***Afternoon Productivity***

I've been so productive today! One of the things I really wanted to do was spend a little time in the kitchen. We've been so busy with the basement remodel (pictures to come) that I haven't been cooking! The horror! Who am I?! So this afternoon I had some fun making kale chips, Asian slaw and experimenting with infusing my own black peppercorn and mustard seed vodka! Yowza! (You can find my inspiration for the vodka here.) These two delicious treats are so good that I want to share the recipes. Oh yea, and they are really easy to make.

Kale Chips:

De-rib a bunch of curly kale and tear into chip-size pieces. Toss with olive oil and S & P. Spread on a baking sheet and pop in the oven at 375˚ for ~12-15 minutes. Toss around halfway. Pull them out when you can tell they are crisp. Grate some lemon zest over them and sprinkle on a few red chili flakes. Yum! Healthy snack!

Asian Inspired Slaw: (beware, this is not precise)

Grate a small head of cabbage (I use Savoy or Napa when available which makes it light and fluffy) and 3 or 4 carrots, using the grate attachment, in the food processor. Put in a bowl and toss with:

lemon juice from one lemon

a few tablespoons sesame oil

a few dashes of ume plum vinegar

sea salt to taste

seaweed flakes

a couple dashes of cayenne

sesame seeds or sunflower seeds (or both, and sliced almonds?)

Yummy and healthy!

I can't believe that in only a matter of hours the vodka has already taken on an amber color. I think it's going to be really good, but possibly might need to be diluted with more vodka. I gave it a whiff and it smells really peppery! Great for bloody mary's or some other crazy concoction. I'm seeing some cocktail experimenting in my future.