Winner of Bracelet + Cauliflower and Ham Gratin

Thanks to all who entered the bracelet giveaway! Giveaways are fun but, man, do I wish with all sincerity that you could all win. The winner chosen via random.org is AMANDA. Congrats, girl!

Email me at sisandpiglet@gmail with your address so I can get this bracelet in the mail for ya asap.

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My dinners haven't been all that good lately. Super blah. We all sorta pick at our food and the girls never really get full. Like clockwork, they're asking for cereal an hour after dinner is cleaned up. I'm over it and I'm trying to inject some life back into our dinners! No more staring blankly into the fridge at 5:00 wondering what to feed my family that night! 

I've been doing some meal planning and been focused and all business at the grocery store. It's going so well! Having a plan has been so liberating and it's cut out the stress. My goal with meal planning isn't to make fancy or complicated meals- just food that tastes good and is healthy.

I'm exploring the idea of doing a little meal planning series here on the blog. Is that something that would interest you guys? Let me know in the comments. It could be fun, I think. I'd also love to hear some of your weeknight meal ideas! 

Okay, let's talk about this Cauliflower and Ham gratin, finally!

 It's a delicious comfort dish and Randy and Lily asked for me to make it again sometime soon. Glory be! Lily kept saying between bites: "Mmmmm, mom, this is good...like, really good". The original recipe comes from Real Simple. It called for goat cheese, bread crumbs and thyme, which all sounded delicious to me, but I changed things up to cater to the kids and husband. Enjoy!

Recipe (9 in square pan):

2 tablespoons butter

1 medium sized yellow onion, diced

1 8oz package Hormel Natural Choice sliced Honey Ham, cut into 1/2 in pieces

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup milk

1 heaping cup grated cheddar cheese (I prefer to grate the cheese myself)

kosher salt and pepper

1 head cauliflower, washed and cut into florets (try and keep the florets small if feeding to kids)

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Melt the butter in a large sauce pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until softened and golden brown, about 6 minutes. Add ham and cook for a couple more minutes. Add the cream, milk, cheese, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until thickened, about 4 minutes. Add cauliflower florets and stir to combine and coat.

Transfer to 9 in square baking dish. Sprinkle with more shredded cheddar cheese. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for twenty minutes. Uncover and continue baking until the cauliflower is tender, 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for at least 5 minutes before serving. 

images by Briana

Thanks for stopping in today! Hope you find sometime to kick back and relax this weekend! See you next week.