Hurry Up Weekend!

I can't believe how quickly this week has flown by, and I've only posted once. Shame on me. Can I blame it on work? We now have to complete month end in 3 days (it used to be 6) and I am the only one in the accounting department full-time. Add to it that our office is moving to another town 45 minutes away - this weekend. I have been packing and sorting and labelling for the last two weeks. I get home at night and just collapse.

I haven't been running in over two weeks. I don't remember the last time we grocery shopped. My PVR is filling up with season finales that I may get around to sometime next month.

We are working on a cool carpentry project (at least we think it's cool), but I'm doing the staining and poly-ing very slowly because I want this one to look amazing. So it may be next week before I'm ready to show it to you.

If I can just make it through to tomorrow night. Because this is where I'll be spending my weekend:

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Tom's employer is holding their (postponed) Christmas party at Blue Mountain Resort on Saturday night and they are paying for us to stay there as well. We are going up on Friday night so that Tom can bike the trails with his friends on Saturday morning.  

Have you ever been to Collingwood (the nearest town) or Blue Mountain?  They are both so beautiful. Blue Mountain is mainly a ski resort but I like it more in the summer. The mountain stays open with cross-country and downhill biking and hiking trails. They also have an outdoor rock-climbing area as well as a beach.

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I'm looking forward to time in the pool and the hot tub,

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And hopefully, if it doesn't rain too much, some time in the square listening to a concert.

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I'll have my own pictures to share on Monday!

Cocoa-toasted Cauliflower

Are you looking for an easy, oh-so-tasty side dish recipe? 

Well I have one for you. 

Let me introduce you to Cocoa-toasted Cauliflower. 

You think that's a typo don't you? 

Maybe it should be coconut? Or coconut oil? Or Coca-cola? 

Nope, there is no typo. 

Don't worry, it won't taste like chocolate, this isn't a dessert. You have to admit that cauliflower on its own is a little bland. The cocoa has a crisp flavour that gives the cauliflower a much-needed bite.

The recipe comes from Melissa Joulwan's cookbook Well Fed (I've raved about it before.) You won't believe how good this tastes. The first time I made it, it barely made it onto the plates because we kept eating pieces from the baking sheet.

What you'll need:
1 large head of cauliflower
1 tsp. unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. garlic (powder or fresh)
2 tbsp. melted coconut oil

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the cauliflower up into bite-sized pieces. 

In a bowl mix the cocoa, paprika, salt, pepper, and garlic. 

Add the coconut oil and mix well. Add the cauliflower and toss 

with two wooden spoons until all of the cauliflower 

is evenly coated with the mixture. 

Spread the cauliflower out on a foil or parchment-covered baking sheet 

and roast in the oven until it starts to brown (25-30 minutes). 

Remove from oven and enjoy! 

We paired ours with slow-cooker beef stew but it goes with just about anything.

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I'm linking to these parties this week!

Candy and Cookies

I revisited a couple of past projects this week.

One was the gumball machine-style candy dishes I posted about in the fall. Go here and here for a step-by-step tutorial. I had one glass bowl left over so I stopped by the dollar store to pick up a flower pot & some ribbon. The flower pots come in sets of two so now I have a pot left over. It never ends.

We are participating in a neighbourhood-wide garage sale on Saturday and I thought I could offer this one along with the black one I made before.

I went with yellow paint this time because it was so cheery and the baby blue ribbon is also sweet. And I found some Dubble Bubble gum in colours to match. I'm really loving this one. I won't be sad if no one buys it.

The black one is filled with individual caramels. I think the blue ribbon lightens it up from the burgundy ribbon that I had attached before. Doesn't it look like a little man with a top hat and bow tie?

The second project was Oreo Dirt Cake for people at my office. They are shutting down our location in less than 2 weeks so I thought we all needed a treat. This is such a simple recipe - it takes less than an hour to make and can be eaten right away. Here is the list of ingredients and directions from the last time I made it.

Don't they look good?  I'm trying very hard not to eat them all myself.