Earthy Cauliflower Salad helps get us through completing our quilt projects

Well, we did it—had the party to finish our quilts. In a previous blog I mentioned baking Cranberry-Chocolate Chip Cookies for the occasion this past weekend in which my quilting class from December was to meet at my house to finish our projects and have a “ladies’ lunch” as we stitched and gabbed.

The cookies were a big success. So was the Earthy Cauliflower Salad that I prepared for the luncheon and served alongside Spicy Ham and Collard Greens Quiche (see tomorrow’s blog for that recipe.) Earthy Cauliflower Salad is an interesting blend of fresh cauliflower, fresh mushrooms, pimiento, and onion. It was marinated overnight in an interesting mustard-based dressing. Very unusual; very good.

We dined on pink and green luncheon plates and used pink napkins to match the pink-and-green decor of my sewing room, which is amply spacious and has room for a little bistro table and chairs and a small kitchenette area with a microwave. These were my first guests in my “garret” (so named for Jo’s “garret”, or creative area, in the book, Little Women) since Hubby refurbished it for me out of a former dank warehouse area in our back yard.

After we dined, we got the sewing machines cranking and finished our current projects. Mine was a blue-and-white table runner in the "Bear Paw" pattern—now complete except for sewing the border around it.

Then I'll have two wonderful souvenirs of our time together—my Bear Paw table-topper and the recipe for Earthy Cauliflower Salad.

Earthy Cauliflower Salad

1/4 pound button mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 lemon

1 small cauliflower head, broken into florets

2 onions, finely chopped

salt and pepper

paprika (optional)

Dressing:

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons vinegar

1 teaspoon prepared mustard

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon honey

Put the oil, vinegar, mustard, garlic powder, and honey into a screw-top jar. In a large bowl sprinkle the mushrooms with the lemon juice; toss. Add cauliflower and onion, toss. Add salt and pepper to taste. Shake dressing well to blend before you pour it over the vegetables. Marinate for at least 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. (Also can marinate several hours or overnight.) Sprinkle with paprika and serve. Makes 6 servings.