I did my taxes this year on April 15th. I don’t usually wait until the last minute, but I knew it was going to be complicated, so I procrastinated. And I was right; it took me all.day.long! In part because I couldn’t remember where I chose to place the important documents to “keep them safe”.
As dinner approached my family realized that if they were going to be fed they needed to take action. My husband found some steaks and lit the barbecue and my daughter rummaged through the fridge to find some veggies. She brought me a head of cauliflower and asked how to cook it. I told her to chop it in pieces, drizzle it with olive oil, sprinkle spices over the top, and then broil or saute it. When she asked what spices she should add, I told her to sniff the spice jars and add what smells good. Even when not stressed I think this is good advice for cooking just about any vegetable, but it doesn’t sell many cookbooks. 🙂
My daughter’s cauliflower was delicious, but as soon as I was done eating I headed back to finish taxes and didn’t ask her how she cooked it.
A couple days later I asked her what spices she added to the cauliflower so I could replicate her recipe. She told me she added garlic and onion. I said that could not have been all and she replied, “I’ve grown up believing the two main ingredients are onions and garlic – everything else is optional”.
While I agree with her, I kept pestering her because I knew there had to be something else and then she said, “oh yeah, I added some green stuff”. I asked her to be a little more specific because there is lots of “green stuff” in the spice cupboard. She very unhelpfully informed me it was the green stuff in a jar. Then she removed the jar of Herbamare Substitute that I had made last month, twisted off the lid and said, “I added it because it smelled soooo good!”
My daughter broiled her cauliflower, but when I went to make it I was already broiling fish, so I decided to saute the cauliflower instead. I have included directions for both methods.
How to Broil or Saute Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower cut into bite size pieces
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon Herbamare Substitute or seasoned salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
To Broil:
- Preheat oven to broil.
- Line a cookie sheet with foil.
- Place cauliflower on cookie sheet. Drizzle with oil. Sprinkle with spices and toss to coat.
- Broil for 12 - 15 minutes or until browned and fork tender.
To Saute:
- Add oil and cauliflower to a large frying pan. Toss to coat.
- Sprinkle spices over cauliflower. Toss to coat.
- Cook over a medium-high flame until oil starts to sizzle. Lower flame to medium and cook for 12 -15 minutes or until fork tender.
While discussing taxes, my daughter observed: “The problem with your taxes is that you make money. I don’t make any money and my taxes are really easy”. I guess taxes are a good problem to have. 🙂
Pat Carol says
Was in a hurry and this advice was vvery helpful.
April @ The 21st Century Housewife says
Taxes are definitely a good problem to have! I like the way your daughter prepared the cauliflower. I also like (and totally agree with) her philosophy on onions and garlic!
Beth @ Aunt B's Kitchen says
Love the “just sniff the spice jars” advice. I agree completely. Good post.