Roasted Cauliflower and Garlic Soup with Parmesan Croutons

I often say that I could live on salads during the summer months and on soup during the chilly months {with maybe a casserole thrown in every now and then for good measure}. I've shared with you an abundance of soup recipes over the past five years here on Joyously Domestic. Recently, I posted a collection of Fourteen Tantalizing and Comforting Soup Recipes and it took off like wildfire here on the blog and on social media. So, I know I'm not alone in my adoration of soup.

Now, with that said, I understand that not everyone particularly digs cauliflower. But, even if you insist that it is the evilest of vegetables, I think you may be a bit surprised at just how amazing it is roasted and spun into a creamy soup. Seriously.

Just the roasted cauliflower alone almost did me in. I had to restrain myself from eating half of the batch when it came out of the oven ... before the soup-making process had really even gotten off of the ground. {I'll definitely have to randomly roast up a slew of cauliflower florets more often just for snacking purposes. For sure.}

The fabulous news about this soup? It is quite healthful. Can you believe the recipe has ZERO butter, milk or cream? It's, basically, a combo of cauliflower, garlic and chicken stock with a few seasoning components. {And, if you really wanna be healthy, I guess one could omit the croutons. But, I would not recommend it, friends.}

NOTE:  Know that the recipe as written only yields four smaller-sized servings. {This soup isn't necessarily one that a big, whopping bowl is needed at one sitting as it's somewhat decadent and rich in taste and texture. It's a pretty easy recipe to double, however, to feed a larger crowd if needed.

Yields 4 servings.

Caesar Salad with Homemade Dressing and Shaved Parmesan

We're almost halfway through the month of December.  While everyone has been making cozy casseroles and big, comforting pots of soup, I've actually been craving my favorite salad!

Seriously.  A beautiful Caesar salad has been on my mind for a good week now.  After picking up some romaine lettuce, I couldn't wait to get this recipe made. 

I've been making this dressing for years.  And, as divine as it is as a dressing drizzled atop a salad, it is equally as wonderful made a tad bit thicker and used as a dip for raw veggies.  (Wedges of purple cabbage, celery sticks and fresh radishes plunged into this as a dip ... pure magic!)

I thoroughly enjoyed this sitting by the crackling fire and the Christmas tree this afternoon while the hubby and kids were gone.  It was kind of heavenly. (As was Adam Levine on Tuesday night's episode of The Voice, which I watched today while nibbling on this salad.)

Sun-Dried Tomato and Parmesan Focaccia Bread

Let me be honest.  When my children all leave on the bus for school around seven each morning, I often crawl back into bed with the t.v. remote in hand, flip through some morning news channels and, inevitably, doze back off to sleep for a couple of hours.  It is the most marvelous thing in the world.  As a self-proclaimed and self-diagnosed "night owl," my mind and body never seem to quite settle down at night until well past one or two.  And, a morning person I am not, although I do have to rise around 5:30 a.m. to get my children ready for school. 

So, that bit of extra snoozing after my kiddos leave is pure bliss!

This week, however, I have been up and at 'em (and raring to go) all morning long and have not went back to sleep!  It's amazing how productive I have been - with my cup of coffee in tow - in these quiet, early morning hours this week.  Laundry is getting done well before lunch.  My housework is done and out of the way early-on.  And, I have been able to spend more time working on my blog and all that having a blog entails.

And, the biggest plus - I have been spending more time in the kitchen.  Quiet, peaceful, therapeutic, uninterrupted cooking and baking while Christmas songs play in the background.

As I begin typing up this post, a lovely roast with potatoes and carrots is cooking away in the slow cooker, scones are cooling on the counter and the dough for this focaccia bread is proofing by the oven.  And, it's not even ten o'clock.

In regards to this recipe, if you've never made focaccia, let me encourage you to try it!  I have made this many times and I think I love it more and more each time!  Focaccia is a flat Italian bread that is usually seasoned with olive oil and herbs.  Because the dough bakes atop an olive oil base and is rubbed on top with olive oil, the outside of the bread becomes a bit fried.  My version has the addition of sun-dried tomatoes, slivered onions and some shaved Parmesan.  Any herbs, toppings or cheeses can be used.  You can keep it super simple ... just a little olive oil and fresh, chopped rosemary. Or, you can spruce it up a bit with whatever your sweet, little heart desires.

Egg Yolk Ravioli with Bacon-Sage Butter

I think of this recipe kinda as a play on eggs and bacon ... with a twist. Homemade pasta would be amazing for this, but since Santa has yet to put a pasta maker under the tree for this mom, I relied on egg roll wrappers from the produce section of my supermarket. I think the visual of this dish is simply breathtaking ... but, I've always been a sucker for a beautifully perfect, sunshiny-yellow runny egg yolk! And, this dish really glorifies thee almighty egg yolk! Add in some parmesan, ricotta, a little fresh sage and melty, salty butter ... and you've got a pretty tasty dish! Oh, and there's bacon ... need I say more?

Braided Bacon Ranch Cheddar Bread

 

I know, I know ... this is my third posting for some form of braided bread recently.  But, it is just so gosh darn good and my family keeps begging for more. So, while I am coming up with new twists (get it!) on braided bread for them, I figured I might as well share them with you! We've, also, actually found that we absolutely love the leftover slices out of the fridge the next day ... if they last that long!

Braided Ham & Swiss Bread

 

 

This makes a great snack, appetizer or starter. (My kids like it for an after-school-snack if we'll be eating a late dinner later.) But, it's equally as great as a stand-in for regular grilled cheese alongside tomato or your favorite soup. My four-year old, Ayvah, has fun helping me "braid" the dough and stuff the ham and swiss in the little "pockets" while making this (her little hands make an appearance within one of the photos below!). 

Now, I am NOT usually a skilled baker. So, I buy store-bought, frozen bread dough for this. But, if you are a good baker (I applaud you!), by all means start with homemade bread dough.

Parmesan-Crusted Pork Chop Casserole

 

Ingredients:

3 - 4 thin, large boneless pork chops (or 5 - 6 small ones)

Salt & pepper

1/2 sleeve saltine crackers, crushed finely

Olive oil

2 cups instant white rice

1 can cheddar cheese soup

1/2 can cream of mushroom soup

Water

Shaved Parmesan

Chicken Meatballs in Parmesan Cream Sauce

 

This is one of my family's favorite meals. It is an easy thing to have prepped in advance. Make the meatballs the night before or morning of ... and everything will come together quickly at meal-time. The meatballs can, also, be made in advance and frozen.