Rain's Thursday Art and Dinner Date - Water Creatures theme and Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

This is my Water Creature for Rain's Thursday Art and Dinner Date. It is a whale I did back in 2015.

 For the Dinner date, I found a wonderful recipe for Cauliflower Mac and Cheese.  I added nutmeg and thought the baking time could be as much as 45 minutes.

Preheat oven 375F

6-8 c cauliflower chopped into 1 inch pieces.  (I used 1 1/2 heads of cauliflower), enough to fill a 9 x 13" baking dish

2 tbs butter

3 tbs flour

2 c whole milk

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp nutmeg

2 c shredded cheddar cheese (8 oz)

Fill a microwave safe bowl with 1 inch of water.  Add cauliflower to bowl and microwave 8 mins on high.  Drain and set aside.

In a large saucepan melt butter

stir in flour for about 3 mins

Gradually whisk until mixture thickens

 Remove from heat, add salt pepper nutmeg garlic powder.  Stir in shredded cheese until melted and completely incorporated

Stir in cauliflower, transfer to 9x 13" baking dish lined with parchment paper

Bake 25-45 mins until cheese is bubbly and begins to brown.