Like a Mac N Cheese.....but healthier, and no one will know!

Love my Organic Green Grocer Bag!!! I am so glad we have kept going all winter. This weeks bag provided me with a lovely head of cauliflower that I wanted my kids to eat! So the following was gobbled up and liked....great recipe for adults and kids. The sauce is creamy and delicious, the ham is an ingredient my kids love....and so easy to toss in, but you could leave it out and add in roasted butternut squash to keep the dish vegetarian—and it would be so pretty!

As a quick side note, I've also been trying to read up on GMOs (genetically modified organism or genetically engineered organism). From what I have been finding online I'm trying to avoid these, and foods labeled organic are not modified. That is the only way to avoid them currently as the US has no specific requirement to label other produce, prepared foods or packaged foods. The Meijer brand Naturals say on the label "No GMOs" so I've been opting for that brand over others. I suggest you look into these and make a decision for your family based on what you find.

Baked Pasta with Broccoli, Ham, and 

Cheesy-Cauliflower Sauce

A few TBSP of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 small head of cauliflower
1 small onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, chopped
2 TBSP flour
4 C low-fat milk (or skim)
1 tsp grated nutmeg
2 C grated parmesan or romano cheese
1 lb of medium shells dried pasta (whole grain is good)
1/4 lb of smoked ham, chopped
5 C of broccoli florets
1/2 C toasted panko (Japanese Bread Crumbs), to top before serving...optional

In a large skillet saute cauliflower, onion, garlic and 1/2 tsp kosher salt in olive oil until softened. Sprinkle 2 Tbsp of flower over the mixture and cook for a couple of minutes, add 4 C of milk and bring to a boil, then simmer for 10-15 minutes until cauliflower is soft. Turn off heat and let cool slightly.



Meanwhile, cook the past for 5-6 minutes only and drain (it will finish cooking in the oven).

In a large baking dish, add pasta, broccoli and ham, toss to combing.

Add cauliflower mixture to a blender after it has cooled for 5-10 minutes. Add 1 C of grated cheese and nutmeg, then puree until smooth. Pour over pasta mixture and combine. Top with 1 C of grated cheese.










Bake at 400 degrees F for approximately 25 minutes.

 Let cool 5 minutes, then serve.

Top with the toasted breadcrumbs if desired.

All I have left to say is, YUM! And, I betting the leftovers get better!

Mother Ruthann's Cookies

Ruthann Bennet and Vicki Stainer at a tree planting in Memory of Jerry Bennett at Freeman Road Park.

This is special post today, because it is about my neighbor Ruthann Bennett. But she is more than a neighbor...she is family, she the rock of our street's quirky community and she a force to be reckoned with! I've known her for over 16 years.  She was so welcoming when Alan and I moved to Char Mar, and so wonderful when our children arrived.  She loved them and helped me when I was scrambling and needed a baby sitter within an hour or so (job hazard of being self-employed). She is a retired educator and continues to educate and share knowledge.  Our lives wouldn't be the same without her.  She shared her famous cookie recipe with me this week, one we've been enjoying for years. It really is Ruthann...it is sweet, but has ingredients integrity, that are good for you, and are natural. This just seems to sum up the Ruthann I love....the one that loves people, nature and knowledge. Her late husband Jerry, was the same. So giving......and I'm including some photos of the beautiful plants he endowed us with and that we keep growing so in the years to come, Ruthann and Jerry will always be a part of our family.

Mother Ruthann's Cookie Recipe

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup honey

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix well

Then Add:

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teas. salt

1/2 teas. baking powder

1 teas. baking soda

Mix well with mixer.

Then add:

2 cups Wheaties, 2 cups quick oats, 1 cup coconut, 1 cups ground nuts, and 12. oz. of chips — chocolate chipc OR  peanut butter chips OR butterscotch chips

Mix with spoon until well blended.  Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 10 minutes.




This is a very special Lilly.  It is a Eucharist Lilly and we take these inside for the winter, but back out in the summer, it is a favorite of ours and they are so beautiful just like Ruthann and Jerry.

Eucharist Lilly

Lissyanthus

Lissyanthus

Moon Flower

The ground cover, ferns and hostas in our front yard are all from Jerry.

Projects that are inspired by Jerry and the deer population he struggled with but never resented.

Our fish pond that was inspired by Jerry, although is pales in comparison to the two fish ponds that inspired this! Jerry helped up with the planning and specs so we can winter over our fish. We love to check their progress year after year, and the kids love feeding them and watching them. 

A project the neighborhood boys worked on all summer long in 2011 and one that I know Jerry would have loved. The teepee frame was constructed all from fallen trees and branches! The kids love to play in it! And so far it is standing tall even against some crazy winds we've had all fall and winter! Ruthann and Jerry are the original re-use and recycle couple. They understand and share the meaning of waste-not, want-not.

Thanks to the Bennett's the deer here in the Char Mar area are well fed with feed corn. A very loving way to keep them out of your gardens! We just love watching them and although it means we can't grow tulips....we have plenty of other deer friendly plantings (mostly from the Bennett's)!