[1] It looks like mashed potatoes, but it’s mashed cauliflower (photo © Chef Wave).

[2] A beautiful head of cauliflower. Don’t throw away the stalk: cut, cook and mash it with the rest (photo © Jennifer Schmidt | Unsplash).

[3] You can use colored cauliflower, of course (photo © Sid Wainer & Son | Facebook).

[4] For more garlic flavor, use minced fresh garlic instead of garlic powder (photo © Tijana Drndaski | Unsplash).

You just can’t eat too many brassicas. The plant family of cruciferous vegetables, Brassica, contains nutritional powerhouses that are packed with potent, cancer-fighting phytonutrients (antioxidants). Members include arugula, bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, horseradish/wasabi, kale, kohlrabi, mizuna, mustard greens, radish, rapeseed/canola, rapini, rutabaga, tatsoi, turnips, and watercress, among others.

It’s easy to eat a cup or more daily of veggies like broccoli and cauliflower, especially if you snack on the raw florets with a yogurt dip.

Thanks to My Chef Wave for the recipe. Here are two related recipes from The Nibble archives:

 
There are more cauliflower recipes below.

February 17th is National Cabbage Day.
 
 
RECIPE: MASHED CAULIFLOWER & GARLIC

The chef used the Intermix immersion hand blender to make whisking the potatoes a cinch.
 
Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. STEAM fresh cauliflower until tender but crisp. If using frozen cauliflower, prepare according to package directions.

2. HEAT the oil in a small saucepan over low heat. Add onion and garlic, stirring often until the onion is softened.

3. ADD the flour, whisking constantly, about 1 minute. Gradually add the milk, pepper, and parsley. Whisk until thick and smooth. Remove from heat and pour over cauliflower.

4. GARNISH with a pat of butter and parsley sprinkled on top. (Tip: because there was parsley in the potatoes, we used dill for the garnish.)
 
 
MORE CAULIFLOWER RECIPES

 
 
______________

*For more intense garlic flavor, substitute an equal amount of freshly minced garlic. Or, use one medium-sized fresh garlic clove for every 1/8 teaspoon needed. You can also use an equal amount of granulated garlic.

For the tea lover, may we recommend Adagio Teas’ “12 Days Of Christmas” in tea? On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me… a most festive and delicious set of teas! The 12 Days of Christmas Gift Set from Adagio Teas: a delicious and jolly selection of tea blends in individual pouches. There’s an assortment of black, green, herbal and rooibos teas, a different variety for each of the 12 Days of Christmas.

The brightly red metal tins are packed into an equally colorful box that will delight the eye as soon as the wrapping comes off. But the merrymaking doesn’t end there!

It’s a gift that keeps on giving. The lovely reusable tins, 3.75″ x 2.25″ x 3/8″, can be lined up to create a holiday scene, or can hang as ornaments, empty or full (photo #2), this year and each year going forward.
 
 
THE 12 TEAS OF CHRISTMAS

The 12 teas in this holiday lineup of teas are White Pear (white tea), Peacan Turtle (rooibos), Lavender Lemon (herbal tea), Candy Cane (black tea), Golden Monkey (black tea), Jasmine Pheonix Pearls (green tea), Blue Mango (herbal tea), Cream (black tea), Cha Cha (herbal tea), Earl Grey Bravo (black tea), Fruit Medley (herbal tea), and Nutcracker (rooibos tea).

Each blend of tea was selected to correspond with its piece of the song—for example, for the first line, “a partridge in a pear tree” song lyric becomes “a partridge in a white pear tea.”

Each tin contains one single-serving pouch of tea.

 
It’s a tea-licious gift, for $24.00

Get your 12 Days Of Christmas Tea at Adagio.com.
 
 
SING ALONG TO “THE 12 TEAS OF CHRISTMAS”

Sing along with The 12 Days Of Christmas.

Sung by The King’s Singers and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, it’s the most glorious sound and visual treatment of “The 12 Days Of Christmas” on YouTube.
 
 
> THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF TEA
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF TEA

[1] A delightful gift of teas with 12 reusable tins. After the tea is gone, use them for spices, pins, whatever (all photos © Adagio Teas).

[2] The recipient can use the tea tins as tree ornaments this year…and each year going forward.

[3] The tins slide open, each revealing a pouch of fine tea. You’ll find quite a few ways to reuse the tins.

[1] They’re called blue, but they’re [obviously] purple (photo © High Mowing Organic Seeds).

