YES! KALE CHIPS! YEESSS!! Now I am more excited to see what you think of those than to actually watch Le Oscars. :) I follow this recipe: http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/ingredients-vegetables/unmeat-how-to-eat-a-bunch-of-kale-in-one-sitting-078886

Except without the organic part, because I am cheap. The only key is making sure not to burn them, which was a problem my first few times, so this link is nice because it has a photo so you can see what to kind of aim for. I was skeptimical as well about the "chip" part of "kale chip," but though they don't taste like Lay's, they do have a great crunch and saltiness and make me feel less guilty when I eat a full bowl. Now I want some. Is 10 am too early to eat kale chips?

Have fun!

Cam, thank you for the link to that great recipe -- I do need pictures to help me with my cooking -- so that was perfect. Thanks!

Soba is the real star!

I can't wait to try the kale chips too. And also wanted to report that your fish in parchment recipe is da bomb! I tried it last weekend and will so be doing it again very soon.

It takes me about the same amount of time to watch the eliminations. Even right now, I listen to the singing for a minute, f.f. to the judges, listen to 2 or 3 comments and f.f. again. I really don't pay attention until the top 12. I only see a couple of real contenders so far.

Don't have a recipe for you but I *know* kale chips will taste good because I had some stick to the side of a roasting pan once and get crispy and it was really, really good. However, I'd use black kale, not the curly kind.

Wow! Even the action shots with the new camera are clear!
Beautiful Soba!

I have never tried them but this is a reaction from February 7th from "The Pie Stops Here" Blog.
"On Saturday night I tried a making a diet-friendly snack I've been hearing about: kale chips. People in the diet forums have been raving about these. They're supposed to be tasty, and yet low calorie and good for you. I'd been planning to try making some for a while, but I could never find kale when I was at a grocery store. I finally located some (thanks, Berkeley Bowl) and I was looking forward to sitting down with a salty snack while JD and I watched a movie. Here's how you make them: take a head of kale, cut out the "spine", toss with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper, and arrange on a parchment-covered baking sheet. Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes. Voila! Cruchy, nutritious kale chips.

Well.

I put them in the oven and sat down to read my email with a glass of wine. Shortly thereafter, I became aware of a bad smell. Sort of like dirty diapers. JD had mentioned earlier that our cat had been remarkably flatulent all day, so I naturally blamed it on him. (The cat, not JD.) I soon realized that the culprit was not the cat-- it was the kale chips. They stink. Oh well, I thought. Maybe they'll taste good. But no. They taste like salty, dried out yard waste. I don't get it. What kind of heinous diet would a person have to be on to actually find these appealing? "

I'm dating my DVR too. That way I can watch Survivor and Idol at 8:00 and at 10:00 The Real Houswives and Project Runway, which since the limit is 2, I missed Marriage Ref. (good tv night, what can I say)

I'm going to try the Kale chips but for sure I'm trying the fish tonight, the good little Catholic girl I am.

Yes, kale chips are worth doing. You will like.

Your first image from yesterday is so beautiful I'd put up a poster of it...and I'm a picky person with few walls.

Would you consider it? Maybe you'd let me get my paws on a hi-res file to print a big version?

Yep your cat's pretty...but the photographer did a bang-up job too. That's a beautifully composed shot.

hey,

here's another kale chip link...

http://www.shutterbean.com/kalechips/

I haven't tried them yet...Kale usually goes through the juicer w/ granny smith apples, fennel bulb, cuke, celery, parsey and ginger...

jake

Here's a link to the recipe I have used a few times. It is wonderful - and I'm sure the other recipe/s you've been given are great too.

http://healthycooking.suite101.com/article.cfm/roasted_kale

ha! this is how we do it! i totally embarrassed myself out at a bar with some friends recently when that song came on and i realized i knew every. single. word. but now i'm a big-g!

re: kale chips, i haven't tried this recipe yet but i plan to ASAP because i loooove salt and vinegar potato chips: http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com/2010/03/recipe-for-roasted-kale-chips-with-sea.html

I definitely FF the results show! Gonna try the kale crisps...Yes, the kitty is the star!

Fastforwarding is the only way to watch American Idol. I start taping it and then start watching it a half hour in. I just watch the singing and the judges, that is all I care about. DVR is the best thing that ever happened to me and I don't care who knows it!

http://steamykitchen.com/6926-crispy-kale-recipe.html

I have not tried this recipe yet but I am insanely intrigued. 2 tips are stressed - salad spinner the leaves until they are totally dry, and do not add the salt until after baking.

Let us know how it goes!

Idol this year is a big yawn, and the results show is the least of the problem. Two hours of boys, then two hours of girls...most of whom didn't need to be on the show in the first place, just wears me out! There is nothing else on Tuesday and Wednesday night that I want to watch, so I watch live. Excrutiating. I don't think I am misunderestimating this, in Simon's words (that don't exist).

i was similarly doubtful of the kale chips, but they are DELIGHTFUL! i drizzled with olive oil and french fry seasoning (any seasoning salt would do, i imagine), and tossed it like you would a salad before baking. Amazing! i don't understand how it doesn't just wilt, but it doesn't and it is *tasty*!

