Holiday Broccoli

Just so everyone knows, I will probably be posting with less frequency for a little while. My husband and I are in the middle of preparing to move. Today, we stuffed half of our possessions into neatly labeled boxes, which are now stacked precariously throughout the apartment. Over the next couple of weeks the rest of our stuff will be packed as well. Then we get to look forward to unpacking in our new home and getting settled in.

I'll still try to post yummy holiday dishes, as I am able. But they will have to be a little more simple, prepared with the most basic of kitchen equipment, since everything else is or will be packed. Some of my ingredients may get a little random sometimes too, as we are trying to avoid buying more food, so we're using what we have on hand and what we haven't packed yet. Fun stuff.


That said, here's another yummy veggie dish that we tried tonight. This dish starts as simple broccoli and cheese sauce, but is made special with the addition of stuffing mix. We all liked this a lot, except for Thomas, who seemed to think that the pieces of broccoli had just the perfect aerodynamics for being flung across the dining room. He's learning to dislike green vegetables, I think. Well, I'll break him of that eventually. :-)

Holiday Broccoli
4 tbsp. butter, divided
2 tbsp. flour
1 cup milk
2 tbsp. minced onions (use fresh or dried)
1/2 cup diced Cheddar cheese
Dash of salt
1/2 tsp. mace (or substitute nutmeg)
Dash of hot sauce
2 (10 oz) pkg. frozen broccoli
1 1/2 cups seasoned stuffing mix

Melt 2 tbsp. butter in saucepan. Stir in flour, then blend in milk. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture thickens. Stir in onions, cheese, salt, mace, and hot sauce. Cook over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until cheese melts.

Meanwhile, cook broccoli in a large covered pan in a small amount of water only until tender-crisp, about 5 minutes. In a 1 1/2 quart buttered baking dish, spread half of the stuffing mix; arrange cooked broccoli over mix. Pour sauce over broccoli and sprinkle with remaining stuffing mix. Dot with remaining 2 tbsp. butter (I forgot this part, oops). Bake at 375 for 20 to 25 minutes, until topping is golden brown and sauce bubbles.

To double recipe, cook in 9x13 dish.


This was pretty yummy. The sauce was creamy, and I really liked the addition of nutmeg and hot sauce - it was just enough to give it a great flavor. And I really liked the crunch of the stuffing mix on top.