Are you a person who likes to change things up, innovate, generate delight, dazzle the kids? Well, here’s a game-changer for Thanksgiving (or any day of the year): blue mashed potatoes. They’re actually purple in color, but we’ll stick with the industry name: Adirondack blue potatoes. Beyond mashed, think blue baked potatoes. Roasted potatoes. Boiled potatoes. Potato salad.

The large, oblong tubers taste like regular potatoes.

 
These gorgeous potatoes are striking on the table.

And there’s also Adirondack Red!
 
 
ADIRONDACK RED POTATOES

This beautiful red potato has red flesh, which turns a light shade of pink when boiled. As with Adirondack Blue, it’s excellent for baking, boiling, mashing, roasting, and potato salad.

The red pigment is betacyanin, another powerful antioxidant that is red-violet and also colors beets, red cabbage, and many other plants. It’s a much more common pigment in the plant kingdom than the blue anthocyanidin and anthocyanin*.
 
NOTE: The skins of both Blue and Red are thin, so scrub them gently.
 
 
DEVELOPED BY SCIENTISTS AT CORNELL

Thanks go to Walter de Jong, Ken Paddock, and Robert Plaisted, potato-genetics scientists at the Cornell University School of Integrated Plant Science Plant Breeding & Genetics Section. They released Adirondack Blue in 2003 after many years of development and testing. (The potatoes are non-GMO).

They focus on the genetic improvement of the potato, both by conventional and molecular genetic means. (Note that this does NOT mean genetically modified organisms. These potatoes are Non-GMO.)

Shortly after Adirondack Blue, they released Adirondack Red, Keuka Gold, and Yukon Gem, all huge successes grown in the Northeast by specialty potato farmers.

Adirondack and Keuka are both places in the Northeast. The Adirondack Mountains are a range in northeastern Upstate New York, Keuka is one of the major Finger Lakes in New York State.
 
 
> THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF POTATOES
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF POTATOES
 
________________

*Anthocyanins, powerful antioxidants that can lower risks of heart and neurological diseases. But don’t use that as an opportunity to over-indulge! Anthocyanidin and anthocyanin are two types of red-blue plant flavonoids, mostly found in flowers and fruits of higher plants. The main difference between them is that anthocyanin is a water-soluble vacuolar pigment, whereas anthocyanidin is the sugar-free counterpart of anthocyanin [source]. Here’s more about antioxidants.

Yes, you can give ketchup as a gift to a foodie or a general ketchup lover. When it’s a “gourmet” ketchup like Brownwood Farms Ketchup, made in three flavors that add more excitement to burgers, fries hot dogs, meatloaf, sandwiches…wherever you use ketchup.

Want to make your own ketchup? Here’s a recipe.

You can even make green ketchup and rhubarb ketchup.

Also check out the “anatomy of ketchup” graphic, below.
 
 
BROWNWOOD FARMS FLAVORED KETCHUP

Variations on Brownwood Farms’ classic ketchup recipe include:

 
Given the time of year, we’re giving these as stocking stuffers to friends who will appreciate specialty ketchup.

Get them at iGourmet.com.
 
 
BEYOND BURGERS & FRIES: 10 USES FOR KETCHUP

Burgers, fries, and other fried or breaded food—chicken, mozzarella sticks, onion rings, zucchini fries—are obvious. Meatloaf sandwiches are a given, as are breakfast eggs. Here are ten more everyday condiments uses for ketchup.

 
 
> KETCHUP VS. CATSUP
 
 
> KETCHUP HISTORY
 
 
> REVIEWS OF 40 KETCHUP BRANDS

[1] Whether your burger is plain or fancy, great ketchup elevates each bite (photos #1 and #4 © Good Eggs).

[2] We love Brownwood Farms’ three flavored ketchup: Bacon, Dill Pickle, and Kickin’ Ketchup.

[3] Homemade ketchup is easy to make. Check out this recipe (photo © Danielle Walker | Meals Made Simple).

[1] A delicious vegetarian/vegan stuffing with dried and fresh mushrooms (photo © Hannah Kaminsky | Bittersweet Blog).

[2] Fresh cremini mushrooms (also spelled crimini) can be replaced with white button mushrooms (photo ©Christine Siracusa | Weusual | Unsplash).

[3] These are fresh shiitake mushrooms (photo © Hannah Kaminsky | Bittersweet Blog).

[4] These are dried shiitake mushrooms (photo © Umami Information Center).

[5] This is the favored brand of recipe developer Hannah Kaminsky. You can find them on Amazon (photo © Sugimoto).

[6] Use a sourdough loaf or an Italian loaf for the bread cubes (photo © Maison Kayser).

[7] Use fresh parsley, never dried. Flat or curly: it doesn’t matter (photo © Cava Mediterranean Restaurant).

