Cauliflower Pizza Crust

When Keely came home for a visit last week to celebrate my birthday, we thought it would be fun to try a new recipe. She was telling me about one of her friends who regularly makes pizza using cauliflower as the crust. Pizza is one of my favorite foods, so if one can make some healthy, yet tasty substitutions, then why not? At the onset, both Keely and I admittedly had low expectations. We were just planning to enjoy the experience of making something new together and then end up eating what we thought would be "just OK." We were so wrong!

We both took a bite, looked at each other with surprise, and then began the giggles.
"No way!"
"I can't believe this!"
"This is crazy!"
"No one would ever guess this is cauliflower!"
"I'm definitely making this for my kids one day as a way to sneak in some veggies and still have pizza night!"

You're gonna love the simplicity of it, too. Start with a head of cauliflower and "rice" it. That is, chop it so finely until it looks like, well, rice. Be sure to remove the stem and leaves first. If you have a food processor, this step will be easy. Don't over-do it, though, or you will puree it. Since I don't have a food processor, I just used my food chopper.

Next, microwave the riced cauliflower for 8 minutes. To make a 9 inch round pizza crust, you will only need 1 cup of the cooked, riced cauliflower. (I ended up with about 4 cups, so I saved the extra and made pizza again later in the week.) Add 1 cup of mozzarella cheese, 1 beaten egg, 1 teaspoon dried oregano and 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt.

Mix well and pat onto the pizza stone. (For the pizza below, I doubled the recipe, but this isn't recommended. If you make the pizza too large, it has a tendency to get a little soggy in the middle.) I sprayed a little olive oil on top so that the crust browns nicely. Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes. Done!

At this point, add your favorite sauce, toppings (pre-cooked), and cheese. Broil for about 3-4 minutes.

Keely and I made two varieties. For the first half, we used pesto sauce, mozzarella cheese, feta cheese, spinach, sundried tomatoes and a little more oregano on top. We figured out that one generous slice was approximately 293 calories, using the MyFitnessPal app. The second half was pretty traditional:  marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese, turkey pepperoni, and a few jalapenos and banana peppers. This version had only 195 calories per slice! A few days later, we made just a plain pepperoni as shown in the first picture above. Have fun trying your own favorite combinations!

Note: Be prepared to eat each slice with a fork. But, this is a small price to pay for a low-carb, low-cal, gluten-free, healthy meal. Shhhhh. Don't tell the kids! :D

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cooked, riced cauliflower
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano 
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• olive oil spray (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Remove the stem and leaves from cauliflower and "rice" it. That is, chop it so finely until it looks like grain. Next, microwave the riced cauliflower for 8 minutes. Mix together all ingredients listed above and pat onto a pizza stone or sprayed cookie sheet. Spray olive oil on top (optional). Bake for 15 minutes.

Add your favorite sauce, toppings (pre-cooked), and cheese. Broil for about 3-4 minutes until cheese is melted.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Fudge

We're almost two weeks into the new year. Did you make any resolutions? Are you still going strong? As a statistician, naturally I was intrigued by some of the stats I ran across online, published by Stephen Shapiro, on this very topic:

• 45% of Americans usually set New Year’s resolutions.
• Only 8% of people are always successful in achieving their resolutions.
• 3 out of 4 people almost never succeed.
• The less happy you are, the more likely you are to set New Year's resolutions. 
• 38% set resolutions related to weight.

Good grief! Depressing, huh? But, wait! Here's the best statistic:

"There is no correlation between happiness 

and resolution setting/success. 

People who achieve their resolutions every year 

are no happier than those who do not set resolutions 

or who are unsuccessful in achieving them."

I love that! So, give yourself a break. And while you're at it, you should treat yourself to some of this chocolate chip cookie dough fudge.

For as long as I can remember, Keely has always loved to sneak bites of raw cookie dough before I ever got a chance to bake it. Oddly enough, I've never been a fan. When I first found this new recipe on Pinterest (Mel's Kitchen Cafe), I thought it would be perfect for her to make and bring to our Christmas gathering at Mom and Dad's house. She quickly agreed. :)

This recipe is definitely a keeper. While it was no surprise that Keely loved it, I was surprised to hear Steve say it was the best fudge he's ever tasted.  He's just never been a fan of fudge. (I know. I know. I'll never understand.) And for someone who has never been a fan of cookie dough, I found it pretty irresistible. Thus the need for New Year's resolutions, I suppose. But, this little piece of goodness tucked inside its adorable Santa suit liner sure made me happy! :D

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Fudge

Ingredients for Cookie Dough:

• 1/3 cup butter, softened to room temperature
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons half-and-half, cream or milk
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Ingredients for Fudge Base:

• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup butter
• pinch of salt
• 1/3 cup half-and-half, cream or milk
  
• 5 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips (for topping the fudge)

Directions:
Line an 8×8 baking pan with aluminum foil and set aside.

