Kale is Good. Really.

Today in our box from the farm we got all sorts of good stuff - and something a bit different - some Lacinato Kale. Otherwise known as Dinosaur Kale it says. This stuff is huge - big long dark green leaves on crunchy stems. And as usual, along with our newsletter in every box there are recipes included. I love how Spiral Path Farm sends these along each week, especially since some of this produce is stuff I've not cooked with before. And in the interest of trying new things - I'm glad there are instructions with these, so to speak. So for dinner we had Lacinato Kale Wraps. Took me a bit to chop everything up (I need a sous chef!) but it didn't really take too long and it was very easy to prepare. And very tasty too - here's the recipe - give it a try, dark leafy greens are good for you and can even taste great!

1 bunch lacinato kale, rinsed as a bunch, slice the whole bunch thin including the stems
1 T. minced garlic
1 onion, chopped
2 C. sliced carrots
1/2 lb. bacon, chopped uncooked into small pieces or 1/2 lb. sausage
1/4 C. olive oil
1/4 C. chicken broth, or potato water, or water
1 t. sale, 1/4 t. black pepper, 1/2 t. crushed red pepper (only if you like lots of heat)
6-8 of your favorite tortilla wraps (flour, cornmeal or seasoned)
1/2 C. fresh grated Asiago cheese (or other hard cheese)

Saute the onions, garlic, carrots and bacon for about 10 minutes on medium high heat. Stir often. Add the sliced kale all at once and stir often for about 10 minutes. Pour in the liquid and seasonings and cover and steam for another 10 minutes. Gently warm the tortilla wraps. Spoon about 1/2 C. kale mix into a wrap, sprinkle with cheese, wrap and enjoy.

I actually used the bacon AND the sausage together...just sounded good to me. And the Asiago cheese is a good choice - just a bit of a tang to it and very flavorful. I ended up with the plain flour tortillas as I couldn't find the tomato ones that I really wanted to try with this. But nonetheless it was a very good meal, mostly thanks to our organic farm bounty.

Etsy Anniversary!

Today is our one year Etsy Anniversary! Gee, that seems like a long time but it hasn't felt like that long. But a year has gone by and we wanted to celebrate it somehow. So from now through Sunday, we're offering FREE SHIPPING with every order. Yes, that's it...free shipping on everything. And....you also get a gift - a FREE FABRIC COASTER! What could be better than that, a celebration where you get a gift? Christmas is right around the corner...better get that shopping done soon! Need a cute pair of earrings? A reusable, eco-friendly fabric shopping bag? Perhaps a handy and attractive travel makeup bag? Come browse our shop - avocado - and get in on the freebies while they last!

Stringmealong !

One of the many shops participating in the Blog A Day Giveaway is Stringmealong, an Etsy jewelry seller based in Canada. She's got a really nice selection of jewelry items including necklaces, bracelets, earrings and other items. One of my favorites are these earrings - Flight of Cher Ami. Very pretty beads and the copper sets it off nicely. I love the little birds on these - she has a number of other pieces that include bird charms, very pretty and delicate. And something else just a bit different - she has hair sticks with pretty beaded tops. If you have long hair, try fastening it up with some hair sticks, these would look really nice!

Don't forget to go to Sweet Figments and check out what you need to do to enter this contest and you could win one of 30 great prizes!

Blog a Day Giveaway!

New giveaway starts tomorrow....be on the lookout for info on this! Lots of really nice items you can win....keep watch at Sweet Figments!

Coasters!

I've been sitting here sewing these fabric coasters as promotional items for this show in NYC - the Holiday Handmade Cavalcade - at the Knitting Factory. These are kind of fun to make actually, and it's a useful item - much better than a boring old business card. You can sit at your computer desk, plop your cup of java on your cheery little coaster and shop online!

Anyhow - I've made a few extra ones and feel like just mailing them out to someone who'd like one and give it a good home. So the first four people that send me an email at avocadocreations@comcast.net will get a free coaster mailed to them! If you're one of the first four, I'll email you back to get your mailing address and it will show up in your mailbox PDQ!

The growing season is winding down...

We're getting down there on the fresh produce growing season. There are still four or five weeks left though on our deliveries of organic goodies. But some things are going to be gone for the winter and I'm sure we'll miss them. We've been up to our backside in fresh tomatoes - and it's been wonderful. But I'm kind of burnt out on them now. When the middle of winter is here, I shall probably crave a fresh, right off the vine tomato. But as of now we're trying to find new and different ways to use up the ones we've had. This tomato tart recipe came with our newsletter from Spiral Path - they've had some really good recipes every week.
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One 9 inch pie crust - whatever is your favorite
4-6 medium tomatoes cut into 1/2 inch slices
6-8 oz. of Gruyere cheese, cut into thin slices
1 T. fresh minced basil (or 1 t. dried)
1 t. fresh minced oregano (or 1/4 t. dried)
3 T. or more freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt, pepper to taste

Cut tomato slices in halves, place on paper towels to drain. Allow tomatoes to drain for about 45 minutes on paper towels, occasionally blot. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake pie crust and let cool. Top cooled crust with cheese slices, then arrange tomatoes on top, overlapping slightly. Sprinkle with herbs and Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Bake until cheese is bubbly, about 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool a few minutes before cutting into wedges.

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I made this a bit larger, using a 9X13 inch cake pan, then cut into squares. It turned out nicely - something a bit different with the tomatoes. And getting some good Gruyere cheese was a good excuse to run over to Wegmans to shop - I love their cheese department. Especially when they're handing out samples!

And just for fun, here's a lovely little bag for your makeup, eyeglasses and contacts, or whatever....in a lovely cheese print fabric!

Eyes!

So we went off to PennDOT for the youngest child to get his learner's permit. And lo and behold, after all the worrying about passing the exam...he didn't get that far because he didn't pass the eye exam. What the heck? Mind you, he passed the school eye exam just a few weeks ago. So we went right off to an eye doctor (time is of the essence here when you have a teenage boy who wants his learner's permit YESTERDAY) and had an exam done. Turns out he is nearsighted - and needs glasses to drive. The doctor couldn't believe that he didn't notice before that his distance vision was off. Off we went again to the eyeglass place to pick out glasses. Which was interesting - as he'd never worn them before. But we found a pair that looked good, waited an hour and then picked them up. And for the next hour or two, he was amazed at how everything looked through the new pair of glasses. Told me he never realized that his vision was crap - he thought things were supposed to look that way until it was actually corrected. And now is finally seeing everything like it should have been. Amazing, huh? So - the moral of my story here is even though you think your children can see fine, perhaps an eye exam once in a while is a good idea just in case - so they don't have to wait until the Department of Transportation tells them their eyesight sucks!