When Recipes Lie!

Okay, maybe that should be, "When Recipe Creators Lie!", but it's a bit cumbersome, don't you think? Anyhoo, let's cut to the chase and talk proper recipe nomenclature for a moment. If a recipe is to be called "_____ and _____ casserole/soup/sandwiches/etc", the two title ingredients should be included in equal or very nearly equal portions. Think about it. Peanut butter and jelly. Macaroni and cheese. Green eggs and ham. The list goes on. My recipe this week attempted to deceive me, but I'm no fool! Oh no, I'm a wily one, but more on that later. Firstly, for those of you asking yourselves, "Um, is she always like this?", the answer is a big, fat YES! I am very funny about anything having to do with words and writing. Don't get me started on my position on parentheticals and punctuation placement...



Alright, enough of that. Onto the food! Tonight's recipe comes from my most beloved Taste of Home.

Creamy Cauliflower and Bacon Soup

• 1 medium head cauliflower (2 pounds), cut into florets
• 2 cups half-and-half cream, divided
• 1/2 cup shredded Asiago cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 to 1 cup water
• 4 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
  
  

• Place cauliflower in a steamer basket; place in a large saucepan over 1 in. of water. Bring to a boil; cover and steam for 8-10 minutes or until tender. Cool slightly.
• Place cauliflower and 1/2 cup cream in a food processor; cover and process until pureed. Transfer to a large saucepan.
• Stir in the cheese, salt, nutmeg, pepper and remaining cream. Add enough water to reach desired consistency; heat through. Sprinkle each serving with bacon. Yield: 4 servings.

Mmmm, cauliflower. I actually really like this veggie, especially when it's covered in cheese.

Ah, another faithful kitchen appliances. Have I mentioned I have a penchant for kitchen gadgets? I haven't met a job Spinny here can't handle.

*Drool* Baaaaaaaacon...

Spinny doing what he does best...processing...

I didn't actually have Asiago cheese, but I had a really nice wedge of local smoked Gouda (I LOVE Gouda), which worked quite nicely.

And we're mixing and combining...

Tadaa! Dinner is served! This had a mashed potato like consistency, but you can always add more water to make it soupier.

I'm sure you immediately see where the deception lies. Sprinkle each serving with bacon? Really?! Oh, heck no, we are going to bacon-up this soup. Basically, I cooked up a whole package of bacon, cut it into little pieces, and mixed all the pieces in. This was a vast improvement over the original recipe. Sadly, if your husband is a meat and potatoes kind of guy like my Mike is, this recipe may not go over well. It is a little bland and is missing a real hook, but it's otherwise very good. I was left to eat the whole thing myself, though, since Mike disliked it so much, but you know it's sitting in the freezer now since I won't let anything go to waste. All you veggie-lovers out there, enjoy!