Food and Family Easy Cauliflower and Broccoli Au Gratin Kraft

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Start with a head of broccoli: Break it into small florets, cutting the stalks off as you go…

And do the same with the cauliflower.

In other news, I made this casserole while watching "For Love of the Game" with Kevin Costner and Kelly Preston. I can't handle how much I love that movie. It's beautiful and emotional, and the final kissing scene is one of my top three favorite movie kisses of all time. In fact, I think I'm going to kiss Marlboro Man like that when he gets home from working cattle later this morning and see where it gets me.

"I love you, Jane."

"I never believed!"

"Believe it."

UGH! IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL!

Okay, I'm back now. Thank you for listening.

Put the veggies in a steamer basket and steam 'em for 3 to 4 minutes or so, just until they're nice and bright.

Now it's time to make the sauce, which is lovely! Start by dicing some onion…

And mincing some garlic.

Throw 'em into a skillet with a good amount of butter…

And saute it for 3 to 4 minutes, until the onions start to soften.

Then, to make it saucy (say with a Jersey accent), sprinkle some flour over the top…

Then stir it together and cook it for a minute or so…

Then pour in the chicken broth. Definitely use low sodium if you have it; you can always add more salt if it needs it.

Stir in the broth…

And cook it over medium heat until it thickens, about 3-4 minutes or so.

And now? And now. And now! Things are about to get serious: Add 4 ounces of softened cream cheese. It should be room temperature, that way it'll mix into the sauce really well, so if you're pulling it straight out of the fridge, remove it from the foil wrapper and warm it in the microwave for about 30 seconds.

Stir it around until it's smooth…

Then stir in salt and pepper…

Seasoned salt and paprika.

Tremendously yummy! Now taste it and make sure it's plenty flavorful, and add a little more of whatever it needs.

Another thing you need for the casserole is cheese! I used Monterey Jack, but you can use cheddar, cheddar-jack, even Parmesan or Romano…anything goes.

And finally, put some seasoned breadcrumbs into a bowl, add some melted butter…

And stir it with a fork until they're all coated.

To assemble the casserole, add half the broccoli and cauliflower to a small casserole dish…

Then pour on half the sauce.

Actually used a little less than half, as I wanted the sauce to coat the veggies but not just totally take over.

Next comes a layer of cheese…

And, just for kicks, a sprinkling of paprika.

Now, another layer! Veggies…

Sauce…

And cheese, baby.

Amen.

Now, this is where I stopped (and this is where you can stop, too, if you want to make it ahead of time), covered the dish, and popped it in the fridge overnight.

I also popped the breadcrumbs in the fridge overnight, and this morning, I just sprinkled them right over the cheese.

Then I baked it at 375 for about 35 minutes! If you make it straight through, it won't have to bake quite that long; since this was cold, it took a little more time.

Hot, bubbly, delicious. The house smells so darn good right now.

The veggies are nice—I like the small florets.

And the sauce is creamy and rich, but not heavy and gloopy.

Delicious! I'm eating it as I type this.

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Source: https://www.thepioneerwoman.com/food-cooking/recipes/a11888/broccoli-cauliflower-casserole/

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