For the cookie dough, mix on medium speed the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Mix in the vanilla, salt, and half-and-half. Add the flour and mix until just combined. Do not overmix. Fold in 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips. Set aside.

For the fudge base, combine the brown sugar, butter, salt, and half-and-half in a medium saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until the butter is melted, and the brown sugar is dissolved. The mixture should be smooth and combined. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Gradually stir in the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, until the mixture is smooth and thick. Let this mixture cool completely before proceeding!

Add the cookie dough to the fudge base and stir to combine. Spread the fudge into the prepared baking pan and press into an even layer. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of the chocolate chips on top of the fudge and lightly press them into the batter. Chill until set, about 3-4 hours, before cutting into pieces. The fudge can be made ahead and stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Joy Full

What a joy full Christmas! Mark Twain sure knew what he was talking about when he wrote, "To get the full value of joy, you must have someone to divide it with." I'm so grateful to have many to divide it with!

Here's my crew at Mom and Dad's house yesterday afternoon. Although it's a long-standing tradition to spend Christmas Eve there, last year we decided to change things up just a little bit. Instead of waiting until dinner to begin the festivities, we now meet for lunch. As a result, no one seems to be hurried, having to scurry along to other households after just an hour or so. We were able to "get the full value of joy" by dividing it with about 30 family members, spanning four generations. It is a complete zoo. I can't imagine spending Christmas any other way!

Of course, there's food . . . and plenty of it. Meatballs, guacamole and chips, shrimp cocktail, relish tray, bean salad, ham, turkey, spinach maria, sausage balls, layered salad, cucumber salad, apple and cranberry crumble, grape salad, cranberry jello salad, chicken salad, and homemade sourdough bread.

There was no shortage of sweets either: brownies, oatmeal cookies, crescent cookies, cookie dough fudge, Christmas Crunch (fun-fetti popcorn), banoffee pie, and pecan pie. I plan to share some of these recipes in future posts.

Then we opened gifts when the kids could no longer stand it. Mom and Dad got the Harry & David fruit-of-the-month club. We also gave Mom a small extra gift that I couldn't pass up: EARTH without ART is just 'EH'   :)

We gave silly straws with Rudolph-inspired Cokes to the little ones. (Yes, I love Pinterest!) All of the nieces got OPI's Top Ten nail polishes along with a "Happy Christmas to All" emery board, and the adults got UT puzzles. (Oh, how I wish for a comeback season next fall!)

Of course, the best present was simply the presence of family and friends. May all of you have the most joy full Christmas ever!

Christmas Crunch

Presents bought. Check. Presents wrapped. Not quite. Christmas baking. Not yet. It's Christmas Crunch time! Although I'm not quite ready for Christmas, that didn't stop us from accepting an invitation from the Burtnetts for their impromptu get-together last night.  We enjoyed cooking hotdogs and s'mores over their campfire, singing Christmas songs, and playing charades.

It gave Keely a chance to make a new munchie she found on the internet.  This is the preferred kind of Christmas Crunch . . . but warning, it's addictive!

She just started with 2 bags of popped popcorn and tossed in broken pretzel pieces and Christmas M&Ms.

Next, she poured melted white chocolate chips over it, and then spread the mixture into a single layer onto wax paper.

Once drizzled with melted vanilla almond bark, she quickly added a variety of sprinkles including little green Christmas trees and red candy canes. It was too cute and festive!

 
I'm certain Keely just started a new tradition as we'll be looking forward to this funfetti munchie every year. Wishing each of you survive your own Christmas Crunch and find enough time to truly calm down and enjoy the season. Peace! :)

Christmas Crunch

Ingredients:

• 2 microwave bags white popcorn 
• 1 1/2 cups broken pretzel pieces
• 1 (12 oz) bag red and green Christmas M&Ms
• 1/2 (12 oz) bag white chocolate chips
• 1/2 package vanilla almond bark (or approximately 8 oz)
• Red, green and white sprinkles

Directions:

Pop popcorn and remove any unpopped kernels. Toss in broken pretzel pieces and M&Ms. Place in large kitchen trash bag.

Melt white chocolate chips in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval until melted and smooth. Pour over popcorn mixture, and gently rotate bag until mixture is thoroughly coated with chocolate. Pour mixture into a single layer onto wax paper.

Melt almond bark in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval until melted and smooth. Drizzle evenly over popcorn mixture. (Tip: Place melted almond bark in a ziploc bag and cut a small hole in one of the tips to turn it into a disposable dispenser.) Add sprinkles before almond bark sets. Allow to cool and harden, then gently break into pieces and store in an airtight container. 

Peanut Butter Fudge

Hands down, my cousin Rodney's peanut butter fudge was the most requested recipe from our Harness Holiday get-together over the weekend. Dad is our resident peanut butter connoisseur, or "expert judge in matters of taste." Well, Rodney passed Dad's test, and I bet he didn't even know there was one!

