Creamy Chicken Cauliflower Lasagna Stylee

There are days when I look through my fridge, cupboards,  and freezer and find all sorts of random food items, bits and pieces of saved things that do not seem to go together in any appropriate fashion. In order to eliminate waste and to avoid grocery shopping, I try to mix up something creative with these items and create something spectacular (which sometimes does or doesn't happen). This happened to me last night.
Random Food Items
Half a box of lasagna noodles
2 Frozen chicken breasts
Frozen bag of purple cauliflower
1/4 bottle of Imagine Moore gratitude
Tupperware full of random blocks of Yancey Fancy cheese

Magical Dish- Creamy Lasagna!
In a pot of salted water, cook lasagna noodles.
In a large skillet, saute an onion in a bit of olive oil. Chop up chicken bits and cook until browned. Add chopped up purple cauliflower and 1/4 cup of white wine, salt and pepper to taste. Steam cauliflower til tender.

Drain lasagna noodles. In pot, melt 1 Tbl of butter and saute a few cloves of garlic. I added a ice cube size hunk of pesto (another random freezer item) but you could add dried basil if you choose. Add 1/2 cup of milk (if you have cream or half&half, this would prob be more delish). Bring to a simmer. Add 3 Tbl of flour. Cook til thickened. Add some shredded cheese to sauce. Add chicken/cauliflower mixture.

Layer noodles, CreamyCC mix and shredded cheese about 3 times in that fabulous order. Bake at 350 for about 20-30 minutes or until bubbly and browned on top. Serve with the rest of that leftover wine.
...and you know what they say, "Lasagna is always better as leftovers." This is true. I'm eating the leftovers right now.

Rhubarb Into Spring

I never ate rhubarb until about three years ago, but once I crossed over to the tart side their was no going back. Since food is the main thing on my mind most of the time, nothing signals spring to me like some fresh rhubarb and asparagus. At the public market last weekend, I happened across a nice young father and his son selling rhubarb so I bought and out of my little bundle of seven rhubarb stalks created two new delicious recipes.

Rhubarb Round One
Apple Rhubarb Crisp
This recipe was inspired by a Monica's Pies customer who upon seeing our Strawberry Rhubarb pie...

Man: Do you have Apple Rhubarb Pie?
Me: Apple-Rhubarb Pie? Never heard of such a thing?
Man: Never heard of it?? OH MY!! It is the most delicious kind of pie ever!!
Me: Hmmm I'll have to try it sometime.

And I did! Now this is not a popular combo because the seasonality of rhubarb is spring and apples is fall... However with the modren technology of today, a combination is possible. Per example: Last fall, I had rhubarb in my freezer from spring and used it to make an apple rhubarb pie for a birthday party... Smashing success!
This weekend, I bought fresh rhubarb and wintered over apples (not prime for eatin but perfect for baking) and created this crisp because I was too lazy to make a crust.

In a bowl combine, 3 sliced apples, 3 chopped stalks of rhubarb, 1/3 cup of sugar, 1 tsp of cinnamon, 1/8 tsp of nutmeg, 1/2 an orange juiced. Put in the bottom of a 9x9 baking pan. In a small bowl combine 1/3 cup of brown sugar, 1/3 cup of butter and 2/3 cup of flour. Combine with a fork until crumbly. Add 1/3 cup of oatmeal. Sprinkle over fruit mixture.
Pop into a 350 oven. Bake for the amount of time it takes to drink a beer on your friend's porch (Approx. 45 min.) Come home and remove from oven. I served this with a dollop of creme fraiche on top. It would also be fab with ice cream or whipped cream or just plain.

Side note... If you don't eat it all for dessert, this is amazing heated up the next day for breakfast with a cup of coffee.

Rhubarb Round 2
Pork Tenderloin with Rhubarb Chutney
Chop 2 cloves of garlic. Combine with 1 Tbl of olive oil, 1 Tbl of rice vinegar and 2 Tbl of cumin. Massage into your pork tenderloin. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover with foil and bake for about 35 minutes or until temperature is 165. (I know you all have made pork tenderloin before!)

Now for the new exciting part... Rhubarb Chutney!!
In a small saucepan, combine 1/3 cup of sugar, 3 Tbl of balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp of ground coriander, 1 tsp of cinnamon. Bring to a boil. Add 1 cup of chopped rhubarb, 2 chopped green onions, some craisins if you desire ( I only had a few so put what I had. It would be great either way). Simmer about 5 minutes or until rhubarb is cooked. Remove from heat and let cool.

When tenderloin is done, slice and top with chutney. I served this with a side of steamed asparagus and a Dry Riesling from Dr. Konstantin Frank's. Perfection.