My Messy Blue Cheese Adventure
Okay folks, let me tell you about making this broccoli casserole. Gotta be honest here, I love blue cheese, but the family? Not so much. Saw this recipe title screaming “Secret Tips Inside” and thought, “Right, challenge accepted.” So here’s exactly how it went down in my chaotic kitchen.
First thing: gathering stuff. Dug through the fridge. Needed broccoli – found some, kinda limp but hey, it’ll cook. Checked the cheese drawer. Had my precious blue cheese crumbles (salvaged what I could, looked a bit dried out), grabbed some cheddar too because… well, backup. Found an onion hiding in the veggie bin. Milk? Almost expired, but still smelled okay. Flour, butter, breadcrumbs – all present. Phew. Scrounged a baking dish from the cabinet, little dusty but wiped it fast.
Chopping Chaos:
- Started hacking the broccoli into florets. Ended up with loads of tiny bits everywhere. “Rustic,” I told myself.
- Chopped the onion, eyes watering like crazy. Tossed it all in a pot with some water to steam/boil the broccoli. Lid on, walked away.
The Sauce Saga:
While the broccoli boiled away, I grabbed another pot. Melted a big knob of butter – maybe too big? Splashed in some flour, started stirring like a mad scientist. Got lumpy. Panicked. Added milk in tiny splashes, kept stirring like crazy. Took forever but finally got it kinda smooth? Threw in most of the cheddar and all those funky blue cheese crumbles. Stirred like crazy again. Gloopy, weirdly creamy, smelled STRONG. Definitely blue cheese time. Added pinch salt, black pepper. Gave it a taste. Wow. Powerful. Thought, “The family will revolt.”
Assembly Line (Sort Of):
- Drained that broccoli/onion mess. Shook ’em up real good.
- Poured the cheesy gloop straight into the baking dish.
- Dumped in the broccoli and onions. Used a wooden spoon to shove ’em all down into the sauce. Looked uneven, a bit lumpy. Whatever.
- Sprinkled the remaining cheddar on top. Then grabbed the breadcrumbs, poured a thick layer. Secret Tip? Well, I pressed ’em down slightly with my hands so they’d maybe stick better? Seemed logical.
The Bake Off:
Preheated my oven earlier… kinda. Set it to 375°F but honestly, I never trust my oven temp. Shoved the dish in. Smelled immediately. That blue cheese funk filling the kitchen. Started to bubble around 20 minutes in, crumbs golden. Pulled it out after maybe… 25 minutes? Bottom was bubbling, top looked crispy. Success? Or napalm? Had to find out.
Results & Regrets (Mostly Theirs):
Let it sit for 5 minutes – longest 5 minutes ever! Scooped myself a big spoonful. Creamy broccoli, definite cheesy tang, CRUNCHY top. Actually… weirdly delicious? The blue cheese wasn’t overwhelming, more like a savory kick. Secret Tip seemed legit: pressing the crumbs helped get that awesome crunch. Tried to get the kids to taste. Took one bite. Kids just ran away screaming “STINKY!” My partner gave me that “you did this on purpose” look. Ate two bites, then claimed fullness. More for me? Fine! Win? Kinda. Point is, it worked, it tasted good (if you like blue funk), and those toasted crumbs? Game changer. Maybe next time… less blue cheese? Nah.
