Wednesday, March 16, 2011

A Yummy Side....Broccoli Gratin

I don't know if I have mentioned this before, but I love to cook and bake. Each night, I have to come up with a meal that is both healthy and that my two little ones will actually eat!

I thought I would start to share some of my recipe triumphs here on my blog as I know how difficult it is to cook for small children!

My kids love broccoli. They don't like it raw but steamed with a little margarine is always popular with them. I don't remember eating broccoli much as a child...I think I didn't like it at all!

Costco sells this large bag (and Costco size is huge), I think it was $4.99 for 1.36 kg or 48 oz for my American friends. They are cut into florets and what I usually do is wash them, trim and steam. Easy peasy!!

The other night, I was growing tired of steaming broccoli so started my internet search for a good broccoli sidedish.

I found this recipe for Broccoli Gratin on the Food Network website.

Here is the recipe:

Broccoli Gratin
Ingredients
1/4 cup unsalted butter, plus more for the baking dish
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
Freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds broccoli (about 4 heads), cut into small florets (about 8 cups)
1 cup grated sharp Cheddar (about 4 ounces)
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
Directions
Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F. Butter an 8-by-8-by-2-inch baking dish or an 8-cup gratin dish.

Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour until smooth. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the milk, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and nutmeg and bring to a boil while whisking constantly. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the white sauce is thickened, about 10 minutes. Season with pepper. Remove from the heat.

Meanwhile, bring about 1-inch of water to a boil in a large saucepan and set up a collapsible steamer on top. Put the broccoli in the steamer and season with salt. Cover, and steam until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Put the broccoli in the prepared dish, sprinkle with half of the cheese and pour on the sauce. Cover with the remaining cheese.

Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bread crumbs and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Cover the gratin with the bread crumbs. Bake until lightly browned and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately.


I omitted the salt as I read a few reviews saying it was too salty and I thought the cheese would add saltiness to the dish.

I made it in a pyrex baking dish and baked as per the instructions. It smelled delish!

Of course, I forgot to snap a photo of it before my husband and kids devoured it! I wasn't sure what they would think about it but they really liked it! Definately a keeper in my kitchen!!

Do you have a favorite broccoli recipe? I would love to add more broccoli recipes to my collection! Please feel free to comment!!

Cheers!

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Spring inspired birdie!

Spring is on its way...hopefully sooner than later!

I have been inspired to list my Birdie in an open window necklace in my Etsy shop today.

I can't wait for the songbirds to come back and listen to them with the windows open!

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

A little over a year ago....daydreaming

This winter here in Saskatchewan has definately been cold and miserable. The weather forecasters are now predicting a cold late spring.

I was sitting here daydreaming about my vacation to Las Vegas last year and thought I would share this photo I took while in the Bellagio Hotel.

How I wish I could go back there! Maybe next year!!