My first batch was a little *too* oily, so go light!

I can't even remember what T.V. was like before Tivo and now my Direct TV DVR and I don't want to! If I can't fast forward, I'll do something else or watch something else to give some buffer. :-)

We do the same thing on Idol elimination nights -- DVR it and then fast forward through a lot of it. It seems bass-ackwards to me that the people who were voted off are the ones you have to listen to again. Whenever we "try" to watch anything live, my hubby just about breaks the remote trying to fast forward. Kills him to watch commercials now.

I love Torties! LOVE them! I think they are my favorite breed of cat - - probably because that is what my Dear Callie Kitty was. And she was so sweet (I miss her . . . ). Beautiful picture, Laurie!

And I think I'm going to try the Kale Chips also. Dear Hubby won't touch them, so if I like them, that means there are more for ME! :)

Kale chips = BLECH!
American Idol = Train wreck

I almost hate to judge kale chips on the basis of not having even been near one, but "kale" and "chips" shouldn't even be in the same sentence.

And 'Meruhkin Idol is something that I don't want to watch, but can't tear my bugging gaze from the television screen. It's a tractor beam of cultural pain, though I think Randy's cute and Simon's freakin' sexy when he smiles. I am a fan of Ellen, but why, oh why, is she a judge on A.I.?

You know, in Kentucky Farm Girl speak, A.I. means a whole 'nuther thang.

Artificial Insemination.

Kale chips, anyone?

I was going to USC when they still held the awards there and it was fun seeing them set up all week. A couple times I had to work on the day of the awards and that was when I found out, everyone starts arriving in the morning! And it is funny sitting at traffic lights and seeing 15 limos everywhere you look. I'll bet there isn't an available limo in town that day. And that is saying something for LA!

Oh yes, and the helicopters. 1400 helicopters in the air at the same time. All flying 12 feet above the ground. Scary!

I totally agree about the chinese water torture for Idol. Luckily now it's on my my knit night so I just call my mom afterwards and get the results!

As someone who spent her teenage years singing competitively, American Idol is pretty excruciating for me. My boyfriend, on the other hand, watches whenever he has control of the remote.(partly because he enjoys the humiliation of it all and partly because it irritates me so?)

Kale chips? hmmmm. never heard of them, but now I'm intrigued. and I never watch American Idol live. I record it then fast forward to the good parts. I also don't vote either. I did one year, but then got too much junk mail/texts on my cell phone.

Never tried kale chips but they have been on my radar. So let us know what you think. Also, since you started talking about roasted veges all the time I again am taking the leap into roasted vege land, although, I couldn't find any eggplant...so I decided to try brussel sprouts, hoping that I'll like them this way, not my favorite vege. I bought all of two of them to roast, lol. And yes, the leap from eggplant to brussel sprouts is inexplicable.

Had some kale chips a caterer had made at a friend's celebration and they were yummy. Couldn't believe it. Did not resemble "yard waste" as alluded to above at all!

Thanks for asking for the recipe - can't wait to try one or more of them myself.

Oscars - I can't decide whether to root for Meryl Streep or Sandra Bullock in the best actress category - loved both of them in their respective roles. How about you?

I did make kale chips once but I don't recall where I got the recipe. I remember we thought they were interesting in a funky sort of way. I think I sprinkled them with Spike - a health food store staple seasoning mix. I also remember that they smelled not-so-great. Forget about storing them. They get soggy quick, especially if its humid.

Judy -- I am rooting for Carey Mulligan from "An Education." She was able to fit more expression on that little face than anyone I have seen in so long. It was just a perfect, tiny film and she was brilliant in it!

Tonight I am watching The Hurt Locker so I can get my Oscar education up to par LOL.

A coworker and I used to amuse ourselves on VERY slow dayes by emailing each other lines from old rap and hip hop. We'd have to try to guess the next lines without googling them. And then I'd have the song stuck in my head all day.

'This is how we do it, all hands are in the air,
And wave them from here to there
If you're an OG mack or a wanna-be playa'

CAP, you're awesome!

Kale chips are great - you'll love them. The Two Blue Lemons blog has a great and easy recipe. You pretty much have to eat them right away though because the leftovers get soggy. That was my experience anyway. Hope you enjoy!

I am a terrible, terrible cook, but I have figured out kale chips!
I am too lazy to toss the leaves with oil so I spray a baking sheet with Olive Oil PAM then tear up the leaves and lay them out in a single layer. Then I spray all the leaves with the PAM and sprinkle salt, or Lowry's, or whatever on them. Then into the oven at 375-400 (give or take) for 10 minutes, maybe? I stand in the kitchen while they're cooking and take them out once they are dry and crispy when poked at with kitchen tongs.
It took me 3 or 4 tries before I perfected it, but the biggest help was the Olive Oil spray. Drizzling or tossing made my leaves sit in a tiny little puddle of oil, and then they cooked instead of turning crispy. I think cooked kale is possibly the world's most disgusting vegetable.

