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Friday, February 18, 2011

What the heck do you do with kale?

Well... I have no idea, but I threw it in with some asparagus and it was good! Most of all I thought it looked really good so I took a picture of it and thought I would share since kale is not all that common.
This was winter kale that I got in a bountiful basket. If I can remember correctly I added a generous amount of olive oil, Italian seasoning, and garlic. Then, of course, a bit of fresh ground black pepper. After it had cooked part way through I drizzled honey and added sliced almonds. I found that the kale that was directly on the pan longer was better. It can be tough but when it sat against the pan it became more crispy than tough. Overall it was a pretty healthy dish and was tasty. My conclusion is that it was good but it could be better.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Related Blogs

My friend, Christina, shared some other blogs with me about food, so I thought I would pass them along:
http://www.tastespotting.com

http://www.smittenkitchen.com

http://www.stephanieskitchen.com

http://picky-palate.com

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Spicy Roasted Potatoes

Once, a long time ago, I attempted to make French fries on the stove. To make a long story short, I ended up having to get a new stove because the old one was no longer in working condition. That was about eight years ago, and I haven't deep-fried anything since then. Unfortunately, though, I am a Southern girl at heart, and fried food is still the fifth food group. So when I get a crazy craving for something fried, I just go visit the South (it's cheaper than a kitchen remodel). However, I have learned how to get around frying, and my family's hands-down favorite way to eat potatoes is when I roast them. And luckily for them, Grandma gets us a 50-lb. bag of Russet potatoes every fall fresh from Idaho.
This is how I make roast potatoes:
Coat a cookie sheet with vegetable oil- about 2 Tablespoons. Dice several potatoes and spread them on top of the oil. Coat the potatoes with Tony Chachere's seasoning. Roast in the oven at 400 degrees for about 50-60 minutes, stirring about every 20 minutes. They are done when they are crispy.
And this brings me to two of the most important rules in my kitchen:
1. Don't fry anything
2. When in doubt about how to season anything, coat it with Tony Chachere's seasoning.

Friday, February 4, 2011

Lesa's Bread




My friend makes the best bread in the world. I think she is one of the few people in the world left who doesn't buy bread at all. I'm typing this while I sit in my kitchen watching her making dinner rolls, hoagie rolls, loaves of bread, and now she says she's going to make something heavenly that involves braided dough with cream cheese and pie filling. And not just any pie filling either- it's her home-canned pie filling. So, this is her bread recipe using a Bosch mixer.
10 1/2 c. flour- any combination of white, wheat, or different types of grain flours
1/2 c. sugar- this can be reduced down to 1/3 cup
3 Tblsp. instant yeast
1 Tblsp. salt (add more salt if you are using a high ratio of wheat flour)
3 Tblsp. soy lecithin (don't measure it- just pour it in
4 c. hot water
Add all the ingredients right into the mixing bowl. Begin mixing, and make sure the dough has a playdough-like consistency. Add more flour or water as needed. Turn on the mixer and let it knead for 5 minutes. Quickly shape into rolls or loaves, place in buttered pans, brush with melted butter, and let it rise for 25 minutes. Bake at 350 for about 20-25 minutes.