RAMBLINGS & RECIPES - Men and Their Toys

While chatting with friends of mine I came to realize that most men are just like little boys, but with more expensive toys. I'm including my husband here. Any new gadget on the market, and he absolutely must have it! In my family, HE's the one with the shopping addiction.

Now, I'm not talking about clothes or shoes (which would be more of MY shopping addiction), I'm talking about anything with power and anything that makes a lot of noise.

He recently stopped by our local  repair shop to drop off our gas-powered leaf blower to be repaired. This is the more-powerful-leaf-blower than the battery operated one we previously had which worked perfectly well and now sits in our outdoor shed. While at the repair shop, he noticed a big, powerful, expensive, leaf-vacuum machine. This one sucks up the leaves and deposits them in a big bag that you carry over your shoulder. Of course he simply HAD to have this thing (so that now we will have TWO perfectly fine leaf blowers sitting in our shed, not being used).

When he brought it home to proudly show me his his latest "must-have" toy, I simply rolled my eyes and went upstairs. I watched from the upstairs window as he put this new leaf-vacuum together, gassed it up, threw the bag over his shoulder and cranked up the motor. He had this big, proud smile on his face as he walked down our patio steps, vacuuming up the leaves. 

I stood and watched.

I watched and smiled.

I smiled as I watched all the leaves he was vacuuming up blow right back out through the unzipped back of the bag he had slung over his shoulder.

Spicy Whole Roasted Cauliflower

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 head cauliflower
1½ cups plain Greek yogurt
1 lime, zested and juiced
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon curry powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400° and lightly grease a small baking sheet with vegetable oil. Set aside.

2. Trim the base of the cauliflower to remove any green leaves and the woody stem.

3. In a medium bowl, combine the yogurt with the lime zest and juice, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, curry powder, salt and pepper.

4. Dunk the cauliflower into the bowl and use a brush or your hands to smear the marinade evenly over its surface. 

5. Place the cauliflower on the prepared baking sheet and roast until the surface is dry and lightly browned, 30 to 40 minutes. The marinade will make a crust on the surface of the cauliflower.

6. Let the cauliflower cool for 10 minutes before cutting it into wedges and serving alongside a big green salad.