Friday, October 30, 2009

Two Favorites Become One on Foodie Friday


The witches fly

Across the sky

The owls go "Who? Who? Who?"

The black cats growl

and green ghosts howl

"Scary Halloween to you"

Nina Willis Walter



I had all my ingredients together to make my favorite macaroni and cheese and had purchased a large head of cauliflower at the farmers market last weekend and I realized, as I was putting together a menu for the week, that two of my favorite recipes included a rich, cheesy sauce. They were too similar to serve close together so I decided to combine them into one dish.

I added cooked cauliflower floretes to my mac and cheese recipe
(2/3 cauliflower to 1/3 pasta)
and the result was a wonderful entree much lighter than regular mac and cheese.
The pasta gave my cauliflower gratin recipe some substance and made a dish that was a very satisfying main course. This was a perfect match, one that I will be going back to over and over. Roasted red pepper or tomatoes would have been a delicious addition, but I wanted to experiment with the basics before I started adding more ingredients.
I cooked the cauliflower until barely fork tender and the pasta al dente. Next I prepared a basic cheese sauce using Tillamook medium cheddar and Tillamook jack cheese. Gruyere would be delicious, but I used what I had on hand.
Combine the cauli and pasta and add them to the sauce. Pour into a baking dish and top with buttered, toasted bread crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees about 30 minutes till bubbly.

The photo doesn't do this recipe justice. Too much white on white for this amateur photographer. I hope that won't deter you from trying this wonderful, tummy satisfying version of macaroni and cheese and cauliflower gratin. Let me know if you like it.

I'm sending this post to Designs by Gollum for a very spooky Foodie Friday.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN TO ALL

at

21 comments:

  1. Mickle in NZOctober 30, 2009 at 6:06 AM

    What a wonderful idea and combination. Dear Cathy - these together will so suit my surgically shortened and dodgy innards. I can feast on cauliflower while knowing the pasta will keep it all gentle for me.

    And it will all taste great. Super thanks,

    Michelle in NZ

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  2. The JROctober 30, 2009 at 6:50 AM

    What a great way to incorporate veggies into something that is usually pretty sinful. Sounds good.

    Ramona

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  3. KrisOctober 30, 2009 at 8:12 AM

    Oh Cathy, this sounds wonderful. Great comfort food!!!

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  4. LindaOctober 30, 2009 at 8:16 AM

    Yummmm...it looks delicious Cathy!
    L~xo

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  5. MarthaOctober 30, 2009 at 8:17 AM

    What a wonderful idea -- and it's a good way to get kids to eat those vegetables! I will have to try this as well -- who doesn't like something with cheese on top!

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  6. Fresh Local and BestOctober 30, 2009 at 9:38 AM

    Cathy,

    What a wonderful idea to add cauliflower to mac and cheese! It does add substance, and blends in so well with the rest of the ingredients! Kudos!

    Christine

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  7. KathleenOctober 30, 2009 at 10:11 AM

    Looks good to me, and I love them both!
    BOO! HH, Cathy!

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  8. SavoringTime in the KitchenOctober 30, 2009 at 10:44 AM

    What a great idea and a healthy addition to an old favorite!

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  9. Mary BergfeldOctober 30, 2009 at 11:11 AM

    A great idea, Cathy. It really looks wonderful and I'll wager it's tasty too.

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  10. Lori (All That Splatters)October 30, 2009 at 11:12 AM

    Oh, Cathy, I think it looks delicious! I'm not the biggest fan of mac & cheese in the world, but the addition of the cauliflower really makes this appealing!

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  11. Mari @ Once Upon a PlateOctober 30, 2009 at 11:33 AM

    What a great idea Cathy, I would love to try preparing it that way.

    Your Jack O'Lantern is adorable, and the poem too.

    Happy Halloween! xo

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  12. Lyndas recipe boxOctober 30, 2009 at 12:24 PM

    This looks delicious; imagine the flavor was wonderful with all the creamy cheese. What a great idea to do these two great foods together!

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  13. FoleyOctober 30, 2009 at 1:32 PM

    Looks delicious..love cauliflower as a side dish.
    Happy Halloween!!!

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  14. theUngourmetOctober 30, 2009 at 9:20 PM

    I made a mac and cheese with cauliflower recently. I felt like my cheese sauce ended up way too thick but my husband liked it quite a bit. I'll have to try your recipe next time. :D

    Have a great weekend! My daughter turns the big 1-3 on Sunday. Boy, oh boy, wherever does the time go?!

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  15. DewiOctober 31, 2009 at 2:06 AM

    Happy halloween Cathy! Love those carved pumpkin.

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  16. teresaOctober 31, 2009 at 10:09 AM

    what a great way to lighten up such a classic dish. i bet the flavor was wonderful too!

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  17. Kathy WalkerOctober 31, 2009 at 9:00 PM

    This sounds wonderful! I love both macaroni and cheese and cauliflower! A great idea to combine them!!

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  18. EmilyNovember 1, 2009 at 12:26 AM

    I think it looks terrific! I love mac and cheese!

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  19. noble pigNovember 1, 2009 at 8:03 AM

    Great idea to combine..."In the Witches there flies a kitchen witch...she rides a wooden spoon and casts a tasty spell morning night and noon...Is her food enchanted this magic time of year? Everything she cooks completely disappears!"

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  20. KathleenNovember 1, 2009 at 11:09 AM

    WOW! Looks sooo delish. Love the crumb topping

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  21. Motorcycle partsNovember 17, 2009 at 4:08 AM

    yeah man... its looking so yummy thanks for sharing this with us.

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Thanks so much for visiting. I hope you enjoyed my blog and will leave a comment or two. And come back again of course ~ Cathy