Mmmmmm, Crispy Kale!

I have tried cooking kale a few times, and it always came out too bitter. Nevertheless, I resolved to try it one more time making sure not to overcook it. When I looked online for cooking tips, I stumbled upon a recipe that was intriguing: roast kale chips!

Basically after washing, drying and removing the stems all the way up the leaves of a bunch of kale, and tearing the leaves into potato chip size sections, drizzle with about a tablespoon of vegetable oil (I used canola) and distribute the oil gently (with your finger tips) and evenly over the surfaces of all the leaves. Then sprinkle with a little salt and your choice of herbs or similar flavorings (like garlic powder or cayenne pepper).

Place the coated leaves on a roasting pan or cookie sheet, and roast them in an oven preheated to 330 degrees. The recipe I read here suggested 350, and others went as high as 375, but a commenter warned how suddenly they can all scorch and recommended a slightly cooler oven which I tried and was very happy with. Since our oven is a convection model, the "chips" were done in about seven or eight minutes. How long it takes depends on your oven, so watch the kale closely. When it is done, the kale is crispy and very brittle----but it kind of melts in your mouth. Truly a revelation. You definitely don't eat these with a fork!

Check the provided link so you can read other cook's experiences, and modify the recipe to your own liking. Enjoy!

Make Your Own Play Dough For Holiday Fun!

Trying to think of ways to enjoy spending time with family this Thanksgiving? Why not give a game like Pictionary or charades a twist by sculpting with play-dough instead of merely drawing or pantomiming? You could just buy the commercial stuff, but really, homemade dough can be much better, not to mention cheaper. It's so economical you can afford to make really large batches which are a lot more fun .

It feels really great to play with when it is fresh and slightly warm still. I remember a time many years ago when we invited a couple over and played with my freshly made dough. They were, on the face of it, a surprising looking couple. He was really quite handsome and of moderate build; she was rather plain, and remarkably heavy. (Usually it seems like there is a rough parity of attractiveness in couples unless the man is old and rich.)

Anyway, as soon as her husband started handling the quadruple batch of fresh, warm dough, his chin dropped and he unselfconsciously marveled in a rapturously exultant tone, "Its so soft.......and there's so much of it!"

My husband and I distinctly remember avoiding making eye contact with one another because we knew that we would just crack up if we did. (But hey, isn't it fantastic that he really loved her just the way she was?)

Here's the recipe:

Materials

* 1 cup water
* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
* 1/2 cup salt
* 1 tablespoon cream of tartar
* Food coloring (about a 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp depending on desired intensity)
* Saucepan
* 1 cup flour

Directions

1. Combine water, oil, salt, cream of tartar, and food coloring in a saucepan and heat until warm.
2. Remove from heat and add flour.
3. Stir, then knead until smooth.(Don't use a whisk except maybe at the very beginning of stirring.) The cream of tartar makes this dough last 6 months or longer, so resist the temptation to omit this ingredient if you don't have it on hand.( If it does not thicken promptly and form a ball, you may need to heat it a little more over low heat, stirring constantly.)
4. Store this dough in an airtight container or a Ziploc freezer bag.


Be very careful not too add to much oil, or the dough will be sticky! And remember, it makes a great Secret Santa surprise or stocking stuffer for almost all ages!

Why Didn't I Try This Before?

I had always put off poaching pears in spiced wine. Maybe peeling them seemed daunting, or perhaps it seemed like a waste of wine....

In any event, I am glad I finally got around to it because I discovered it was easy and tasty.

Basically you peel several pears leaving the stem intact (however many will fit in one layer of your pot, so it depends on the size of the pears) . Add them to a pot in which you have already combined I bottle red wine, 1 cup sugar (I used half brown sugar), a couple of cloves, a couple of cinnamon sticks, a vanilla bean or some vanilla (Since they are expensive, I used an old bean that had been flavoring sugar already for a year and a half), and the zest of 1 lemon and one orange. You can also toss in a few prunes to impart and soak up flavours.

Simmer gently for about 15 or twenty minutes depending on ripeness and pear size. Reposition them gently a few times in case parts of them are sticking out. You can remove them to chill, or leave them overnight to soak and become more richly colored as I did. The recipe suggested mint leaves for the garnish, but I tried a leaf from my scented geranium (they're edible!), and the fragrance really complements the pear.

The recipe says to reduce the sauce after removing the pears, and add some jam for flavour and thickness, but at this point I am tempted to buy more pears and simmer another batch......

Extra-easy single-pan fall soup. Plus too delicious for left-overs.

My dear sis told me about this soup; I modified it a bit to make it easier; it turned out quite simple to make and unexpectedly tasty!

