A hearty Broccoli/Cauliflower Casserole

It wasn't that long ago since I harvested large heads of broccoli and left the rest of the plants to stand until I had put the current harvest into the freezer for later use. Deem of my surprise when the broccoli plants had grown small florets, not only once but twice.  How giving!

While I recently was pulling up the broccoli plants, I spied snow white cauliflower heads  peeking out from masses of tall and dense greens.  I harvested one cauliflower and gave a neighbor another but they need to be taken care of before too long.

I read a quote in the First Coast Magazine that read:  "Cooking is like love.  It should be entered into with abandon or not at all."  -- Harriet van Horne

So, here I go taking out a bag of broccoli from the freezer and let it thaw while I cut the cauliflower into bite size florets enough to serve two hungry gardeners and provide for tomorrow's lunch as well.  I spread out the broccoli and the cauliflower florets into a greased baking dish and set it aside.

I grated cheese to make a cup and then some for topping the casserole.  I also set that aside.

Here comes the abandon part:  to make a white creamy and cheesy sauce for the casserole.  In a pot I melted a generous helping of margarine and gently cooked it together with a couple of heaping tablespoons of all-purpose flour and a little mustard, stirring constantly to keep the sauce from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

I slowly added 2 cups of milk, kept stirring, and finally added the grated cheese, and stirred until the cheese had melted and the sauce was smooth.  Nice going!

Now, I poured the sauce over the broccoli and cauliflower florets, covering the vegetables, and topped it off with the left over grated cheese.

The casserole was baked in a 400 F degree oven for 39 - 35 minutes.

This creamy and hearty casserole was served with chicken and a large biscuit.  Bon appetite!

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