooking cream. Mash with a potato masher until butter and cheese cream is melted. Season with a little salt and pepper, stirring to combine well.

I may have to try this recipe with the cheese spread, just to compare. But everyone thought they tasted great.

Humbled and Honored

I feel so honored!

The Liebster Award is for blogs that have 200 followers or less. The word “Liebster” is German for kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, valued, cute, pleasant, endearing and welcome.

The lovely Glitzy Pear, a fellow crafter and blogger nominated this humble little blog of mine as a recipient of this fun blogger award and I couldn't be more excited! Its a first for me, to be acknowledged by someone else for my little piece of cyberspace! So a big thank you to her for her thoughtfulness. You should check out her blog here, she's got some great projects! 

Here are the rules for accepting this award:

1. Each person most post 11 things about themselves.

2. Answer the questions the tagger has set for you, and then create 11 new questions for the people you tag with the award.

3. Chose some(5-10) bloggers (with less than 200 followers) and link them in your post.

4. Go to their page and tell them about the award (social networks accepted).

5. If you have not done so already, follow the tagger and visit at least three nominees. Spread the love!

6. And remember, no tag backs!

As I can't say much for any of the other cooks who post here (Glenna and Janell mostly) I thought I would answer them for myself and accept it for all of us.

11 things about myself

1 I have two boys (1 little guy + a husband)

2 I love to craft and cook!

3 I love to plan/create parties 

4 I love to learn new things

5 My favorite thing to eat is pasta.

6 I want to learn photography.

7 Halloween is the biggest party of the year (followed closely by St. Patrick's Day).

8 My favorite color is green.

9 I want a puppy.

10 Fall is my new favorite season. Spring is hard to beat though...

11 My best friend shares the same name as me! 

Birth mother Baskets questions to me..

1. If you could meet anyone (dead or alive) who would it be?

2. What would you do if you had a free day all to yourself? 

3. Favorite place to eat out?

4. What are you most passionate about? 

5. Favorite vacation spot? 

6. What are you afraid of?

7. What would you do with a million dollars?

8. Best tip/advice you've received?

9. Who/what inspires you?

10. Something you can't live without?

11. Favorite Gummy Bear flavor?

Glitzy Pear's questions to me:

1. One spot in the world you would love to go? The Holy Land 

2. Favorite place in your house? I love spending time in the kitchen...when its not 95+ degrees...

3. Do you stop to smell the roses? I LOVE Roses. you better believe I stop to smell them!

4. Would you rather read or watch a movie? I'd love to say read... but I am lazy enough movies happen more than they should...

5. Your favorite sport team? BYU Cougars

6. If you could have anything for your house what would it be? A big, safe, fun backyard.

7. Favorite color? Lime Green! 

8.One dinner that your kids love to eat (made by you of course). My boys both love chicken roll-ups and curried chicken. 

9. Favorite day of the week- Friday or Saturday

10. What do want to drive when all the kids are grown- VW (lime green) bug,

11. Are you a neat crafter? I'd love to say "of course" but that wouldn't be totally honest... I like to be organized but there are a lot few unfinished projects sitting out more often than not...

MY Winners!
So here are my new favorite blogs and  I tell ya these ladies are amazing! Homemaking, Food, DIY, the list goes on! Go ahead and check them out and show them some love!

Be it Ever So Humble
{So Much} Jane and Eugene
Do or DIY
Little Magnolia Kitchen
A Slice of Our Life
Simple Inspiration 

Grandma's Corn and Potato Chowder

Grandma, Me, and Mom (Glenna)

In honor of the passing of such a special lady I thought it fitting to share a recipe that came from Grandma Barker. My mom made this delicious chowder for us as kids and we love it. I have made it for a few parties and I never take home extra... People always ask for the recipe.

There's nothing as comforting as a warm, creamy, potato chowder on a chilly fall or winter day. This soup is also easy to make. So without further ado,
Grandma Barker's Corn and Potato Chowder:


{ingredients}
1/4/ c. butter
4 c. potatoes- peeled and diced
2 1/4 c. water
3 sliced green onions
1 can of corn-drained

6 Tbsp. butter
6 Tbsp. flour
2 1/2 c. milk
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 tsp dill weed (I usually just add some until its throughout the sauce... it ends up being more like a tsp. but you can be the judge)
1 tsp salt
2 c. grated cheddar cheese

{directions}
Bring 1/4 c. butter, water, potatoes and onion to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add corn.
Melt the 6 T. butter in another pan. Stir in flour and remove from heat. Gradually add the milk and return to heat. Stir until thick and smooth. Add seasonings.
Stir sauce into potatoes. Heat through but do not boil. Add cheese about 5 minutes before serving and stir in to melt it. Keep warm over low heat.

You can add diced ham or bacon bits if desired.

This is best served with some warm cornbread with honey butter. Just sayin'... *wink*

And here is the recipe card for you! Click on the picture and save it to your computer. Then you can print away!

