Buffalo Cauliflower… Clambake 2015

I have made this a few times now and everyone always loves it.  A healthier option to satisfy your buffalo wing cravings.

We got two HUGE beautiful cauliflowers at Sun Plum
cauliflower still life
I didn’t get a picture until they were almost gone.  They are a crowd pleaser.

Buffalo Cauliflower

  • One head cauliflower
  • One stick butter
  • 1/2 cup of Frank’s Red hot sauce (plus or minus how spicy you like)
  • Blue cheese dressing

Cut up cauliflower into little pieces.  Steam for 5 minutes.  I do this ahead of time.  When ready to serve.  Melt butter and hot sauce together.  Shake sauce with cauliflower in a big bowl.  Roast in hot 450 oven for 5-10 more minutes.  Serve with blue cheese dressing.

I brought this to the clambake last Saturday which was on a perfect October day on Lake Erie.  Here’s some pix.

Hanging out by the clambake
Looking good
The Master
Grace timed her Fall Break just right
picture perfect day
All my girls
the ceremonial pour
us
and a beautiful sunset to top it off

Fates and Furies; Lauren Groff

The story of Lotto and Mathilde, two beautiful 22 years olds who get married two weeks after meeting each other.  The story of their decades long marriage told from their two vastly different perspectives. A finalist for this years National Book Award it has received rave reviews.  An interesting story and charachters, well written, but a little difficult to read at times I thought.

PJH Rating: ****

 

The Martian; Andy Weir

A manned space craft on Mars runs into trouble and needs to evacuate the planet.  The crew leaves behind one of the astronauts that they believe was killed and were unable to reach him.  The astronaut ends up being alive and stranded on Mars.  Told mostly from the point of view of the astronaut it chronicles the years long efforts to rescue him.  Very techy novel filled with many geeky details… but it is tough to put down.  An unexpected fun page turner.  Highly reccomend.

I just read the novelist first published the story on the internet, one of his hobbies but it eventually got published.  It’s now a huge best seller and the movie is coming out in two weeks.  It just premiered this weekend in Canada and got excellent reviews.  I’m excited to see it.  Read the book first!!

PJH Rating: ****1/2

The Monsters of Templeton; Lauren Groff

A huge loch ness type monster washes up on shore of a small upstate New York town as a woman returns to the town from living in California.  The woman investigates her past history going back many generations and the novel goes back and forth between present and the past during her ancestors.  Interesting story, but it took me forever to read bouncing back and forth between other books I’ve been reading.  Unfortuantely not as good as Groff’s Arcadia that I really liked.

PJH Rating: ***1/2

The Silver Linings Playbook; Matthew Quick

An unlikely love story centered around mental illness and Philadelphia Eagles football.  Great book – read it in 24 hours.  I saw the movie several years ago and liked it – but as is usually the case the book is much better.  Actually – we watched the movie again this week as we both read the novel and loved it and was quite suprised how different the movie is from the book in several important ways.  In any case… great book.

PJH Rating: ****1/2

The Reluctant Fundamentalist; Mohsin Hamid

A young Pakistani fresh out of Princeton joins a cut throat NYC firm.  9/11 happens into his first year which makes him question his motives.  Told from flash back as he is being questioned by an American in Pakistani – never quite certain what his current state is.  Interesting quick read. I just read that they recently made this into a movie – doesn’t make any sense how that can be given the nature of the novel.

PJH rating: ****