kale chips.

My friend Helen recently showed me how to make kale chips.  I'd never cooked with kale before and had no idea what to expect. The first batch was gone within minutes and I'm now totally addicted... I've made them three times this week already!  They remind me a bit of the crispy spinach you find sometimes at Thai restaurants, but healthier.  This version offers a combination of salty and sweet that is completely irresistible!

You'll need:

- 1 large bunch of kale 

- 1 tbsp. olive oil

- salt

- 1 tsp. pure maple syrup (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Tear the kale into small pieces (use only the leafy part and not the stalk).  Wash the pieces in a salad spinner and dry well.

Transfer the kale to a large bowl and add olive oil and maple syrup. Rub olive oil into the leaves, making sure to cover the ends well.

Spread kale onto a baking sheet and bake for 7-10 minutes.  Check on it often, since it burns very easily.  When done, it should be crispy and may turn slightly brown at the edges.  Transfer to a bowl, salt lightly, and enjoy!

movember.

It's Movember! The time of year when men sprout handlebars, trucker 'staches, and the occasional fu manchu to raise awareness and funds for prostate cancer.
I've been wanting to make some moustache cups and shot glasses for a while now, and thought Movember would be the perfect opportunity!


You'll need:
- tall glasses and/or shot glasses (The ones I got at the Dollar Store worked great!)
- oil based paint marker 
- moustache stencils *optional (You can draw these yourself or find some on google)

I made some stencils out of regular paper and taped them to the tall glasses.  In retrospect, a thicker paper would have been better, since the paint bled and smeared a bit.

The black oil based paint Sharpie I used worked OK, but tended to come out in blobs.  Next time, I'll experiment with different paints and maybe get creative with colours.

For the shot glasses, I just free-handed some cute little 'staches.  These were a huge hit at  a cottage get-together this past weekend!