So I spend a lot of time trying to find vegetarian recipes that my husband will still be able to enjoy (i.e. Cool Ranch Taco Salad), and I mean a lot of time. The last thing I want is for my diet to affect his enjoyment of his favorite dinners. But, sometimes I like to have a dinner that is all for me. Not "for me" in that I don't share, believe me there was plenty, but I mean "for me" in that it's something that I will enjoy and maybe not of my husband's interests. We all gotta take care of ourselves sometimes, am I right, ladies?

So when I found this cauliflower soup recipe on pinterest, I knew it would be one of the those times for a selfish dinner. I love soup, and I love cauliflower, what could go wrong?

I did feel somewhat bad about it. I know I shouldn't, he gets most of the meals, right? Anyway, I threw in some pull apart ("Crack bread") for him to eat with the soup. We've had it before and I love the way his face lights up when I carry in that round loaf from the grocery store. "Ohhhh, are you making cheesy bacon bread?!?"

Let break this apart, shall we?

Cauliflower Soup

• One head of cauliflower, roughly chopped
• 2 stalks of celery, finely chopped
• 1-2 large carrots, finely chopped
• 8 cups (2 quarts) of vegetable broth
• 1 cup (or 1 stick) of butter
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons parsley
• salt to taste
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1 cup half-and-half
• Sour cream

Step one: Chop 'yer onion. 

Off topic, but I'm finding that chopping onions makes me cry more if I'm NOT wearing contacts. Is that weird? Anyone else notice this?

Step two: In a large stock pot, melt your butter and put your chopped onion in. 

Step three: The recipe called for "finely chopped" celery and carrots, but chopping a carrot is tough work. I chopped mine into pieces and put it in the processor instead. Worked great and tastes great. Work smart, not hard!

I have an EXTREMELY small processor, I'm aware. 

Step four: Add your celery and carrots to the pot. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Start chopping your cauliflower. 

After serving and eating this soup, I wish I had chopped these into slightly smaller pieces.

Step five: Add the cauliflower and parsley to the pot. Cook on low heat for 15 minutes. 

Step six: Add your vegetable broth (you could also use chicken broth). Let simmer. 

Step seven: In a medium pan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter. Mix together in a bowl your flour and milk. I ignored this step and mixed in the pan, but I shouldn't have done that. It wasn't as creamy or saucy as it should have been because I misread the directions. So mix your flour and milk in a bowl. Once it's smooth, add to the butter and whisk constantly. 

Step eight: Once mixed thoroughly, remove from heat and mix in half-and-half. 

Step nine: Add your white sauce mixture to the soup. Let simmer for additional 15 minutes. 

Step ten: Almost finished! The recipe calls for you to place sour cream in your bowl or serving dish, and pouring some soup in, stirring, and then adding the rest of the soup, and stir again before serving. I did this once, and I omitted it once. Honestly, I thought it tasted better sans sour cream, but serve it according to your preferences. 

Serve and enjoy!! 

I thought the soup was great, but my husband thought it lacked some flavor. He isn't wrong, it's a solid, yummy soup, but the flavor leaves something to be desired. It was better after adding a touch more salt, but I still wonder if all the effort was worth this somewhat bland soup. 

We had PLENTY of leftovers. Two large tubberware bowls full. I reheated some for lunch the next day and the taste holds up, as you would expect a soup to. 

In the end, I got my dish. I'm pleased with my selfish dinner. 

Link to recipe as found on pinterest: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/01/cauliflower-soup/

On to the bread!!!

Cheesy Bacon Pull-Apart Bread (Aka: Crack Bread)

If you've been on pinterest, you've probably seen this floating around multiple times. It's practically in every pinner's food board. 

We've made this several times. The first was for a football party and it was a huge hit. It hasn't stopped being a hit, especially for my husband, who loves it. 

I used to make this sometimes to take to work, and I would have to grab an extra loaf to make for him, because it "wasn't fair," that my coworkers got to enjoy the bread and he did not. Ahhh, he so funny. 

Anyway, here's what you'll need:

• Round sourdough or Italian loaf, fresh (no more than 2 days old or it's too hard to cut)
• Ranch mix packet
• 1 cup butter
• Bacon bits
• Shredded cheddar cheese

Step one: Preheat oven to 350. With a long serrated knife, cut lines all along the bread, parallel to one another. The thickness depends on your preference on how large you would like the pulls to be. 

Step two: Now, carefully (this is probably the most difficult step) cut lines the other way, so you have evenly spaced squares in your loaf. 

Step three: Evenly spread your cheese between the cuts of the bread. You may have to bend the load some to reach all the cracks. You want it surrounding all the squares!

Step four: Do the same for your bacon. I only put bacon on one half, because duh. 

Step five: Melt your butter in a microwave safe bowl. Mix your ranch packet with the melted butter. 

Step six: Drizzle the melted butter all over the loaf. Aim for the cuts in the bread and try to spread it thoroughly. 

Step seven: Wrap or cover in foil, bake for 15 minutes. Uncover the foil, bake for an additional 8-10 minutes. 

You've just made CRACK...... bread. Enjoy! 

Link to recipe as found on pinterest: http://www.plainchicken.com/2011/07/cheddar-bacon-ranch-pulls.html