Slow Cooker: Peach Cobbler

There's nothing like fresh peaches in the summer time. There's nothing quite like peach cobbler. Yum! I found a recipe for slow cooker apple crisp/cobbler online and thought I would adapt it into Peach Cobbler instead (who's complaining right?). It turned out so moist and yummy! I will have to make it again to get a picture of it because it was gone before I found my camera! The only change I would make to it now is add more peaches... there wasn't quite enough for my liking...

{ingredients}
canned, sliced peaches (I used 1 29 oz can. but next time I will use more.- though the moisture of one can was just about right.)
1 dry yellow cake mix
6 Tbsp butter - melted
ground cinnamon to taste.

{directions}
1. In a 4-5 quart slow cooker add your peaches. (just dump it in. juices and all!)
2. next you add the cake mix on top. (do not mix it in.)
3. evenly poor (or spoon on) butter over the cake mix. (again, no stirring!)
4. sprinkle some cinnamon on top of the pile**
5. Cover and cook on High for 4 hours. (Do not mess with it. Don't even lift the lid for a sniff. It lengthens the cooking time. And don't worry, after 4 hours it will look like its supposed to. Even at 3 1/2 hours it might look like it needs something. Just trust the cooker to do its job!)

Side note: you want your slow cooker to be at least 1/2 full or just over. Too much or too little will result in less-than-desired results...

**you could also stir in some cinnamon to the dry cake mix before putting the cake mix in if you want it spread through out the cake a little more evenly. But if you spread it out evenly on top, you still get the cinnamon goodness!

Now enjoy! Yum!

Rice Cooker: Swedish Meatballs & Rice

My dear friend gave us a rice cooker for our wedding (love her!). It comes with a steaming tray and serving ladle. Up until now, I have used it to cook... rice. and we have steamed broccoli in it once or twice... But after a little bit of "research" I found there is a lot more you can do with this seemingly humble appliance.

Here it is, my first (of many) no-heat meal. I must admit, this "no-heat" thing is quite an exciting challenge for me. It is stretching me and my creativity to new heights. It is rather exciting. Tonight was a total shot in the dark, but I gave it a try and it didn't turn out too bad... not amazing, but not bad...

Swedish Meatballs & Rice:

White rice went into the main cooker part. I added the required water and started it up. When there was about 10 minutes left on the rice time I added some frozen Swedish meat balls (we picked up a bag while we were at IKEA) to the steaming tray.

The sauce was made up of cream of mushroom soup, some dried chopped onions, and a little water to thin it a bit. We added a few fresh herbs as a garnish (we gave rosemary a shot, and it was pretty good...)

Not the most amazing meal I've ever made, but it was a good first try. More (hopefully better) recipes to come!

Cooking Creativley

July was a blur this year. We found out at the end of June that we would need to move by the end of our lease (Jul 31) so we found ourselves frantically searching for a new place, packing, moving, and everything else that comes with moving... Now we are in our new place. The boxes are being unpacked and we are starting to get settled. The kitchen is unpacked (for the most part) and I can resume cooking again soon...

The only problem? No air conditioning. I have made spaghetti since moving in, but it heated our house to an uncomfortable heat. So I have realized that I need to be a little more creative in my dinners for the rest of the hot weather... Its a challenge to come up meals that do not require stove or oven... but I have been brainstorming and I believe I have a few ideas.

1. Crock pot is the obvious choice. I am not very practiced at slow cooking (I am told it is easy... how hard is it to turn on you ask? It might be better to skip that question...)

2. Microwave is the second most obvious choice. Again, I am not skilled at cooking with a microwave beyond heating up leftovers... and I don't think my husband will go for a month of Easy Mac...

3. Grill. My favorite option as my husband likes to do the cooking on the grill. I am more than okay with that.

4. Electric Griddle. Eggs, grilled cheese... pancakes... anything else I can cook on this?

5. I have a rice cooker that also steams veggies! What a brilliant idea I have just had!

6. Salads are cool and yummy. Hopefully I get enough in my Bountiful Basket this week to work something out...

7. Smoothies are great for cooling off on a hot summer day/evening. All it takes is a blender.

I could use any ideas or suggestions or recipes anyone has. I am trying to stay positive, but lets face it, I'm spoiled and I miss my AC (even if it was a swamp cooler before... yep... spoiled...).  More to come on these adventures as new discoveries are made!

Mexican Rice

This was easier than I thought it would be. And the flavor was pretty good.

{ingredients}
1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Vegetable Oil
1 C. uncooked long grain white rice
2 c. warm water
1 1/2 tsp Caldo de Tomate (tomato boullion)

{optional ingredients}
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp chili powder

{directions}
In a mixing bowl whisk together water, Caldo de Tomate, and optional spices. Set aside.
Drizzle oil into a non-stick saucepan and heat over medium high heat. Add rice and cook several minutes, stirring constantly until rice is slightly puffed and golden.
Add water mixture to rice, stir, and cover pan with lid. Reduce heat to low and allow rice to simmer for 20-25 minutes until water has been absorbed.
Remove from heat, fluff rice with a fork, cover with lid and allow to rest 5 minutes. Serve warm.

Other Serving Suggestions:
drizzle some sour cream, add a few dashes of hot sauce, fresh guacamole, etc.