Meals 1-3

01/01 for my first meal of the year, i made lasagna rolls. if you've never tried these? i'm a huge fan. just like my love of things cooked in muffin tins....making "lasagna rolls" instead of classic pan lasagna allows for equal portions. this particular recipe has a filling that is made of caramelized onions, mushrooms, garlic, kale and ricotta cheese. the sauce is a bleu cheese and cauliflower puree. to be honest? the sauce is the reason i made this meal. i've been curious to try it, and i was not disappointed! it had the pleasing texture of an alfredo sauce, but with much more depth of flavor. i put the recipe for the sauce below. for a side i roasted some asparagus with just a little bit of lemon zest. it looks like a rich and decadent meal, but it was actually light and refreshing.

Bleu Cheese Cauliflower Sauce:
1 Tblsp butter
1 Tblsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 c white wine
1 1/2 c chicken broth
4 cups chopped cauliflower
1/2 c bleu cheese (or parmesan if you prefer a more traditional alfredo taste)
salt and pepper (to taste)

-heat butter and olive oil over medium
-add garlic and red pepper flakes, sauté 1 minute
-add wine, broth and cauliflower
-turn heat to high and bring to a boil
-reduce heat to low, cover and cook 10 minutes (cauliflower should be fork tender)
-puree using an emersion blender until smooth
-add bleu cheese and stir until melted
-if consistency is too thick? add a little bit of milk until desired consistency.

**side note, i mixed the leftover sauce with some buffalo sauce....HIGHLY recommend. next time i'm making the sauce and pouring it over chicken to bake. maybe with a little bacon on top. the meal was a 3 1/2....but the sauce? 4 3/4.

01/02 tonight was comfort food. i've had several people recommend this recipe to me, saying it never fails to disappoint. i have a niece who makes it for her family, and they always love it. a "loaded potato and chicken casserole". layers of diced potatoes, chicken, bacon, cheese and scallion mixed with spices like garlic, paprika and cayenne. i figure any recipe that has cheddar cheese and bacon? must be good! a little sour cream for texture, and some fresh tomatoes as a garnish. served with a side of my beloved roasted brussels sprouts. a solid wintery meal!

01/03 i decided to go on the fancy and every-so-slightly-french side tonight. steak au poivre served with mini bleu cheese soufflés and pear/endive salad. this is why i started the goal....to push myself to try new meals. new recipes. new flavors. and tonight i was most pleased with the results!

the salad was simple and delicious. bartlett pears with endive, spinach, dried cherries and candied pecans.  the dressing was a honey dijon and shallot vinaigrette. which makes me wonder, why don't i make my own dressings more often? it was tangy and sweet and light and wonderful. as heavy as the rest of the meal was, it was nice to have this crisp balance.

i very rarely pan-sear steaks. i'm a fan of grilling for red meat. but tonight i really wanted to try the classic au poivre style with cream brandy sauce, and that called for the sauté pan. it turned out much better than i imagined! i used a cut of beef tenderloin (thankfully on sale) done to medium rare. a wonderfully tender cut. and a nice base for the decadent sauce of shallots, cream and brandy. gotta love the french and their sauces!

but the best part of the meal was definitely the bleu cheese soufflés. this was an adaptation of a recipe for a bleu cheese-cheesecake that my mom sent me a while ago. i pared down the recipe for individual portions baked in ramekins. these. were. amazing. so creamy. so rich. so savory. so perfect with steak. and actually relatively simple. since i've given the bleu cheese sauce recipe? makes sense to give this one too!

Bleu Cheese Cheesecakes (for 2 ramekins):

4 oz cream cheese (softened)
4 oz bleu cheese (softened-i used my favorite, maytag)
2 Tblsp sour cream
1 egg
1/4 tsp garlic powder
salt
pepper
2 Tblsp scallions (chopped)

-whisk (or beat using a stand mixer) the cream cheese, bleu cheese and sour cream until almost smooth.
-beat egg into the cheese mixture.
-add spices and stir to combine.
-pour into ramekins.
-top with scallions.
-bake for 45 minutes at 350F.

this meal is a solid 4. maybe a 4 1/4.... and it makes me very please that i've taken on this endeavor!