Roasted

Billowing smoke is almost never a good sign.
"Dammit Ian, what have I told you about watching things under the broiler??" Joy hurriedly flew into the kitchen to grab the now burning cauliflower from inside the oven. She couldn't quite remember what it was that she forgot, was it the towel, was it the heat itself? As the nearly 500 degree pan began sizzling against her skin, Joy had to make a decision. Was it time to drop the tray of veggies and panic or hold on long enough to throw it in the sink? Turning her head in a fraction of a second, she saw with a rising anger that the sink was indeed full of dishes.
"AAHHH!! WHAT THE HELL?!"

Ian tried to stay still. An angry girl pouting on the floor surrounded by burned vegetables with a hand now sporting second degree burns is not usually a precursor to peaceful interactions. She threw a blackened chunk at the dog in protest as he began snacking on the periphery. The dog was undeterred, snacking instead on the improvised projectile. Joy wouldn't make up her mind what kind of face she would make as she began to look up at her frightened boyfriend.
"Are you going to help?" she asked, looking up at him with a look of contempt. "Get some Neosporin or something... get out of this damn kitchen!" she pointed away with a now burnt finger.

Relieved to be released or at least dismissed from ground zero, Ian made his way to the bathroom cupboard. He was grumpily thinking to himself, 'She expects me to be a line cook or something, can't I just make mistakes sometimes?' With a little bit of courage, Ian gathered the burn remedy materials and made his way back to the kitchen. The dog was just about done with cleaning up the floor and Joy was already seasoning some more sliced and chopped veggies to be put under the broiler. The look of grim determination on her face while mixing the foods was tinted with a definite shade of gentle earnestness, like it always is when cooking.

Some people find peace and serenity in exercise, others in Beethoven, Joy found it in food. No matter how distracted and angry she could get, inevitably chasing the dragon of perfection in cuisine brought all her focus and intellectual stability in check. When she checked the flavor of the roasting spices, it was almost like she could internally dip her hands into a bowl of flavors and play with them like a child plays with Legos. Building flavor over flavor until she forms just the right shape... something was missing. Like a big window in a building, spiciness would add the right warmth and depth to the flavor profile, Joy added a tablespoon of crushed red pepper to the mixture and tossed it all onto a roasting pan.

Roasted Cauliflower

3 c. raw cauliflower cut into chunks no bigger than a walnut
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. crushed red pepper, more if you like
1 tsp. garlic powder

1. Preheat broiler to 500 F
2. Toss all ingredients into a bowl, toss until thoroughly mixed
3. Place the mixture in an even layer on a roasting pan, any size will do as long as there is enough space for everything to fit in one even layer
4. Roast until only very very lightly charred on top, about 10 minutes