Create an Adorable Cauliflower Dog for Your Next Crudité Platter

Want to make a special crudités platter? My friend created this adorable cauliflower dog to sit on her crudité platter for a party, and it was an instant hit! It looks like it took a lot of work, but she assured me it’s actually quite easy to assemble.  

I loved the idea so much that I asked her to tell me how she did it. Here’s how she said you can make your own!

What You’ll Need

• 2 smaller sized heads of cauliflower or one large, preferably with a nice, rounded shape
• make into various sized cauliflower florets
• Black olives
• Toothpicks
• Baby carrots
• Red, orange, and yellow bell peppers
• Broccoli
• Cherry or grape tomatoes
• Any other colorful vegetables you like for the platter

The dog is held together with toothpicks

How to Make A Cauliflower Dog

1. Start with the body.
Clean off the green and place one of the whole cauliflowers on a large platter or tray with the stem end toward the back. The natural shape of the cauliflower makes a wonderful fluffy-looking body.

2. Make the head.
Use another large cauliflower floret,  to create the dog's head. Position it toward the front of the body and secure it with toothpicks. The irregular, bumpy surface of the cauliflower is perfect for creating the look of curly fur.

3. Add the ears.
Use two small cauliflower florets for the ears. Place one on each side of the head and secure them with toothpicks. You can angle them slightly downward for a floppy-eared look.

4. Add the muzzle.
Use a smaller cauliflower floret or a cluster of florets for the dog's snout. Attach it to the front of the head with toothpicks.

5. Give your dog a face.
This is where the personality comes in! Cut black olives in half and use them for the eyes and nose. In the photo, two whole black olives make the eyes and another olive makes the nose. A tiny piece of olive can even be used to create a little mouth.

6. Make the legs.
Use several cauliflower florets for the dog's legs and paws. Arrange them underneath the body, securing them with toothpicks where needed. Don't worry about making them perfectly symmetrical—the slightly goofy look is part of the charm!

7. Build the vegetable "grass."
Surround your cauliflower dog with colorful vegetables. Broccoli makes a great green base, while baby carrots and strips of red, orange, and yellow peppers add lots of color. Cherry tomatoes tucked around the dog add even more bright spots.

A Few Tips

Choose a cauliflower that is large, compact, and relatively round. Don't wash it until you're ready to assemble the dog, and let it dry thoroughly so the vegetables and toothpicks stay in place.

The beauty of this project is that it doesn't have to be perfect. Cauliflower florets are naturally irregular, so just play around with them until you see a face, ears, paws, and a body taking shape.

And don't forget to tell your guests that there are toothpicks holding the dog together before anyone starts digging into the vegetable platter!

My Notes: 

1. The cauliflower can be un-assembled by removing the toothpicks and then cooking them for a recipe.

What kind of art have you made out of vegetables? 

Alaska Cruise: 7 Days, 4 Ports & 3 Excursions

Bald eagles, salmon, totem poles, seals, otters, glaciers, deer, and gorgeous flowers—our seven-day Alaska cruise was filled with amazing scenery and wildlife. Everywhere we looked, there was something exciting and new to see.

Chickpea "Tuna" Salad ; A Plant-Based Alternative to Traditional Tuna Salad

If you enjoy traditional tuna salad but are looking for a healthier plant-based alternative, mashed chickpeas are hard to beat. Not only are they delicious, but they also offer one important advantage: you don't have to worry about mercury.

Our Alaska Cruise - First Stop Seattle

Our Alaska Cruise Began with an Unexpected Surprise in Seattle

We had spent months wondering about the best time to visit Alaska. Would it be cold? Rainy? Foggy? As it turned out, we couldn't have picked a better week. Once our cruise began, we were treated to sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-60s to upper 60's  almost every day—perfect weather for exploring Alaska's beautiful ports.

This photo was taken in the Space Needle overlooking Seattle. 

Before boarding our cruise ship, we spent two nights in Seattle, Washington, giving us time to see a few of the city's famous attractions (we went with 3 other couples). What the eight of us didn't expect was to arrive in Seattle during a major heat wave.

The afternoon we landed, temperatures soared into the high 90s with high humidity. Since we had packed for Alaska's cooler weather, our suitcases were filled with jeans, sneakers, and long-sleeved shirts—not exactly ideal for a sweltering hot Seattle day- which they said was unusual for Seattle.

Despite the heat, we headed to Seattle's famous Pike Place Market. More than just a fish market, it's a lively waterfront destination filled with local artisans, flower vendors, restaurants, specialty food shops, and, of course, the fresh seafood and fish-throwing demonstrations that have made it world-famous.

Normally, we would have loved wandering through the market. Instead, the combination of the oppressive heat and no air conditioning made our visit there much shorter than we had  originally planned. 

Feeling overheated and exhausted, we decided to call it a day and returned to our hotel to cool off. Dinner was a simple meal at a popular local hotspot. It was crowded but we still were able to get a table for 8 with no prior reservations.

Fortunately, our second day in Seattle was much more enjoyable. The temperature dropped into the  70s, making it comfortable to explore on foot. We visited two of Seattle's iconic attractions—the Space Needle and the spectacular Chihuly Garden and Glass exhibit. Both were worth seeing. The Space Needle offered spectacular views of the city and the Chihuly exhibit was exceptional glass art!

Both were within easy walking distance of our hotel, making for a relaxed and enjoyable day. Dinner was in a nearby food court with lots of choices for everyone. Since we knew we would be eating fancy meals on the cruise, we did some simple eating in Seattle. 

The Chihuly Glass Art was exquisite. Here is a small sampling.

Hot Spot for locals for dinner: Walking distance from our hotel.

When we were leaving the grounds surrounding the Space Needle in the late afternoon, vendors were busy setting up booths for what looked like a large outdoor arts and crafts festivity. We were disappointed to learn it wouldn't begin until the next morning.

Ransom Shooting

The next morning we boarded our cruise for Alaska. Later, we learned there had been a random shooting at that very vendor event we passed through the day before and 3 people were killed. It was heartbreaking and frightening and to think that, had our schedule been just one day different, we might have been there when it happened.

In fron to ehe entrance to the Space Needle

 As we boarded our ship to sail north toward our first stop in Alaska, we were happy to leave the heat and humidity behind and begin what would become a wonderful cruise. My next post will be about our stops in Alaska. I got home late Friday night and I am exhausted. 

Have you been to Seattle? How about Alaska?