For starters, you'll need an oven-proof pan big enough to hold the finished soup, but preferably not with really steep sides, to more effectively roast the vegetables. I use a steep-sided frying pan that doesn't seem to be made anymore; a dutch oven would work as well, but mine died a sad, sad death of overwork after about 25 years, and has yet to be replaced. So, in retrospect, any pan big enough to hold the finished soup, that will fit in the oven, and can be heated on the stove will work.

Recipes

Four slices Bacon: (Optional) Fry them up the the pan that you're making the soup in till they're nice and crisp. Take the bacon out, but leave the rendered bacon fat. Chop the crispy bacon into a fine dice.

A winter squash, about 2 pounds, or so. I used a butternut squash, but banana squash, a leftover pumpkin, or any of those odd types whose names I can never remember would also work.

Two-three apples, depending on size
A medium-sized onion

Prepare the squash. If it is a whole squash, cut it in half, and clean out the seeds. If it's a piece of a much larger squash with no seeds, just put it in the pan, being sure to remove any sort of plastic wrap (long story not told here, but I'm sure you can imagine.)

Peel, core, and chop the apples. Put in pan. If you like apple peel, you might want to leave a bit on.

Chop onion in about a 1/2 inch dice and put in pan.

(You can put some garlic in here, too, should you care to.)

Stir everything to cover with the bacon grease.

If you're not using the bacon, then put in about 2 Tablespoons of olive oil over the mixture in the pan, and cover all the vegetables. I use my hands. I also try to place the apples and the onions in the hollowed out portions of the squash.

Place in oven, at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. Check about half-way through, If it looks like some onion bits are getting burned, pour in a little liquid.

Afer about 45 minutes, tale the pan out of oven; poke squash to make sure it's done. If not, back in the oven for a bit.

Once you're convinced squash is pretty much squishy enough to eat, take out of oven and let sit for 10ish minutes.

Then, scrape squash (in the pan) from the squash peel on the outside. Throw the peel out. I find this method of dealing with squash much easier than hacking some uncooked cement-like vegetable into cubes, and then individually peeling them.

Pour in about two cups of broth--chicken is what I used; for you vegetarians, vegetable broth works as well.

Add the bacon.
Chop up the sage, and add. Fresh Rosemary could also be used. 1/2 teaspoon sage can be substituted for the fresh sage.
As an added bit of interesting and unexpected tast which deepens the flavor, sprinkle in a bit of nutmeg (1/4 teaspoon) and ginger (to taste, about 1/2 teaspoon). The sweetness of the squash and the apple is brought out by the unexpected flavors of the nutmeg and ginger, plus the ginger give it just a hint of a bite.

Salt and pepper to taste. I used about 1/2 teaspoon alder smoked salt (yum yum) and about 12 turns of the fresh pepper grinder.


If you are using it, pour in about a half cup of white wine--marsala is preferred. You could also use some sherry or port--something with a nutty flavor; though I'd only use about 1/4 cup of those. If no wine, add some sort of acid such as lemon (preferably) or even a bit of balsamic vinegar (no more than a tablespoon).

Cook to a full boil (this will evaporate all alcohol.) Stir and scrape the pan to get all the yummy bits from the baking up into the soup itself. If you have a potato masher, mash away to mix all the roased vegetables. You may need to add more liquid to the soup.

At the last minute, stir in a half-cup or so of cream/ half & half or yogurt; heat a bit more, but do not boil. Serve.

In spite of the pages of instructions, this soup really takes just a few minutes to prepare--15 minutes slicing for the original vegetable mixture; a nice break while everything is baking quietly in the oven; the finishing touches on the stovetop requires very little extra work. Plus, that one pan clean-up is a total breeze.

I made this last night and there was not a single leftover. None. I was hoping for some for breakfast.

I'll try to make this again, with pictures!

Here's a shopping list. for three people.

4 slices bacon, diced; or 2 Tbsp Olive Oil.
One 2 or so pound squash, cut in half and cleaned
2 or so apples, peeled, cored and diced
1 medium onion, in about a half-inch dice
A couple cloves of garlic, chopped

a couple sprigs or fresh sage or dried sage (or a sprig of rosemary)
a bit of nutmeg and ginger
Salt and Pepper

Two-three cups of broth (chicken or vegetable)
1/2 cup wine or other liquid with a bit of acid (such as a squeeze of lemon, or some balsamic vinegar)

A half cup or so of one of heavy cream, half and half, or yogurt

Thanks to http://tinyfarmblog.com/tag/acorn-squash/ for the squash picture. I hope to take one one of my own at farmers market today.

A special thanks to George who, truth must be told, did most of the work. But I can point and order around with the best of them.