Two words. Jacques Pepin. I saw this on his PBS (yea for PBS!) series, Fast Food My Way. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/615036 This is where chowhound rehashes the recipe. When I made this it took longer than stated. And, I had the turn the kale over, even though it was all on a rack. But, I did indeed eat half a bunch of kale on a Friday and the other half on the following Sunday. Delicious!

re: Kale chips.
I like them. Couple of tips- Top with sea salt after roasting (with olive oil), rather than while roasting (salt brings out water, can make them droopy). Fantastic with a bit of parmesan sprinkled and melted (add in last few minutes).

I finally insisted that I get my own DVR -- I got so tired of my husband walking into my office/knitting room and starting talking right over my show, forgetting that while HE could pause his TV, I couldn't. It's pure heaven to not have to negotiate to record what I want any more! And I treat the Idol elims the way you do. Although I didn't even watch Idol during the Olympics; I waited for them to narrow it down to few enough people I might be able to remember any of them.

And Soba's identical twin Emily says hello, and of course Soba looks terrific; aren't all torties totally beautiful, of course?

Laurie -
A friend just turned me on to this new website -
www.sparkpeople.com It's free. After you sign on, you are asked if you want to set a weight loss goal or living a healthy life style w/o goal, then more questions, then if you want to join one of the groups (one of which was knitters!). I explored the recipes and there are 7 under Kale Snacks!
It is going to take me more time to figure this site but it looks promising!

Oscar night? Already? Time for me to ignore them again. I don't think I've seen a single movie in a theater in the last year. Haven't even watched much on DVD. I may be turning into a crank. (MAY be? I hear you asking. Hush.) Or a hermit. Or a cranky hermit.

I'm too lazy to check and see if this was posted in the comments yet...

http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=16634.0

That's the recipe I use. The spice mix... I have loved berbere (a north African spice blend, I believe)

I was quite skeptical, too, about kale chips, but truly, they are amazing.

But 10 minutes? Certainly not enough time in my opinion.

Good luck!!!

You know you're getting old when you no longer watch the Oscars because
a)you haven't seen any of the movies, and
b)you don't know any of the stars anymore.

Although I did see one movie, "Julie and Julia", (it may be the other way around) and I did, of course, know who Meryl Streep is and enjoyed her portrayal, though I don't really think this movie is Oscar material. But then, maybe it is nowadays.

A happy night of housekeeping for me: cleaning the DVR!!!!!!

Say, does your Tivo have a brother??

I didn't mean to be anonymous, but I do want to know if your Tivo has a brother...

American Idol is so disappointing this year. Last year I was amazed at the talent, this year I feel there are very few talented people. Bummer!

I do that with Dancing with the stars and Project Runway too. Mainly on PR it's the little previews they do before the commercial of what is going to happen after the commercial. I don't get that. I'll be seeing it in a couple of minutes, why do I need a preview now? Anyway, beautiful kitty. Good luck with the kale chips. I may try to slip them past my family too. I just have to decide what I'm going to tell them they are.

Wow, I think I'm the only person in the world who DOES like the results show on American Idol! We fast-forward the commercials, of course, but I want to watch every last second of the content. Weird!

I first heard about Kale Chips from Jaden Hair's blog
http://steamykitchen.com/
I went with a friend to her book signing and was hooked on her style of cooking and her recipes.

I love my tivo, too! Love, love it! That and my deceased Dyson are my two favorite things EVER.

Nah, I fast forward through much of the eliminations. I'm a little concerned if this is the best talent they have ever had though...there are three girls and two guys I like. Period.

I have to fast forward the results show, too. I hate the whole fake drama of it.

Kale chips! This recipe is awesome: http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com/2010/03/recipe-for-roasted-kale-chips-with-sea.html. It has sea salt and vinegar. I love vinegar. Not so good if you hate vinegar. I also like the word vinegar, can you tell?

Anyhoo, I agree with most of the eliminations on idol...but I agree with you that I wish the curly haired choir teacher had not gotten booted and am not a huge fan of the red haired girl.

I hope the kale chips taste better than they sound. They sound way too healthy [shudder!] Give me Tostitos any day!

Love the action shot!

Since the American Idol show airs three hours ahead of us on the west coast, the results are already posted on google news around 7:30 pm our time. Knowing who is leaving relieves my tension and I can be a more objective viewer and watch all the faces. I do think that Ryan Seacrest drags out reading the name much longer than is necessary.

Part of me wishes I was more interested in the Oscars, but I have only seen two of the animated movies. I would love to feel like I have a clue as to who all of the people and movies are!

I just wanted to tell you that you've got a beautiful smile :)

Soba is so beautiful - my next cat is going to be just like her

Now I have "...if you were from where I'm from then you would knoooowww..." You make me feel normal for always talking in song lyrics.

Comments closed, thanks!