I was in such a rush today that I had to use what was in the refrigerator for dinner.  I have been back to my running 3 miles a night and I still needed to fit it in. So I decided to make what was available (Like I used to do in the old days when the kids were young) This recipe was a great surprise, savory, and delicious.

Yes the husband and I collaborated on the name of this recipe.  I had already decided I would do a cauliflower kind of “mock” mac n cheese, but I still had more than a few other items I needed to incorporate so I came up with this throw together, that came out truly really first-rate! I am so glad I took pictures and will be able to save this for future use.  Stephan and Mackenzie really enjoyed it and (drum roll) there were no left over’s!

I used the following

1 bunch of basil chopped

1 container chives chopped

1 onion chopped

2 teaspoon minced garlic

3 jalapeño peppers seeded and chopped

1 package chicken tenders

1 package bacon

1 head cauliflower chopped

Shredded cheese (I used 8oz Swiss and 4oz Gruyère)

2 tablespoons flour

½ stick of butter

2 cups of heavy cream

Salt and pepper to taste

Garlic powder

 

Toss the cauliflower into an oven safe pan in a thin layer.

Take a ¼ stick of butter and melt in a pan with the jalapeño and garlic, chop the onion and add to the pan.

Cook until semi-transparent, along with the basil and chives blend in with the cauliflower

In the same pan cut the bacon into little pieces and start to cook until more or less crispy.

Just before done, add the chicken tenders, cut into bite size pieces.  Allow to cook in the bacon fat (Ok I have never done this before, but I was kind of in a rush so I tried it and I am glad I did; saved time and gave the chicken a nice smoky flavor).

Once finished; use a slotted spoon to remove and add to the cauliflower and combine.  In the same pan, add the rest of the butter, once melted add the flour, stir until it is a creamy mixture not doughy if so add more butter,  put in the cream and once it starts to thicken, start to incorporate the cheese a smidgen at a time stirring constantly.

If it gets to thick, add milk or more cream. Include the salt pepper and garlic powder to taste.  Pour over the cauliflower mixture and fold together. Cover with tin foil and bake at 375 for 35 40 minutes.

 

Very very tasty, and amazingly enough a pleasant casserole type meal I plan to make again.

Bon Appétit

 

LauraLovingLife

For some reason people don’t consider cooking a serious business, but it’s like any discipline, and it’s a passionate and fascinating one.

Julia Child

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