Month: April 2018

Low-Carb White Cheddar Cauliflower “Mac” and Cheese

I have 52 days until I need to squeeze into my wedding dress, which means it’s time to detox from all the Easter candy and treats I’ve been indulging in over the last week. I also had my cake tasting last weekend at Sandra’s Cake Studio, which was AMAZING! If you live near Bowie, MD, I highly recommend her cakes for all your special occasions. That being said, I’m taking a break from sugar and embracing veggies.

I like to eat low-carb whenever I can, but I also love macaroni and cheese. Quite problematic, I know. Solution? Substitute the “Mac” with cauliflower. Genius! Cauliflower is a great veggie to substitute for starches like pasta and rice. It has a mild flavor that pairs well with a variety of ingredients. One of my favorite versions of macaroni and cheese is Panera’s white mac and cheese. It’s super creamy, decadent and a must try. That was my inspiration for this dish. Ooey-gooey white cheddar cheese, perfectly melted with cauliflower and sprinkled with parmesan cheese. Talk about a dream. I also like to sprinkle on a little Old Bay Seasoning at the end for extra flavor. For my readers who are non-Marylanders, this seasoning is a staple in Maryland.

This dish also reheats really well in the microwave, so it’s perfect to meal prep on the weekend to eat throughout the week. This cauliflower mac and cheese may cut back on the carbs, but it definitely does not cut back on flavor!

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 Low-Carb White Cheddar Cauliflower "Mac" and Cheese
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings
servings
Ingredients
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Rating: 0
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Instructions
  1. Melt 2 tbsp of butter in a microwave save bowl. Drizzle the melted butter into an 8x8 baking dish, greasing the bottom and sides of the dish.
  2. Shred the white cheddar cheese and add it into a large bowl. Reserve some for sprinkling on top of the cauliflower. If you buy bagged shredded cheese you can skip this step. Don’t worry, I won’t judge you. I’m all about convenience.
  3. In a microwave safe bowl, soften 4 oz of cream cheese. Add the softened cream cheese, ¼ cup of sour cream, ½ tsp of salt and ½ tsp of ground black pepper to the shredded cheese mixture.
  4. Steam 24 oz of frozen cauliflower, approximately 4 cups. I just microwave 2 of the cauliflower steam bags.
  5. Dump the cooked cauliflower into the bowl with the cheese mixture and gently mix with a spoon, evenly coating the cauliflower with all of the cheesy goodness.
  6. Transfer the cauliflower mixture into the greased baking dish. Sprinkle the rest of the shredded white cheddar cheese on top. Lastly, sprinkle shredded parmesan cheese on top to taste.
  7. Bake at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes uncovered. Remove from oven and sprinkle with Old Bay Seasoning if you are feeling adventurous. Lastly, indulge in the cheesy goodness of a low-carb “Mac” and cheese.

Easy Lemon Sheet Cake

Today I’m sharing a delicious recipe for an Easy Lemon Sheet Cake that is to die for. Before I get to that, I wanted to catch you up to speed on the rest of my bachelorette party.

For those of you who may have missed last week’s blog post about my struggle with epilepsy, I had a seizure while in Florida for my bachelorette party and was hospitalized. Although the situation was not ideal, I was still able to enjoy the weekend thanks to my bridesmaids and some very special cast members at the Walt Disney World Resort. I wanted to take some time to share my experiences at Walt Disney World and how they made my bachelorette weekend truly magical, and something that I will never forget.

Enjoying a beautiful night at the Magic Kingdom.

Being hauled off by ambulance and hospitalized for a day was obviously not part of our bachelorette party itinerary, so I was super bummed knowing that we were missing out on all the fun. When I had the seizure, I was at the pool at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort and one of the resort managers rushed to the scene to help. He provided my friends with his card and told them to contact him if we needed anything.

Goofing around with my Maid of Honor at Epcot’s 2018 Flower and Garden Festival.

Once I was discharged from the hospital, I really wasn’t sure if we should even use our park tickets. We had purchased two-day park hopper tickets and I wasn’t sure if it would be worth the money spent to use them when we were only going to be in the parks for partial days. One of my bridesmaids called the manager at the resort, explained our dilemma and he kindly offered to give myself and each of my bridesmaids two 1-day park hopper tickets, free of charge to use in the future. I was beyond thankful for the kind gesture because we were able to use the tickets we already purchased and enjoy the parks, without stressing about getting our money’s worth.

Lunch at The Garden Grill Restaurant in Epcot.

When I got back to the resort after being discharged from the hospital, the resort had also sent a complimentary wheel chair and a gift basket with bridal Mickey ears and four beautiful champagne glasses. People always ask me why I continue to travel back to the Disney Parks repeatedly, and this is exactly why. Despite the circumstances, Disney did their best to make me feel comfortable and make my weekend as special as possible. Even though we only got to spend a short amount of time in the parks, we still had a blast! We were even able to get a reservation for a character meal and the resort manager got us VIP access to a special viewing of the fireworks at Epcot. It was truly magical!

Complimentary VIP viewing of Illuminations Reflections of Earth fireworks at Epcot.

Now I’m back home and getting back into the regular grind, work, blogging, wedding planning and school. With all that has been going on, I’ve felt the need for some sweet treats to brighten up my spirits. When I’m feeling down, stressed or anxious I head to my kitchen to bake. For me, baking is so therapeutic. Now that spring is officially here, I felt compelled to bake something fruity and lemon cake sounded like the perfect spring time treat! And lemon things just make me happy! This lemon cake is great because it’s just the right amount of lemon and the flavor isn’t overbearing. I love this cake because it has such a complex flavor. It’s dense, but very moist with a slight lemon flavor and a buttery finish. This cake is pretty much perfect. So if you are having a rough day or just feeling a little down in the dumps, don’t fret! When life gives you lemons, you make lemon cake!

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 Easy Lemon Sheet Cake
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Passive Time 35 minutes
Servings
servings
Ingredients
Lemon Sheet Cake
Lemon Frosting
Prep Time 30 minutes
Passive Time 35 minutes
Servings
servings
Ingredients
Lemon Sheet Cake
Lemon Frosting
Votes: 0
Rating: 0
You:
Rate this recipe!
Instructions
Lemon Sheet Cake
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9x13 pan with butter.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt, and whisk together.
  3. Melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl in the microwave and set aside.
  4. Add the eggs, melted butter, sour cream and lemon juice to the flour mixture. Beat until smooth.
  5. Pour the mixture into the greased pan and bake at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes. Remove the cake and press a tooth pick or fork into the cake, ensuring that it comes out clean and that the cake is completely baked. Set the cake aside to cool, while you make the frosting.
Lemon Frosting
  1. In a stand mixer, beat 1 cup of softened butter on medium speed.
  2. Zest a lemon and measure out 1 tsp of lemon zest.
  3. Add the vanilla extract, lemon zest and lemon juice to the butter and beat on medium speed until combined.
  4. Finally, add in powdered sugar to the mixture, one cup at a time and mixing until thoroughly combined and the frosting is smooth. Frost the cake once it’s completely cool.