Homestretch

There is exactly one working week until the long holiday break, and I can't wait. I can barely fathom 11 days off without working. The closest I have come to that is 10 days between when we left NC and moved here. But that was hardly a vacation. Of course we'll be busy this time too, with the In-Laws coming with the 4 and 5 year old nephews. But I won't be having to worry about work :)

To finish the banana marathon, I made the Banana Pineapple Snack Cake I posted earlier. I froze the rest of the bananas because I'm not really in the mood for more banana goodness. I think people at work are starting to hide when they see me carrying in a plastic container now :)

Tonight I created a new recipe, surprise, it is for a soup :) It came out pretty good. A bit of a change up from the bean and lentil creations I've been making lately, which is a relief to the spouse.

Cream of Cauliflower Soup
1 medium head of cauliflower, broken into florets
1/4 c. butter or margarine
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 Tbs. flour
1 tsp. ground mustard
1/2 tsp. smoked Spanish paprika
1 tsp. dried thyme
2 c. stock
2 c. milk, soy or dairy
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 Tbs. nutritional yeast (or use 1/2 c. or so of shredded cheddar)
Heat stock in a soup pot and bring to a boil. Add the cauliflower and then cook until tender. Remove cauliflower from the pot and mash. Retain 2 c. of the cooking liquid and set aside. Melt the butter or margarine in the soup pot. Add the onion and celery and saute until onions begin to brown. Stir in the flour and spices and toss to coat the vegetables evenly. Add the stock and milk and whisk to combine. Add the cauliflower and nutritional yeast or cheese and stir well to combine. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook until soup thickens to desired consistency.