Bacon and a Birthday (a/k/a birthday part two)

Now, you didn't all think that I ONLY made ravioli for the BF's sister's birthday, did you?!  That would be SO not like me.  I turned, once again, to Giada for the second half of this meal, and she, once again, did not disappoint.

This caulfilower and bacon gratin is always a crowd-pleaser, as the BF likes all things creamy and cheesy.  I modify the recipe, however, to suit our tastes a little bit better.  For one, I use white cheddar because gruyere can be a little hard to find in sunny Florida, and I shred it VERY fine so it melts into the gratin that much better.  Yum.

I also use both cauliflower and broccoli, an edit that I cannot take credit for (as much as I'd like to) because Giada mentioned it on her show.  Much like yours truly, Giada is very smart.  I got everything mixed together and, like always, went to top the creamy, cheesy mixture with the TWO CUPS of bread crumbs the recipe calls for. 

The TWO CUPS of breadcrumbs required by this recipe makes me want to take back my compliment about Giada, a little bit (but I won't, cuz she's great).  THIS WOULD BE ALL CRUMBS with two cups of bread crumbs!  And I want to taste veggies and cheese and deliciousness . . . not bread.  So I use about 2/3 of a cup of bread crumbs, and I think it turns out just right.

Yummity yum yum.  That is some good stuff.  The BF informed me, of course, that it wasn't as saucy as when I've made it in the past and was, therefore, inferior.  Too bad for him. 

Today, I whipped out my super platformy, super stilletto-y, super snakeskinny, super comfy Michael Kors gladiator-esque sandals:

And promptly placed them on my super messy, super unorganized, super chaotic desk to take this picture.  I promised a different view of the shoe pics, right?!