Cauliflower soup - success!!

So I took my huge cauliflower this morning, and turned that baby into soup. I was really feeling at the start like it was going to be a huge waste of time (like most of my cooking efforts), but I was pleasantly surprised. I loved it! Yummo. Still couldn't convince the kids, although Ruby did have *some*.

If anyone else is tempted to give it a go, I'll share the recipe (for readers in Australia, the recipe is in the Donna Hay mag that's on the shelves right now)

Creamy Cauliflower Soup
25g butter
1 brown onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped (I used minced garlic, heaps of it)
3 sprigs thyme (I used dried thyme)
1 bay leaf
1 and a half heads cauliflower (1.5kg), chopped (I just used my monster cauli)
500g sebago potato, peeled and chopped (I'm not up there with my potato varieties, so I just used what I had, unwashed spuds, 4 med/big ones. probably too much, I don't know, but it turned out fine)
3 cups (750ml) chicken stock
2 cups (500ml) milk
half a cup (125ml) of cream (I omitted this altogether as my cream was off, ewww)
salt and pepper to season

Melt the butter in saucepan over low heat. Add onion, garlic, thyme and bay leaf and cook for 5-8 minutes or until onion has softened. (you need a huge saucepan for this, btw) Add the cauliflower, potato, stock and milk, increase heat to medium and cook for 25-30 minutes or until cauliflower and potato are tender.
When I put the cauliflower and potato into the pot I just didn't get it because there was such a huge amount of veges for such a small amount of liquid. It was looking like this.

I put the lid on and figured the veges would start to steam cook but they didn't. think I just didn't have the heat high enough so I turned it up and ta-da, the liquid bubbled up and veges mushed on down.
This picture is a bit foggy because my lens got a bit steamed up.
At this point it was smelling GOOD. Very good.

So then you just take it off the heat and whizz it up with your stick/hand-held/whatever you want to call it blender.
Season with salt and pepper.
Serve it up in baby sized bowls for the little people who probably won't eat it anyway, despite the fact that it is very yummy.

Serve up a big dish (with toast) for yourself, and then you still have plenty left for lunch tomorrow, some to take to your Mum, and some for the freezer.

Just a little picture of our little guinea pig. Clary had named him Lightning McQueen (Ruby named hers Fragile, lol).



Despite the fact that today started with me digging a hole to bury poor little Lightning in, we've had a better day today. We went to some local markets this morning, then to a birthday party this afternoon. The kind of party with fairy bread, fairy floss (straight out of the fairy floss machine, how cool is that?), pass the parcel, and tons of lollies. We smothered the sadness with sugar.

I got a cauliflower the size of a small car while at the markets, planning to make some soup with it tomorrow. Will let you know how that goes.I eat loads of chicken soup through winter. Heaps. Lots. Figure I need to try something different. Probably destined for failure on this one as I'm not a huge fan of cauliflower, lol.
Also on my list tomorrow is to put some order into MY room. MY room is the spare room where all of my stuff I love to do is done. Photography, sewing, all of that. And that room needs some serious help. (needs to be way bigger for a start, but that's another story)

A giraffe bowling set?

Yes. Really. I have started my Christmas shopping!


I have had the most foulest day ever with was topped off with the death of a guinea pig we have had for 10 days. Ruby is distraught and I'm not too far behind her. So I decided to veg on the computer and found the cutest little bowling sets for kids, on sale too!
Check them out here.

Nothing more from me tonight, I need to go to bed.

Clary

Do you print your photos out and put them into albums? Playing around making this little mosaic is a huge reminder that I must do this!! I barely have one photo of Clary in an album.

I have *some* of Ruby's pictures in albums but not all, not by any stretch of the imagination. And the kids LOVE looking at the albums!!! I am surprised at how much they love doing this.
I put off doing it for so many reasons. One being that I want to find the perfect album, that won't cost me a bomb. Any recommendations??
Ruby's albums are cheap and nasty (Big W, slide in ones) and I want to replace those too.