MEAL OF THE MONTH: SEPTEMBER

Roasted Cauliflower Soup With Bacon & Thyme

2 heads cauliflower
1/4 cup olive oil
1 quart chicken broth
1 pint half and half
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
10 slices apple wood smoked bacon (or 3 slices country ham) minced & cooked
Pinh of white paper
kosher salt

Heat your oven to 400 degrees and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or foil lightly misted with cooking spray.

Cut out and discard the core of each head of cauliflower and then cut off the heads into large florets.

Drizzle florets with olive oil and toss to evenly coat.  Next, sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of salt and toss again.

Arrange florets in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes.  Flip the florets and roast for an additional 30 minutes until deeply caramelized and golden.

Transfer roasted florets to blender and add 2 cups of broth.  Puree and then add half and half.  Puree for an additional 3 minutes or until smooth.  At this point the puree will be very thick.  With the blender running, add the remaining both, thyme, and white pepper.  Taste and adjust seasonings accordingly.

The soup can be transferred to a saucepan and gently heated.  It can also be refrigerated and reheated easily.  The flavor is best when allowed to rest overnight.


Gluten-Free Nutella Cheesecake Pots
(This recipe is in grams so use a kitchen scale)
Makes 6-8 ramekins.

Crust:

150g gluten-free graham crackers
50-60g butter, melted

Cheesecake:

390g cream cheese, room temperature
50g light brown sugar
90g Nutella
40g chocolate chips

In a food processor, pulse the butter and graham cracker until they form crumbs.

Scoop spoonfuls of the crust mixture into small ramekins or mugs.  Press down lightly, but not as much as you would a normal cheesecake.

Clean food processor thoroughly.

Next, pulse together the cream cheese, sugar, and Nutella until smooth.  Take a taste and add additional Nutella if you wish.

Add chocolate chips and pulse until ground into fine bits.

Divide the cheese cake between the ramekins.  Cover and chill for six hours or until set.

Remove from fridge and let set on the counter for 20 minutes before serving.

(Thanks to The Gluten Free Scallywag for this epic recipe.)

It's that good!

MEAL OF THE MONTH: JULY

Hello to all our loyal listeners!!!  We are excited to be back after our mid-summer hiatus!  Everyone in the office took some much needed time off to travel and relax.  Timmy, spend his time off as lead camp counselor of Camp Hop To It, a survival camp for polliwog enthusiasts.  Connie went to Saudi Arabia to attend a women's rights conference.  Ironically she returned wearing a burka and refusing to drive.  hmm, strange!  Wendell went to tap dance camp and wants to "tap" a "liberated"Connie.  Kathleen spent vacation fishing in Fiji.  Finally Michael took a cruise to Novia Scotia (eh?).

Anyone can top a hot dog with ketchup, mustard, and relish but you can't top these great new ideas from our friends at Good Housekeeping Magazine!

1.) Pimento-Cheese Dogs:  Combine 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar, 1/4 cup minced, jarred pimientos, 4 tbsp mayo, and 1/2 tsp of hot sauce.  This should cover 4 hot dogs!

2.) Everything Bagel Dogs:  Beat 3 tbsp cream cheese, 2 tbsp milk, 1/4 tsp salt until smooth.  Divide among 4 hot dogs and sprinkle with poppy seeds and 2 chopped green onions.

3.) Spicy Blue Cheese Dogs:  Combine 1 cup chopped celery, 1/4 cup mayo, 1/2 tsp cider vinegar, 1/2 tsp hot sauce, 3 ounces crumbled blue cheese.  Divide among 4 hot dogs.

4.) BLT Dogs: Divid 1/4 cup mayo, 1/2 cup sliced romaine, 1 chopped tomato, and 6 slices, crumbled, cooked bacon among 4 hot dogs.

You could explore some ideas we brainstormed here in the office:

- Grilled vegetables (Vermont Veggie Dog)
- Guacamole (California Dog)
- Coleslaw or potato salad (store bought or homemade) (Down Home Dog)
- Fresh salad ingredients such as cucumbers (Re-Fresh Dog)
- Nacho Dog: Top with crushed tortilla chips, salsa or queso sauce, and sliced, pickled jalapeno slices
- Bacon Dog:  Wrap your hot dog in slices of bacon and grill until perfection.
- Caprese Salad Dog: Top your dog with fresh, chopped mozzarella, chopped tomato, and basil.
- Shanghai Dog:  Saute shredded bok choy, carrots, and mushroom.  Mix with teriyaki sauce.  For an extra kick, add siraracha hot sauce!
- Mac N' Cheese Dog:  This one's for the the kids (or kids at heart).  Top your hot dog with left over macaroni and cheese and a thin, dill pickle slice.

Get grilling tonight!

MEAL OF THE MONTH: OCTOBER/NOVEMBER

Our new intern, Timothy's first task was to provide the recipe for this month's "Meal of The Month" feature.  Little did we remember how pitifully community college students eat.  Timothy's suggestion was a Dinty Moore Beef Stew with a Nacho Cheese Doritos crust.  Needless to say, we vetoed Timothy's selection and he is now in the corner eating it.  In its place is the following recipe, fit for normal human consumption!

Bakery Lane Soup Bowl's Famous Corn Chowder

Makes 10 Cups

1/2 cup or 2 oz diced salt pork or bacon
2 tbs butter
3/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 chopped celery
1 qt chicken stock
2 cups diced potatoes
6 cups fresh corn kernels (or three 10 oz packages of frozen kernel corn, thawed)
1 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste

Saute the pork/bacon in the butter until crisp and browned.  Add onion and celery.  Cook until vegetables are crisp-tender.  Meanwhile, measure stock in soup pot.  Add potatoes and cook until just tender.

Puree two packages of frozen (or 4 cups if using fresh) corn, using a little of the hot stock while blending.  Add blended corn, remaining whole kernels, sauteed vegetables, and cream to soup pot.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Heat to serving temperature.  Yum, yum!