Baked Vegetables

Cooking in the oven is the best to go in winter, keep the kitchen warm, no messy stovetop and the burners, definitely less work.  Spending time as little as possible in the kitchen, invest your time in other activities instead. 

Baked Vegetables
Cauliflower is in season, they are beautifully fresh, tender and sweet.  Double cooked preparation for this dish.  First, the cauliflower will be steamed for a short while, then followed by baking.
What you need :
1 whole fresh cauliflower
1 cup white sauce
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon grated Grana Padano 
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and ground white pepper to taste
Method
Preheat the oven up to 175 degrees C
Trim the outer leaves and wash the whole cauliflower thoroughly, drain and dry it properly
Steam for five minutes, and leave it cool
Place it in the pot, put in right in the middle.

Whole Cauliflower and the Pot to bake
If you use a standard oven, this pot is easy enough to fit in.  For a small size oven, you may have to check that the pot can get in with no problem.  The oven is going to be hot, handle it with care.

The well-prepared cauliflower is sitting in the pot, put half cup water.  The cauliflower is ready for steaming.

With the lid on, put the pot over the medium-hot stove and cook for five minutes.  Put off the flame, and leave the cauliflower in the pot to cool.  This is my way of steaming.  The little water will be boiling during the cooking, and the steam will cook the cauliflower within in 5 minutes.

Spread the white sauce around the cooked cauliflower evenly, sprinkle the cheese on top and all around the cauliflower.
Bake in the prepared oven at 175 degrees C for 25 minutes.  Switch the oven off, leave the baked cauliflower in it until serving time.

Beautifully baked cauliflower served warmed on itself or to garnished any cooked protein.

Serving baked cauliflower, sprinkle with chilli powder.

While the oven is hot and still going, baking another dish was an idea.  Baked apple sponge for morning tea and served with whipped cream.  It was the very first time baking fruit sponge this year, a Sunday treat, I told the family, that we have been good, so we deserve it.  It's raining outside, just as well all errands had been done on the previous day, only one left going to the chemist.

Freshly Baked Apple Sponge
A very light and spongy cake, it looks impressive, and the taste was so yummy, with the soft chopped sweet apple studded here and there, the flaked almond which dressed the top of the cake add the deliciousness of the sponge.

The recipe I could not share really, I simply put everything in a bowl, mixed together quickly and pour it into the hot cooked chopped apple, then bake in a hot oven for twenty minutes. Soon the sponge cake was baked and taken out from the oven dusted with the icing powder.

 I can tell you what you need: 
Two and a half large apples, peeled and diced and sprinkle with lime juice
2 tablespoons raw sugar and 1 tablespoon water
(place in a small baking dish, cook until the apple are softened, I cooked in the microwave for 4 minutes)
While I was cooking the apple, I prepared the sponge mixture quickly.
1 cup full self rising-flour
2 tablespoons castor sugar, one egg, 2 tablespoons milk and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil.
(mix all ingredients together to make a smooth mixture, at this point I added 1 tablespoon golden syrup and a pinch of bicarbonate of soda, mix them quickly and pour onto a hot cooked apple)
Bake in a hot oven at 175 degrees C (oven forced) for 18-20 minutes.
Serve hot or warm, and dressed in whipped cream.  You could serve with pouring cream, ice cream. I am happy enough to have simply a scoop of the warm apple sponge cake to go with my cup of tea.

The winter is almost over, to celebrate the end of the season we could cook braised chicken in red wine or Coq au vin, and Cassoulet, especially if you are keen on classic French cooking.  I may do that, but to simplify the dishes is necessary.  Particularly the Cassoulet as it is a rich dish.

Keep up with all that you like doing, and it's good to stay positive.  I have been enjoying my sports activities, double ping-pong game or a single ping-pong game.  I may not be very competitive, but if I win, I feel fantastic and please within myself.  The good feeling is very precious.
If I lose the game, the opponent must be excellent, and it is good to see others happier.

This is what I love to say: Don't Forget to Be Awesome!

Have a good day, Every day.
Susy