We love stuffing. We’d rather have stuffing than the turkey. When the last bit of turkey is gone, we know we’ll have more, sometime soon. But we never get around to making another pan of stuffing (stuffing? dressing? see the difference below).

Here’s a mushroom stuffing recipe from Hannah Kaminsky of Bittersweet Blog that everyone will enjoy—including vegetarians and vegans.

She’s particularly fond of the dried shiitake mushrooms from Sugimoto in Japan (they have a U.S. website and are also on Amazon).
 
 
SUGITAKE DRIED SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS

Shiitakes are Japan’s favorite mushrooms. In certain preparations, dried Sugimoto shiitake mushrooms are a better choice than fresh ones for several reasons. They have much better flavor, enhanced nutritional attributes, and of course, will last a lot longer in your kitchen.

 
“Of course,” says Hannah, “most importantly for their culinary value, Sugimoto shiitake mushrooms are incredibly delicious because the drying and rehydrating process produces guanylate, a natural umami enhancer. Guanylate amplifies the umami taste of all foods, making dishes richer, bolder, and simply better.

“That’s a whole lot to be thankful for right there. It should go without saying that these powerful little mushrooms definitely deserve a place of honor in your stuffing. I’ve got the perfect dish to grace your menu right here.”
 
 
RECIPE: BROWN BUTTER MUSHROOM STUFFING

Tangy sourdough and umami mushrooms are the foundation of this hearty, comforting stuffing. Infused with autumnal herbs and nutty browned butter, it’s a side dish you should invite over for Thanksgiving dinner.

You can also enjoy it any time of the year. There’s nothing seasonal about mushrooms, sourdough, and stuffing.

The flaxseeds are very high in fiber with a good amount of protein and a charming flavor. They’re also rich in heart-healthy fat. You can omit them if you like

Prep time is 20 to 30 minutes soaking time for the mushrooms, 15 minutes more for the other ingredients. Cook time is 35 to 45 minutes.

To make ahead of time, the stuffing may be prepared up until the final baking stage 1 day in advance; cover and chill until ready to bake.

We tried the recipe with 2-day-old challah instead of sourdough, also delicious. Just make sure you toast it first to get the bread cubes more dry and crisp.
 
Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. SOAK the mushrooms in 3 cups of water for 20 to 30 minutes. Drain the mushrooms but reserve the liquid. Separate the caps from the stems; slice the caps and finely mince the stems. Set aside.

2. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. Spread the cubed bread pieces as a single layer on two baking sheets, making sure the cubes don’t overlap. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring halfway through, until evenly toasted. Set aside and increase the heat to 375°F.

3. SET a large saucepan over medium heat and add the butter. Once melted, the butter will begin to foam and sizzle around the edges. Continue stirring, gently but continuously, for about 5 to 8 minutes. The butter will turn golden brown and begin to smell nutty.

4. ADD the onion, celery, cremini or button mushrooms, shiitake, and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables have softened and become highly aromatic, 10 to 13 minutes. Add the poultry seasoning, salt, and black pepper, cooking for 1 minute longer to incorporate.

5. TURN off the heat and sprinkle in the flaxseeds, tossing the vegetables to coat. Introduce the toasted bread and stir well to evenly distribute all the ingredients. Transfer to a larger bowl if needed to stir properly.

6. ADD the vinegar, shiitake soaking water and/or stock if needed, hazelnuts, and parsley. Mix well, making sure everything is thoroughly incorporated. Transfer the mixture to a 13 x 9-inch baking dish, spreading it out in an even layer.

7. BAKE for 35 to 45 minutes, until golden brown all over. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
 
 
 
STUFFING OR DRESSING: THE DIFFERENCE

It’s simple:

 
While the idea of stuffing the bird appeals to many, most experts recommend cooking a separate dressing.

For food safety reasons, stuffing in the cavity of the bird must reach the same 165°F temperature before it is ready to serve. If you have a vegetarian dressing, it’s not an issue.

(But if you have a dressing made with raw meat or seafood, do make sure it cooks to 160°F.)

It’s also a heck of a lot easier to make dressing, both in placing it in a pan instead of spooning it into the turkey cavity; and in avoiding the labor of scooping the stuffing out of the bird.

There may be regional traditions that select one term or the other. We grew up in the northeast, where it was always “stuffing,” no matter whether in the bird or in a casserole dish.

“Dressing” referred to salad dressing.
 
 
MORE STUFFING RECIPES

Allow us to use the words interchangeably in the recipe names. The cook decides if it’s going to be stuffing or dressing!