Tuesday, October 13, 2009

House Hunting - again

Well - after the inspection, it was determined that the wood siding was in bad shape and needed to be replaced, as well as the roof. That was big dollar bad. On top of that - they had an ejector pump installed with no way to access it unless you took out a sink and part of a wall. Le sigh.

Upshot - we could not come to a final dollar agreement. So - on with the search!

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Whole Roasted Cauliflower with honey and spice rub

I remembered this recipe recently due to the fact that some friends of mine had their first harvest of honey late this summer and were kind enough to share. The recipe is from "The Olives Table" by Todd English. If you have this cookbook, it can be found on page 145.

Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Honey -and-Spice Rub

Serves 4

Honey and Spice Rub

1/2 cup honey
1/2 tsp ground coriander
2 tbsp finely chopped peeled ginger or 2 tsps ground ginger
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 bay leaves, crumbled
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 head cauliflower, leaves intact
1/2 cup to 1 cup water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

To make rub:  Place all rub ingredients in a small bowl and mix together until well combined. Set aside.

Place the cauliflower, leafy side down, in a baking pan just big enough to hold it snugly, and drizzle the rub over it. Place the cauliflower in the oven, and bake until golden brown, about an hour. Add 1/2 cup of water to the pan, and cook until the cauliflower is well browned and soft, about another 30 minutes. Check occasionally to see if the water had evaporated, and if necessary, add more water.

Remove cauliflower and slice it. Pour the cooking liquid over the slices and serve.

My notes: I never leave the green leafy part on the cauliflower and it works just fine. I also have never added more than 1/2 cup of water. I do vary the spices from time to time, but this method produces a nice dish, just a bit different from the normal style.

Enjoy!

The joys of house hunting

so - you find a house and that should be it, yes? Not so fast my friend. FIRST one must have the home inspection. This little feature tells you everything you need to know , but don't necessarily want to know, about the home you think just might be it.

insert large le sigh here. very large.

I am not certain we are going to be able to work out the price and the necessary fixes so they are compatible. Fingers crossed.

Healthcare - STILL

Can anyone believe that the republicans are anything but against whatever works? Surest way to one party rule I have ever seen - and that is not a good thing - well - unless you have so called pundits like Rushbo as your leader - or God forbid - palin.

EEEEEK!