Dad enjoys pretty much anything with peanut butter in it, but he told me most of what he has tried is either "too sweet, too peanut buttery, too dark, too light, too soft, too hard, too something. Not this. There are only a few that are just perfect, and this is one of those!"

My Aunt Marilyn remembered my Grandma making a similar creamy, rich fudge. At first, we thought that Rodney must have used Grandma's recipe, but he admitted that he found this one on the internet. We were so thankful that he and his wife Gail made it for our party and especially grateful that they were willing to share their secret. I'm betting that it will be the star of your Christmas platter, too!

Peanut Butter Fudge

Ingredients:

• 5 cups of sugar
• 1 (12 oz) can of evaporated milk ("shake it up good")
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• pinch of salt
• 1 (16 oz) jar of peanut butter
• 1 (7 oz) jar of marshmallow creme
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla

Directions:
Mix together the first four ingredients in a large saucepan. Begin heating on low, stirring frequently, but never scraping the bottom of the pan. Gradually turn up heat between low and medium. Continue to stir the bubbly part on top around the edge of the pan, scraping sugar crystals off the edge. Slowly turn up heat as the fudge is cooking, but "never go further than 3/4 heat." Using a candy thermometer, heat until mixture reaches 236 degrees, or the soft ball stage.

Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter until melted. Next, add marshmallow creme and then lastly vanilla and stir until smooth.

Pour into ungreased pan and smooth top. (Rodney used a pie plate and an 8x8 casserole dish.) Let cool for several hours.

Cut into small pieces and store in airtight container.

A Harness Holiday

For the last four years or so, we have been hosting the annual Harness Holiday Get-together on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. This is something I look forward to each year: a time to visit with extended family members including dozens of cousins who we don't get to see very often.

Not surprisingly, the day includes a potluck lunch. For starters, we had a parmesan cheese dip, served with crackers and chips. The main buffet included honey-baked ham, turkey, homemade sourdough bread, macaroni & cheese with ham, mashed potatoes, broccoli rice casserole, baked apples, green bean bundles, Mexican rice & chicken casserole, candied carrots, hominy casserole, apple & cranberry crumble, hashbrown casserole, relish tray, pinto beans, 7-layer salad, and cornbread salad.

Then we had plenty of options to satisfy one's sweet tooth:  a banafee pie with black walnuts, Rice Krispie treats, coconut M&Ms, red velvet whoopie pies, pumpkin crunch cake, orange & coconut cake, pilgrim hat cookies, peanut butter & chocolate fudge, and plain peanut butter fudge. Mmmmmm.

While some braved the cold weather to shoot basketball, most chose to stay warm inside. Ping-pong, pool, bingo, SEC football, etc. The Vols actually won one! Wooo hooo! Thanks to Pinterest, we also had a couple of crafts for the young ones: snowman candy bar wrapper and snowman in a baggie.

The second round of food has become an important tradition as well:  homemade hot tamales served with three varieties of chili. This year, it became a chili cookoff among the "out-laws." They were all amazing! This was the perfect accompaniment to the annual Harness Texas Hold'em tournament: a great consolation prize for those who went "all in" and lost. For those who couldn't wait that long, a "chili fold" was taken. :)  Keely came in first place for the third year in a row. . . not the best way to make friends among the cousins! Until next year. . .

Creamy Crockpot Hot Cocoa

Last night, we enjoyed celebrating with our next door neighbors, the Cox's, at their annual Halloweenie Roast, or at least that's what I call it! This event started many years ago with mostly just family members, but has grown into a fun, tail-gating atmosphere for friends to enjoy as well.

There was no shortage of sweets, chips, chili, and hotdogs to get the trick-or-treaters ready for their night of fun. I even got to learn all about Master Chief.

"What?!!!! You don't know who Master Chief is?  Let. Me. Tell. You."

My contribution to the spread was creamy crockpot hot cocoa, something to enjoy on this cold Halloween night as you're sitting by the fire.

For years, I've been making a hot chocolate mix that I always keep on hand that is convenient for making one cup at a time. I love it; however, I wanted to try something new, something easy, and something that would feed a crowd. I found this recipe from Mrs Happy Homemaker via Pinterest, and it accomplished all of that and more. This stuff is decadent. When you look at the list of the ingredients below, how could it not be? I'm not sure there is anything more perfect for making warm memories. :)

Creamy Crockpot Hot Cocoa

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups whipping cream (I used half-and-half.)
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 6 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups milk chocolate chips

Directions:
Place all ingredients in a crockpot. Stir. Cover and cook on low for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally, until chocolate chips are melted and mixture is hot. Stir again before serving. Garnish with marshmallows, if desired.

Note: Makes approximately 10 cups. I doubled the recipe, and it filled my large 5.5-quart slow cooker just perfectly.