Loaded Cauliflower Casserole

Here's a wonderful cauliflower casserole that will meet your baked potato desires. It is delicious.

Ingredients:
2 lb cauliflower florets
8 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided 6 oz and 2 oz
8 oz shredded Monterrey jack cheese, divided 6 oz and 2 oz
8 oz cream cheese, softened
4 tbsp heavy cream
1 cup green onions, chopped
2 clove garlic, grated
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Steam cauliflower until tender.
2. Soften cream cheese and mix with the heavy cream.
3. Mix 6 oz of cheddar and 6 oz of jack cheese into the softened cream cheese.
4. Stir in onions, garlic, salt, and pepper.
5. Drain cauliflower, smash with potato masher, and then add in the cheese mixture and mix all together.
6. Pour into 2-3 qt dish and sprinkle on the last of the cheddar and jack cheese.
7. Cover with foil and bake 25 minute at 350.
8. Remove foil and bake until cheese is bubbly and brown on top.

This is best served like loaded mashed potatoes and topped with potato toppings like bacon, sour cream, butter, etc.  It is a wonderful side dish for just about any meal.

When we made ours, we put the bacon in the cheese mixture, but it made it kind of soggy, so we recommend adding to the top like bacon bits on mashed potatoes.

This recipe is based on one from Louanne's Kitchen.

Happy Birthday to me - LC style

Dinner tonight was awesome. It's my birthday today and I said I wanted a birthday steak instead of a birthday cake. So, here's my rib-eye birthday steaks:




Yep, that's just 2 rib-eyes stacked on top of each other.
And no, candles don't stand up well when they are in a nice, tender, juicy rib-eye.




My entire birthday meal was excellent.
Grilled rib-eye steak, cauliflower poppers topped with Parmesan cheese, cottage cheese, and fresh avocados. One of my favorite meals. I love all of it.

Wice A Woni

Fantastic side that tastes very close to Rice A Roni, but is done with cauliflower instead. The topping of Butter-Browned Almonds makes it even better.

Ingredients:
1 head cauliflower
2 tbsp lard
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 medium onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp seasoning salt, divided
2 tsp chicken bullion granules
1 tsp lemon pepper
1/2 tsp celery seeds
1/4 tsp dried thyme
2 tbsp dried parsley flakes
1/8 tsp paprika

Directions:
1. Cut cauliflower into small chunks to fit into a food processor. Pulse until it is the consistency of rice. You can also use a hand grater to accomplish the same thing.
2. Melt lard and coconut oil over medium heat in large frying pan and add in the onion, garlic, and 1/2 of the seasoning salt. Cook until the onion and garlic are lightly browned.
3. Add the remaining ingredients to the pan and stir well to fully mix everything together.
4. Cook  uncovered for another 5 minutes or so until the cauliflower is browned or heated through, being sure to stir frequently.
5. Serve with Butter-Browned Almonds as a garnish.

This is a very good side dish and the kids loved it and so did we.  We will probably cut down the thyme in it next time as we don't like it that flavor very much, but it was still very good.